Livin' on a Prayer#Sales and certifications

Sheet music for the song shows a key of E minor. The tempo is "moderate rock" at 122 beats per minute in common time. The key modulates to G minor for the final chorus.{{cite web |last1=Jon |first1=Bon Jovi |last2=Richie |first2=Sambora |last3=Desmond |first3=Child |last4=Jovi |first4=Bon |date=June 25, 2007 |title=Livin' on a Prayer |url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0058202 |website=www.musicnotes.com |access-date=May 11, 2024 |archive-date=May 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240511153035/https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0058202 |url-status=live }}

Jon Bon Jovi did not like the original recording of this song, which is present as a hidden track on 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong. Lead guitarist Richie Sambora, however, convinced him the song was good, and they reworked it with a new bassline (recorded by Hugh McDonald uncredited{{cite web|last=Brodén|first=Victor|title=On Bass: The Song Guys|url=https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/21155-on-bass-the-song-guys|website=Premier Guitar|date=July 23, 2014|access-date=March 10, 2017|language=en|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143446/https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/21155-on-bass-the-song-guys|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Setaro|first=Shawn|title=Inside The Business Of Bon Jovi With Bryan Reesman|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/shawnsetaro/2016/10/26/business-bon-jovi-bryan-reesman/#21f9a6ea381b|website=Forbes|access-date=March 11, 2017|archive-date=March 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312085534/https://www.forbes.com/sites/shawnsetaro/2016/10/26/business-bon-jovi-bryan-reesman/#21f9a6ea381b|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=McDonald |first=Hugh |title=Hugh McDonald Official Website – Discography |url=http://www.huey-mcdonald.com/discography.php |website=Internet Archive |access-date=March 11, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302012105/http://www.huey-mcdonald.com/discography.php |archive-date=March 2, 2012 }}), different drum fills and the use of a talk box to include it on Slippery When Wet. The song spent two weeks at number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, from January 31 to February 14, 1987, and four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, from February 14 to March 14. It also hit number four on the UK Singles Chart.

The album version, timed around 4:10, fades out at the end. However, the music video game Guitar Hero World Tour features the song's original studio ending, where the band revisit the intro riff and end with a talk box solo; this version ends at 4:53. The original ending is also playable on the similar video game Rock Band 2, though edited in this case (thereby eliminating the talk box solo at the end). The version included on the 2005 DualDisc edition of Slippery When Wet has an extended version of the original ending, with a different talk box solo playing over the riff (possibly taken from an outtake of the song); this version, which fades out at the end like the standard version of the song, ends at 5:06.

Bon Jovi recorded an alternative version, "Prayer 94", for the 1994 greatest-hits album Cross Road. Rolling Stone named it one of "seven pop music remakes that never should have happened", criticizing its alteration of the song's "greatest strength", its chorus melody, and speculating that it was "a play for respectability" after the rise of grunge.{{Cite magazine |last=Modell |first=Josh |date=May 2, 2018 |title=7 Pop music remakes that never should've happened |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/7-pop-music-remakes-that-never-shouldve-happened-630356/bon-jovi-prayer-94-630363/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=April 8, 2025}}

After the September 11, 2001 attacks – in which New Jersey was the second-hardest hit state after New York, suffering hundreds of casualties among both WTC workers and first responders – the band performed an acoustic version of this song for New York. Bon Jovi performed a similar version as part of the special America: A Tribute to Heroes.

In 2022, Mike Reno, vocalist of the band Loverboy, said he was certain the backing vocals he recorded for this song are used.{{Cite web|url = https://loudwire.com/loverboy-mike-reno-reveals-backing-vocal-bon-jovi-livin-on-a-prayer/|title = Loverboy's Mike Reno Reveals Backing Vocal on Bon Jovi's 'Livin' on a Prayer'|website = Loudwire|date = February 9, 2022|access-date = February 20, 2022|archive-date = October 7, 2023|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231007000054/https://loudwire.com/loverboy-mike-reno-reveals-backing-vocal-bon-jovi-livin-on-a-prayer/|url-status = live}}

Billboard said that "metal muscle meets gritty reality in a tough, clanging rocker."{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|date=December 13, 1986|accessdate=August 7, 2022|page=61|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ICUEAAAAMBAJ&q=reviews|title=Reviews}} Cash Box said that "Solid chorus and ringing guitar highlight Jon Bon Jovi’s gutsy singing."{{cite magazine|title=Single Releases|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1986/CB-1986-12-13.pdf|magazine=Cash Box|date=December 13, 1986|accessdate=August 7, 2022|page=8|archive-date=May 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519094718/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1986/CB-1986-12-13.pdf|url-status=live}}

In 2006, online voters rated "Livin' on a Prayer" No. 1 on VH1's list of The 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s. More recently, in New Zealand, "Livin' on a Prayer" was No. 1 on the C4 music channel's show U Choose 40, on the 80's Icons list. It was also No. 1 on the "Sing-a-long Classics List". After Bon Jovi performed in New Zealand on January 28, 2008, while on their Lost Highway Tour, the song re-entered the official New Zealand RIANZ singles chart at number 24, over twenty years after the initial release.{{cite web|url=http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110317025609/http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp|url-status=dead|title=RIANZ|archive-date=March 17, 2011|access-date=January 4, 2020}}

Australian music TV channel MAX placed the song at No. 18 on their 2008 countdown "Rock Songs: Top 100". In 2009, the song returned to the charts in the UK, notably hitting the number-one spot on the UK Rock Chart.

In 2010, it was chosen in an online vote on the Grammy.com website over the group's more recent hits "Always" and "It's My Life" to be played live by the band on the 52nd Grammy Awards telecast.{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.com/news/more-grammy-performers-presenters-announced|title=More GRAMMY Performers, Presenters Announced|date=April 30, 2017|access-date=February 2, 2010|archive-date=January 31, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131120752/http://www.grammy.com/news/more-grammy-performers-presenters-announced|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/jonathan_takiff/20100201_BEYONCE_SWIFT_BOATED.html|title=Beyonce Swift Boated|access-date=February 2, 2010|archive-date=February 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205081033/http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/jonathan_takiff/20100201_BEYONCE_SWIFT_BOATED.html|url-status=live}}

In the Billboard Hot 100 50th Anniversary list, "Livin' on a Prayer" was named the 46th greatest rock song of all time.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top-rock.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913205910/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top-rock.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 13, 2008|title=It's Only Rock & Roll: Top Billboard Hot 100 Rock Songs|magazine=Billboard|access-date=January 4, 2020}} After the song was released for download, the song has sold 3.4 million digital copies in the US as of November 2014.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6327774/revisionist-history-part-5-bon-jovis-prayer-answered-caroline-is |title=Revisionist History, Part 5: Bon Jovi's 'Prayer' Answered, 'Caroline' Is Sweeter Than 'Sugar' |last=Appel |first=Rich |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Prometheus Global Media |date=November 26, 2014 |access-date=November 26, 2014 |archive-date=November 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128222141/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6327774/revisionist-history-part-5-bon-jovis-prayer-answered-caroline-is |url-status=live }} Louder Sound and Billboard ranked the song number four and number two, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest Bon Jovi songs.{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/top-10-best-bon-jovi-songs|title=The Top 10 Best Bon Jovi Songs|first=Malcolm|last=Dome|website=Louder Sound|date=June 26, 2016|access-date=April 1, 2022|archive-date=April 1, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401172709/https://www.loudersound.com/features/top-10-best-bon-jovi-songs|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/bon-jovi-songs-best-hits-list-7998847/|title=Bon Jovi's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks|first=Dan|last=Weiss|magazine=Billboard|date=October 24, 2017|access-date=April 1, 2022}}

The song, including its original ending, is also playable on the music video games Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2. The song was re-worked and made available to download on November 9, 2010, for use in the Rock Band 3 music gaming platform to take advantage of PRO mode which allows use of a real guitar / bass guitar, and standard MIDI-compatible electronic drum kits / keyboards in addition to up to three-part harmony or backup vocals.{{cite magazine | url = https://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/11/rock-band-bon-jovi/ | title = Bon Jovi Rock Band Tracks Upgraded with Pro Keys, Guitars | first = Chris | last = Kohler | date = November 9, 2010 | access-date = November 9, 2012 | magazine = Wired | archive-date = October 18, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111018213311/http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/11/rock-band-bon-jovi/ | url-status = live }}{{cite news | url = http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2010-06-10-rockband10_VA_N.htm | title = Rock Band 3: What's New, What's Notable | first = Mike | last = Snider | date = June 10, 2010 | access-date = November 8, 2012 | newspaper = USA Today | archive-date = November 3, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121103101555/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2010-06-10-rockband10_VA_N.htm | url-status = live }}

In November 2013, the song made its return to the Billboard Hot 100 at number 25, due to a viral video.

In 2017, ShortList's Dave Fawbert listed the song as containing "one of the greatest key changes in music history".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/music/the-best-key-changes-music/329120|title=The 19 greatest key changes in music history|magazine=ShortList|date=October 1, 2017|access-date=January 13, 2018|archive-date=January 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114073845/https://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/music/the-best-key-changes-music/329120|url-status=live}}

In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 457 in their updated list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.{{Cite magazine |date=September 15, 2021 |title=The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=June 9, 2022 |archive-date=September 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915162053/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/ |url-status=live }}

The song describes two characters, Tommy and Gina, a working-class couple who struggle to make ends meet. Tommy loses his job as a dockworker due to a strike while Gina works as a diner waitress. The storyline was loosely based on real-life events that Jon Bon Jovi and songwriter Desmond Child experienced in the 1970s. The 1977 Dockworkers' Strike was the inspiration for Tommy's plight, wherein the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) engaged in a seven-week work stoppage, demanding a 77% pay raise over six years. In another case, before becoming successful artists and songwriters, Desmond Child and his then-girlfriend, singer-songwriter Maria Vidal, lived together. They had already begun their music careers, but worked day jobs; Child was a taxi driver in New York while Vidal was employed as a waitress in a diner named "Once Upon A Stove", similar to Gina in the song. The owner, manager, and other employees of the diner nicknamed Vidal "Gina" due to her slight physical resemblance to Italian actress and photographer Gina Lollobrigida.

"It deals with the way that two kids – Tommy and Gina – face life's struggles," noted Bon Jovi, "and how their love and ambitions get them through the hard times. It's working class and it's real… I wanted to incorporate the movie element, and tell a story about people I knew. So instead of doing what I did on 'Runaway', where the girl didn't have a name, I gave them names, which gave them an identity... Tommy and Gina aren't two specific people; they represent a lifestyle."{{cite magazine|first=Malcolm|last=Dome|author-link=Malcolm Dome|title=We'll make it, I swear…|magazine=Classic Rock #94|date=July 2006|pages=45–46}} Tommy and Gina are also referred to in Bon Jovi's 2000 single "It's My Life".

In a 2002 interview, Bon Jovi said that he wrote the song as a response to the Reagan Era, adding, "trickle-down economics are really inspirational to writing songs".{{Cite web|url=http://top40-charts.com/news.php?nid=4226&string=George|title=Bon Jovi Calls George Bush as 'lunatcic'!|website=Top40-Charts.com}}

The music video was filmed on September 17, 1986, at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California and was directed by Wayne Isham.{{cite web|url=http://www.mvdbase.com/tech.php?last=Isham&first=Wayne|title=mvdbase.com – Wayne Isham technician videography|access-date=May 31, 2010|archive-date=January 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105010814/http://mvdbase.com/tech.php?last=Isham&first=Wayne|url-status=live}} It starts with a silhouette of the band walking down a hall, followed by shots of the band rehearsing, filmed in black and white, then playing in front of a crowd, in color. Near the beginning of the song, Jon puts on a harness that is being attached to wires by professional stunt coordinators and stunt spotters, and during the final chorus, he soars over the crowd.

The video reached 1 billion views on YouTube (the band's second song to do so) on February 1, 2023.{{cite magazine |last1=Rowley |first1=Glenn |date=January 2, 2023 |title=Bon Jovi's 'Livin' On a Prayer' Video Joins YouTube's Billion-Views Club |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/bon-jovi-livin-on-a-prayer-video-youtube-billion-views-club-1235209587/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=March 22, 2024 |archive-date=March 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322024005/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/bon-jovi-livin-on-a-prayer-video-youtube-billion-views-club-1235209587/ |url-status=live }}

In the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora performed acoustic versions of this song and "Wanted Dead or Alive". While MTV Unplugged was already in development by the time of this event, its showrunners have credited the pair's performance with influencing the show to go from initially being meant only for "young, up-and-coming artists" into being a simplified showcase for the "big, stadium, electric-arena-type acts".{{cite web |last=Harvilla |first=Rob |date=September 7, 2017 |title=Nirvana, Lauryn Hill, and Faxes From Don Henley: Behind the Scenes at the Original ‘MTV Unplugged’ |url=https://www.theringer.com/2017/09/07/music/mtv-unplugged-nirvana-don-henley-paul-mccartney |work=The Ringer |access-date=April 15, 2025}}

A re-recorded and slower version of the song, "Prayer '94," also appeared on U.S. versions of the band's Cross Road hits collection.{{Cite AV media notes |id=P2-26013 |publisher=Mercury Records |title=Cross Road |others=Bon Jovi |year=1994 |type=liner notes}}

Bon Jovi

• Jon Bon Jovi – lead vocals
• Richie Sambora – electric guitar, talk box, backing vocals
• Alec John Such – bass guitar (credited), backing vocals
• Tico Torres – drums, percussion, finger cymbals
• David Bryan – keyboards, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Hugh McDonald – bass (wrote and recorded the bass parts, uncredited){{cite web |last=McDonald |first=Hugh |title=Hugh McDonald Official Website – Discography |url=http://www.huey-mcdonald.com/discography.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302012105/http://www.huey-mcdonald.com/discography.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 2, 2012 |website=www.huey-mcdonald.com |others=Archived at the Wayback Machine of Internet Archive |access-date=March 11, 2017}}
• Joani Bye – backing vocals{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJgrXqvpXF0|title=What Makes This Song Great? Ep.111 BON JOVI "Livin' on a Prayer"|website=YouTube|date=January 18, 2022|access-date=March 4, 2022|archive-date=March 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303192055/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJgrXqvpXF0|url-status=live}}
• Nancy Nash – backing vocals
• Mike Reno – possible backing vocals (uncredited){{cite web |title=Loverboy's Mike Reno Reveals Backing Vocal on Bon Jovi's 'Livin' on a Prayer' |url=https://loudwire.com/loverboy-mike-reno-reveals-backing-vocal-bon-jovi-livin-on-a-prayer/ |website=Loudwire |date=February 9, 2022 |access-date=February 20, 2022 |archive-date=October 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007000054/https://loudwire.com/loverboy-mike-reno-reveals-backing-vocal-bon-jovi-livin-on-a-prayer/ |url-status=live }}

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for "Livin' on a Prayer"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|title=Livin' on a Prayer|artist=Bon Jovi|type=single|award=Platinum|number=11|relyear=1986|certyear=2023|access-date=December 14, 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|title=Livin' on a Prayer|artist=Bon Jovi|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=1986|certyear=2024|access-date=June 10, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|title=Livin' on a Prayer|artist=Bon Jovi|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=1986|certyear=1987}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|title=Livin' on a Prayer|artist=Bon Jovi|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=1994|certyear=2024|access-date=July 31, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|title=Livin' on a Prayer|artist=Bon Jovi|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=1986|certyear=2024|number=2|id=13034|access-date=August 12, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Japan|relyear=2005|certyear=2017|certmonth=8|title=Livin' on a Prayer|artist=Bon Jovi|type=single|award=Platinum|digital=true|note=Digital single|access-date=February 28, 2021|refname=RIAJ1}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|title=Livin' on a Prayer|artist=Bon Jovi|type=single|award=Platinum|number=6|relyear=1994|certyear=2025|access-date=January 9, 2024|source=radioscope}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|type=single|award=Platinum|number=3|certyear=2024|title=Livin on a Prayer|artist=Bon Jovi|accessdate=August 26, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Livin' on a Prayer|artist=Bon Jovi|type=single|award=Platinum|number=4|access-date=February 23, 2024|certyear=2024|relyear=2004|id=3937-2213-1}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=on a Prayer|artist=Bon Jovi|type=single|award=Diamond|relyear=1994|certyear=2024|access-date=July 23, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}

In May 2013, the song was featured in a segment on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In this segment, a man and his wife were at a gas station when they were suddenly offered a free tank of gas in exchange for singing a song. The husband, Will Sims II, responded by singing "Livin' on a Prayer". The video of the segment went viral,{{cite web|url=http://www.inquisitr.com/658657/gas-pump-couple-join-leno-on-tonight-for-an-encore-video/|title=Gas Pump Couple Join Leno On 'Tonight' For An Encore [Video]|website=Inquisitr|date=May 12, 2013|publisher=The Inquisitr|access-date=August 20, 2015|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924063544/http://www.inquisitr.com/658657/gas-pump-couple-join-leno-on-tonight-for-an-encore-video/|url-status=live}} prompting Jon Bon Jovi to record a video personally thanking the couple for having "so much fun" with the band's song.{{cite AV media| last = Bon Jovi| first = Jon| author-link = Jon Bon Jovi| date = May 12, 2013| title = Thank you very much for having so much fun with the song! -JBJ| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZYt-dhdRwk| access-date = August 9, 2018| location = Johannesburg, South Africa| publisher = YouTube| archive-date = January 12, 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210112013213/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZYt-dhdRwk| url-status = live}}

In 2019, Grammy Award-winning singer Michelle Williams performed the song on the second US series of The Masked Singer.{{cite web|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/12/8969389/masked-singer-michelle-williams-butterfly-revealed|title=The Butterfly On The Masked Singer Was Revealed – & It Was The Show's Most Touching Moment|first=Ineye|last=Komonibo|website=Refinery29|date=December 5, 2019|access-date=December 5, 2019|archive-date=December 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205205546/https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/12/8969389/masked-singer-michelle-williams-butterfly-revealed|url-status=live}}

• List of glam metal albums and songs
• List of highest-certified singles in Australia
• List of highest-certified digital singles in the United States

{{Reflist}}

{{BonJovi}}

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Category:1986 singles

Category:1986 songs

Category:American power pop songs

Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles

Category:Bon Jovi songs

Category:Cashbox number-one singles

Category:Mass media portrayals of the working class

Category:Mercury Records singles

Category:Music videos directed by Wayne Isham

Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand

Category:Number-one singles in Norway

Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles

Category:Song recordings produced by Bruce Fairbairn

Category:Songs about labor

Category:Songs written by Desmond Child

Category:Songs written by Jon Bon Jovi

Category:Songs written by Richie Sambora