On 18 August 1986 Bon Jovi released their third album, Slippery when wet. The record would become her best-selling to date. Here are 20 things you may not know about it:
1. Most of the songs on the album were written by Jon Bon Jovi And Richie Sambora.
2. The band’s record company brought in a renowned songwriter Desmond Child to help the band. Together with Jon and Richie, Desmond wrote hits like “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer” in Richie’s mother’s basement in New Jersey.
3. After writing 30 songs, the band played them for teenagers in New York and New Jersey. Based on the children’s reactions, they decided which songs would be included on the album.
4. Jon selected producer Bruce Fairbairn for Slippery when wet because the singer loved the sound quality of the heavy metal band Black and blue1985 Album Without lovethat Bruce produced.
5. Before it was mentioned Slippery when wetThe band considered the title asWanted – dead or aliveand even had a cover made with the group dressed as cowboys, which was later used for the single release of this song.
6. The group chose the name Slippery when wet after a visit to a strip club in Vancouver.
7. The cover features a wet black garbage bag with the title drawn in water. It was a last minute decision. The original cover featured a busty woman in a yellow shirt with the album title on it. The official reason for the change is unknown, but some believe the label was afraid stores would refuse to carry the cover as they thought it was sexist. Others said Jon scrapped the cover when he saw that the record company had added a bright pink border around it.
8.Slippery when wet spawned three top ten singles: “Wanted Dead or Alive,” “You Give Love a Bad Name,” and “Livin’ on a Prayer,” with the last two topping the charts. The album is the first rock album to have three top ten hits
9. “You Give Love a Bad Name” was the band’s first song to reach number one.
10. “You Give Love a Bad Name” was originally written for the singer of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” Bonnie Tyler like the song “If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)”, which had different lyrics. Desmond was unhappy with the performance so he rewrote it with Jon and Richie.
11. Jon was hesitant to include “Livin’ on a Prayer” on the album because he thought it wasn’t a good song. Richie was sure it would be a hit. They compromised and re-recorded the song, which of course became a huge hit.
12. The popular version of “Livin’ on a Prayer” ends with a fade, but the studio version is 43 seconds longer. The guys repeat the intro riff and it ends with a talkbox solo.
13. Jon said he was inspired to write the lyrics for “Livin’ on a Prayer” by the trickle-down economics of Reagan Epoch.
14. Jon was inspired to write “Wanted Dead or Alive” after hearing Robert Seger‘s “Turn the page.”
15. “Wanted Dead or Alive” was written when Jon couldn’t sleep on his tour bus. During that time, he realized that the lifestyle of a rock star is a lot like that of an outlaw: you hit the cities and have girls and booze before the sun comes up.
16. “Edge of a Broken Heart,” which landed on the film’s soundtrack in 1987 disorderwas written during the sessions for Slippery when wetbut not included on the album. Jon later said of the melody: “It was absolutely fitting for the Slippery Recording – could have, should have, would have been there Slippery cooler tempers would have gained the upper hand.”
17. “Never Say Goodbye” didn’t qualify for the Billboard Hot 100 chart because it was never released as a commercially available single. However, it definitely would have charted, peaking at number 28 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart regardless.
18. The album was Bon Jovi’s first chart-topping record, spending eight weeks at number one and 38 weeks in the top five of the Billboard 200.
19.Slippery when wet was the best-selling album of 1987.
20. The album has been certified 12 times platinum, meaning it has sold over 12 million copies. It is one of the best-selling albums of all time in America.
