Maltese musicians have landed a virtual duet with American rock star Jon Bon Jovi when they took up an open invitation to collaborate and write a verse for a song he penned during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Not only was their version chosen from among thousands of submissions worldwide last weekend, but the Maltese duo also went that extra mile, writing an original guitar solo and being the only collaboration to include their country in their lyrics, apart from singing the chorus “together”.
Session guitarist Glenn Sacco said the decision to participate in Bon Jovi’s challenge, launched about a month ago, was only taken up on Friday, when he wrote the guitar solo, while former band member and vocalist Keith Rollin penned and sang the words, shooting the GoPro footage to accompany it.
The two worked separately due to social-distancing measures, and the end result was submitted on You Tube on Saturday evening with the hashtag #DoWhatYouCan – and no expectations!
The next day, when Sacco was informed it was chosen – and the collaboration shared a number of times – he thought it was a joke. Even though musicians’ contributions have been selected regularly since Bon Jovi launched the challenge, they never thought they stood a chance.
“Within the first two days, the challenge had already received over 6,000 submissions,” he said, putting their selection down to the original guitar solo, as opposed to just playing the same rhythm.
Sometimes, it is the foreigners who appreciate your work more than the Maltese
“It came so natural to me that I did it in one single take,” said Sacco, adding that Bon Jovi’s music reflects the style of his former band, Black Rose.
Unlike other chosen collaborations that only feature the musicians playing, scenes of rocky Malta, aerial shots and empty roads are screened next to footage of the American singer-songwriter in his studio.
Viewed also as an opportunity to plug Malta, the local lyrics say: “We got it all covered because we did understand.”
Bon Jovi’s song, Do What you Can, reminds that “if you can’t do what you do, you do what you can”, sending a message of encouragement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the song, he cites the situation in the US, which was closing borders and boarding up schools; and Sacco said this inspired the inclusion of Malta by name, how the country could unite and get out of the pandemic despite its size.
“We are proud of this music collaboration, but also of the island,” the guitarist said.
Sacco currently plays with Celine of X Factor Malta fame. But the experience has motivated him to start working on something new with Rollin 20 years after Black Rose stopped.
As to whether he thought anything else could come out of this, he said he did it out of “a passion for music”, without any goals other than to keep on playing.
“What I have learnt from all this is that, sometimes, it is the foreigners who appreciate your work more than the Maltese,” he said.