Jon Bon Jovi records song for Iran

JON BON JOVI has recorded a song in Farsi in an attempt to promote peace and unity in Iran.

The rock star teamed up with exiled Iranian singer Andy Madadian and Was (Not Was) star Don Was to record a version of Ben E. King's Stand By Me in the country's first language.

A statement said the song is "a musical message of worldwide solidarity" to the Iranian people, in the wake of violence following the country's controversial recent election.

Was, who produced the track, told Billboard.com that the song was recorded in Los Angeles on 24 June after he and Madadian saw Bon Jovi and bandmate Richie Sambora eating lunch outside the studio they were working in.

He said he and Madadian were already planning to record the tune "just to send out a little message of solidarity... believing music can change things," but decided to ask the rockers to join them.

He said: "They asked what we were doing, I told them, and Jon said, 'Look, man, if you do it right now we'll do it with you.' So we did."

Sambora plays guitar on the track and Was played bass.

He added: "We just cut it and the video is the session. It took about four hours and just fell into place nicely... It is not for sale, it wasn't intended to be on the Billboard charts, it wasn't meant to be a hit record or even pressed on a CD.

"It's intended to be downloaded and shared by the Iranian people. The whole idea was to get it into Iran and tell them... to carry on, that the world is watching and we're with you."

Madadian has lived in America since the Iranian revolution in 1979.