SLIPPERY WHEN WET (1986)


After the slight failure of 7800 Fahrenheit the band were given one more chance to prove themselves. It was never official, but the tone in the air was that the band would "either make it, or else...". So they had some pressure on themselves when they were going into making their third album. They needed a clean break from 7800 Fahrenheit, so the first move was to get rid of Lance Quinn. In were brought two persons who were to have a big contribution in the success of Bon Jovi. Canadian producer Bruce Fairbairn came in to produce the third album, and his work on Slippery and later on New Jersey was a big ingredient in their success. Desmond Child was brought in as a co-writer for the first time. He was a relative unknown at the time, but there's no doubt that he had a big part in their success too. Desmond Child was to become a somewhat important person to the band as he would have his hand in writing many of their hits from You Give Love A Bad Name and Livin' On A Prayer to New Jersey and all the way through the 1990s and beyond.

Slippery When Wet was recorded at Little Mountain Studios in Vancouver and the album was released in August 1986. While there was some talk of hit singles and a big album, nobody had expected what happened. All the time, money and effort invested in Slippery When Wet paid itself and more, as Slippery When Wet became one of the biggest selling records of the 1980s. Slippery spent a total of 15 weeks in two bursts at the top of the US charts, peaked at #6 in the UK and to this day has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide. Slippery gave two number one hit singles for the band and became one of the classic albums of the eighties. If there is one classic Bon Jovi album, it is this one.



Let It Rock

Written by: JBJ, RS
Status: Album track (also released as B-side to You Give Love A Bad Name)

The album begins with a keyboard intro called Pink Flamingos. When the drums and guitars kick in, we are introduced to the new Slippery sound; the heavy guitars and drums are a million miles away from the light synthetic pop of 7800 Fahrenheit. The difference is huge, and needless to say it's only for the better. Let It Rock which opens the album is a big rock song. It's rather simple, but the song has a great swing to it and straight from the first song we are introduced to the style of this album: happy and energetic rock that may not be too ambitious and challenging but is certainly a lot of fun, and a song like Let It Rock is something that some Bon Jovi albums of the future could be jealous about - so wonderful is the spirit of this song. This is a good opener to the album and while it's not really a spectacular song, it's a very good and enjoyable rocker.

Rating: ***


You Give Love A Bad Name

Written by: JBJ, RS, Desmond Child
Status: First single from the album released in August 1986, peaked at #1 in the US, at #14 in the UK

You Give Love A Bad Name was the breakthrough song of Bon Jovi. The single hit number one in the US charts in August 1986 and the band had arrived. Bad Name is an important song for the band, but although it's important, it isn't one of the best Bon Jovi songs albeit its essential status might suggest so.
Bad Name is the ultimate pop metal song. The song has fun, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and it's a song in which Desmond Child's writing skills can be noticed because there weren't any this well written pop songs on the first two albums. Bad Name was an easy hit: the song has simple and fun lyrics, easy and catchy chorus and a heavy but yet a very pop sound. You Give Love A Bad Name is a good song, but it's far from great. It's too brainless and pointless, perhaps a bit too formulaic, and just too... "hit". It sounds a bit too much like a cleverly manufactured hit. In concerts the band got slightly stuck with this song. There has been only a few special occasions when they haven't played the song, on tours it has simply always been in the set, never missing one concert. Obviously the band loves this song and they seem to never get tired of it and as the big hit it was they have to play it, but still, this is a song they should have dropped off the setlists a long time ago.
This is a song that could be considered to be overrated by many, because ultimately Bad Name isn't really that great song. Being the band's breakthrough song is an undeniable positive credit to it, but this is also a song that has suffered with time more than any other important Bon Jovi song. In the end Bad Name is little more than a short, catchy and somewhat formulaic song, the ultimate pop metal song and a big hit, and that's pretty much all there is to it. This isn't among the best songs of this album, and is certainly far from being one of the best Bon Jovi songs.

Rating: ***


Livin' On A Prayer

Written by: JBJ, RS, DC
Status: Second single from the album released in October 1986, peaked at #1 in the US, at #4 in the UK

A song that needs no introduction. Livin' On A Prayer is an immortal Bon Jovi classic. Prayer was another #1 hit for the band but that's really the smallest credit to this song, because this is really an enormous Bon Jovi song. It's a song that almost everybody knows, no matter are they fans or not. Livin' On A Prayer is a lot: along with Wanted Dead Or Alive it is THE Bon Jovi anthem, it is well written, it is a big rock song with a great sing-along chorus, for a long time it was a fantastic live song and altogether it's one of the most essential songs of the band's career.
The lyrics that are about never giving up and surviving through hard times in life are genuinely good - the first really good lyrics by the band - and Tommy and Gina, the characters of the song lived on in a few other songs and in the memory of many fans. Prayer is also a song that works in two completely different forms; it's one of the best and most well-known acoustic songs by the band. A new semi-acoustic version of the song that was recorded and released in 1994 with the name Prayer '94 proves (along with countless acoustic live performances) the versatility of this song. Livin' On A Prayer is a brilliant song; from the atmospheric intro to the great lyrics and the gripping choruses, and from the great live song that it is to its versatility as an acoustic song to finally its legacy as a Bon Jovi anthem, this is one of the greatest Bon Jovi songs of all time.

Rating: *****


Social Disease

Written by: JBJ, RS
Status: Album track

Here's a song pretty badly misplaced. Social Disease suffers from being placed between Livin' On A Prayer and Wanted Dead Or Alive, two Bon Jovi classics and superb songs. Between those songs Social Disease has little impact on the listener. But still, were it anywhere on the album, Social Disease would still be the weakest song on it. This is an ordinary, and slightly below-average rock song. I don't like the word "filler", but this is a sort of a filler-type song. The lyrics are kind of interesting, but there's nothing too special about this song. This is kind of stuffing on the album, just something to have between the preceding song and the following song. The weakest song on this album.

Rating: **


Wanted Dead Or Alive

Written by: JBJ, RS
Status: Third single from the album released in March 1987, peaked at #7 in the US, at #13 in the UK

Wanted Dead Or Alive is another essential classic and timeless Bon Jovi anthem. Jon's fascination with the lifestyle of 19th century cowboys led him and Richie write this song that explores the cowboy theme and compares the touring of a rock band to the lifestyle of the cowboys. Cowboys may not be the most mature theme to write music about, but hey, it's a fun theme and at least better than tons of dull lyrics about youth and love.
Musically Wanted Dead Or Alive is brilliant. It has an incredibly atmospheric intro that is so well done that it doesn't cease to amaze you every time, the acoustic guitar (and electric, too) work by Richie throughout the song is excellent, and the lyrics are great. It's slightly difficult to praise Wanted because it's such a huge and classic Bon Jovi song, but whatever words used, it deserves them all. Some reasons for genuine acclaim are its all-around musical excellency in its lyrics, musical development and acoustic passages, its interesting "touring cowboys" theme, the fact that it was a truly magical live song all the way up to 1996 and the fact that it's an immortal, timeless classic and an essential part of Bon Jovi's repertoire and phenomenon. Wanted Dead Or Alive is the best song on Slippery When Wet and one of the greatest Bon Jovi songs ever.

Rating: *****


Raise Your Hands

Written by: JBJ, RS
Status: Album track (also released as B-side to Never Say Goodbye)

The second side of the album begins with this simple little rock song. Raise Your Hands is a song that was made mainly for playing live. The lyrics aren't really related to anything; the point of the song is to list a few cities of the world and order the audience to raise their hands, getting them jumping and excited with the show. Unsurprisingly, the song was used to open concerts on the long tour for Slippery in 1986-87. The song was dropped off the set after the Slippery tour probably because it was just too simple and not good enough for long term playing, and Lay Your Hands On Me soon filled its place perfectly. But although it's a simple song, made mainly for playing live and something that you could call "filler", Raise Your Hands does fit Slippery well and it's a rather good song on the album too. It's this raw, fun and energetic rock that this album is all about.

Rating: ***