 | You Give Love a Bad NameBon Jovi |
Writer(s): Desmond Child, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora (see lyrics here) Released: July 23, 1986 First Charted: August 9, 1986 Peak: 11 BB, 11 CB, 7 GR, 7 RR, 9 AR, 14 UK, 2 CN, 32 AU, 6 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 1.2 UK, 2.04 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 468.02 video, 1052.41 streaming |
Awards:Click on award for more details. 
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About the Song:The hair band genre of the ‘80s was rooted in heavy metal from the ‘70s. Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple excelled at filling stadiums but weren’t much of a presence at top-40 radio. Kiss then used “costumes and face paint to stand out, pioneering a version of metal that was so theatrical that it practically crossed over into pantomime.” BR Then Van Halen conquered MTV with “the high-kicking flamboyant frontman David Lee Roth and the squeedling guitar virtuoso Eddie Van Halen.” BR That gave way to other MTV-friendly glam bands like Motley Crue, Ratt, Def Leppard, and Quiet Riot. It was Bon Jovi, however, “who truly turned metal into pop music.” TB Bon Jovi leaned into the hair band image, “adapting the same teased-hair look and energetic, strutting stage presence as their contemporaries.” TB “It’s hard to find fault with Bon Jovi’s mix of hard-rock guitars and singalong choruses – a winning combination that made them one of the most successful bands of the 1980s.” TB They formed in 1983 in New Jersey. After two platinum albums, they exploded with their third release, 1986’s Slippery When Wet. The #1 album was certified twelve times platinum in the U.S. and turned the band into a global sensation on the strength of #1 hits “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer” as well as top-10 hit “Wanted Dead Or Alive.” Prior to “You Give Love a Bad Name,” Bon Jovi’s biggest hit was 1984’s “Runaway,” which peaked at #39. It was “the ultimate fist-pumping rock anthem.” TB It marked the group’s first time working with an outside collaborator; the group wanted someone “who coul turn out material that would bring the band a wider audience – specifically females.” FB Desmond Child had previously worked with Kiss, Billy Squier, Cher, and Bonnie Tyler, but it was his recycling of the chorus melody of Tyler’s “If You Were a Woman” as “You Give Love a Bad Name” TB gave him his first chart-topping success and put the future Songwriter Hall of Famer on the map. “The song – a howl of frustration from a guy who’s been left behind – drew on ancient stereotypies about man-eating jezebels, a particular lyrical fixation for just about every glam-metal band in America…[but] without anything resembling venom or anguish.” BR It’s an “energetic rocker than emphasized their bulldozer melodies and the shimmering brightness of their sound.” BR Jon Bon Jovi was initially resistant to the song because it “sounded too Michael Jackson.” FB “The song recalled the bubblegum pop of decades past;” BR Anyone who listened to it “once could sing along by the end.” BR Resources:
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First posted 4/9/2024. |
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