alone, establishing Bon Jovi as superstars in their home country. Supported by several appealing, straightforward videos that received heavy rotation on MTV, the record took off on the strength of "You Give Love a Bad Name," followed quickly by "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Wanted Dead or Alive." Those three Top Ten Hits helped propel Slippery When Wet to sales of nine million in the U.S. The trio composed 30 songs in total and auditioned them for local New Jersey and New York teenagers, basing the album's running order on their opinions.
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Paul Stanley had given Jon and Richie the phone number of professional songwriter Desmond Child, and together they wrote two of the album's biggest hits in Richie's parents' basement. Before the group entered the studio, though, Bon Jovi replaced Sabo with Richie Sambora, a working guitarist with a long resumé, including a stint as a member of Message.īon Jovi released their eponymous debut album in 1984, generating a Top 40 hit with the original version of "Runaway." The following year, 7800° Fahrenheit was released and went gold, all serving as a prelude to the band's 1986 breakthrough, Slippery When Wet. "Runaway" spurred a major-label bidding war, leading to a contract with Polygram/Mercury in 1983. One of those demos, "Runaway," became a hit on local New Jersey radio and led to the formation of Bon Jovi the band: Jon and Bryan were supported by guitarist Dave Sabo, bassist Alec John Such, and drummer Tico Torres. Jon's cousin Tony Bongiovi owned the celebrated New York recording studio the Power Station and Jon spent many hours there, working as a janitor and recording demos after hours, sometimes supported by members of the E Street Band or Aldo Nova. They incorporated elements of soft rock and country, moves that helped the band sustain their popularity into the 21st century.īon Jovi took their name from lead singer Jon Bon Jovi (born Jon Bongiovi), who spent his adolescence playing in local Jersey bands with David Bryan (born David Rashbaum). First, the group slowly lessened their reliance on arena rock guitars, emphasizing melody and ballads without rejecting hard rock. Another way they differed from other MTV favorites of the late '80s lies in how Bon Jovi cannily and subtly changed their sounds to fit the time. Slippery When Wet, its 1988 sequel New Jersey, and 1992's Keep the Faith all were international smashes, each selling over ten-million copies worldwide. Unlike a lot of their big-haired pop-metal peers, Bon Jovi's appeal wasn't limited to the States. After ushering in the era of pop-metal with their 1986 blockbuster Slippery When Wet and its hit singles "You Give Love a Bad Name," "Wanted Dead or Alive," and "Living on a Prayer," Bon Jovi wound up transcending the big-haired '80s, withstanding changes in style and sound to become one of the biggest American rock bands of their time.