Slippery When Wet

Upon its 1985 release, {{proper name|7800° Fahrenheit}} achieved moderate success, but Bon Jovi had not yet become superstars. The band changed its approach for the next album, with a more mainstream sound than the heavier first two albums. Hiring Desmond Child as a collaborator, the band wrote 30 songs and auditioned them for local New Jersey and New York teenagers, basing the album's running order on their opinions. Bruce Fairbairn was chosen as the producer for the album, with Bob Rock as the mixer. The 1985 album Without Love which Fairbairn produced for the heavy metal band Black 'n Blue, attracted Jon Bon Jovi with its sound quality, and he immediately sought out the producer.{{cite web |date=May 31, 1999 |title=Obituary: Bruce Fairbairn |website=Independent.co.uk |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-bruce-fairbairn-1097061.html}}

Much of the album was written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, whereas "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer", "Without Love", and "I'd Die For You" were co-written with Desmond Child, and "Wild in the Streets" was by Bon Jovi alone. This was the first time Child worked with Jon and Richie. He came to New Jersey, where they worked on the four songs in Sambora's mother's basement.

Jon Bon Jovi explained, "I liked what Bryan Adams had done with Tina Turner so I suggested we do something similar: I write a song for someone like her, and then we do the song together. But that got changed, and our A&R guy came up with Desmond's name ... He hasn't tried to change what we are, but to refine it slightly; to suggest extra ways that we could wring a bit more out of what we had."{{cite magazine |last=Dome |first=Malcolm |author-link=Malcolm Dome |date=July 2006 |title=We'll make it, I swear... |magazine=Classic Rock #94 |page=44}}

Bon Jovi was initially reluctant to include "Livin' on a Prayer", believing it was not good enough. Sambora convinced him it was a hit in the making, and so the band rerecorded it, releasing the second version on the album. It is Bon Jovi's signature song.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} The first version of "Livin' on a Prayer" that was recorded was included as a hidden track at the end of one of the CDs in the box set 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong.

One of the songs written during the making of the album, "Edge of a Broken Heart", is not on the final release. Bon Jovi has since said it should have been included. In the booklet that came with 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong, Jon Bon Jovi said, "It was absolutely appropriate for the Slippery record—coulda, shoulda, woulda been on Slippery had cooler minds prevailed. Here's my formal apology." Featured on the soundtrack to the 1987 movie Disorderlies, it has since been released as the B-side for the Livin' on a Prayer single album, on the 2-CD edition of Cross Road, and on 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong. The song has never been performed live by the band, though a fan favorite.

In 1986, Bon Jovi said "There's a song called 'Love Is A Social Disease' that Aerosmith were keen to get hold of. It would be ideal for them, but they're not having it, because it's even better for us."{{cite magazine |last=Dome |first=Malcolm |author-link=Malcolm Dome |date=July 2006 |title=We'll make it, I swear... |magazine=Classic Rock #94 |page=47}}

The album's name was changed during its inception, including Wanted Dead or Alive. A proposed cover with the band dressed as cowboys{{cite news |date=August 18, 2016 |title=How Bon Jovi Changed the World With 'Slippery When Wet' |work=Observer |url=https://observer.com/2016/08/how-bon-jovi-changed-the-world-with-slippery-when-wet/ |access-date=December 11, 2016}} was later used for the single release of the track of the same name.

According to Bon Jovi, the band named the album Slippery When Wet after visiting The No.5 Orange strip club in Vancouver, British Columbia. According to Sambora, "This woman descended from the ceiling on a pole and proceeded to take all her clothes off. When she got in a shower and soaped herself up, we just about lost our tongues. We just sat there and said, 'We will be here every day.' That energized us through the whole project. Our testosterone was at a very high level back then."{{cite web |last=Giles |first=Jeff |date=August 18, 2016 |title=30 Years Ago: Bon Jovi Release 'Slippery When Wet' |url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/bon-jovi-slippery-when-wet/ |access-date=December 8, 2016}}

The cover consists of a wet black garbage bag with the words "Slippery When Wet" traced in the water. "So simple, and not very impressive", said Sambora.{{Cite magazine |last=Dome |first=Malcolm |author-link=Malcolm Dome |date=July 2006 |title=We'll make it, I swear... |magazine=Classic Rock #94 |page=45}} The album originally was to feature a busty woman in a wet yellow T-shirt with the album name on the front of the shirt. This was swapped for the plastic bag cover just prior to release. The reasons given for the switch were record executives' fears that dominant record store chains at the time would have refused to carry the album with a sexist cover, and Jon Bon Jovi's dislike of the bright pink border around the photograph the band submitted.{{cite web|last=jason|date=May 29, 2008|title=Top 10 Banned Metal Album Covers|url=http://www.thegauntlet.com/article/1225/12753/top-10-banned-metal-album-covers.html|access-date=July 16, 2014|website=The Gauntlet}}{{cite web|last=Wilkening|first=Matthew|date=July 7, 2011|title=Bon Jovi – Most Shocking Album Covers|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/bon-jovi-most-shocking-album-covers/|access-date=July 16, 2014|website=Ultimate Classic Rock}} Sambora said, "Our label freaked out a bit when they saw what we'd done. They thought it would be banned by American stores, so we had to come up with something else – fast." In Japan, most releases of the album included the original cover art.

{{Album reviews

| title = Retrospective professional ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web|last=Leahey|first=Andrew|title=Slippery When Wet – Bon Jovi {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/slippery-when-wet-mw0000652380|access-date=June 29, 2021|publisher=AllMusic}}

| rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide

| rev2score = B−{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|title=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s|publisher=Pantheon Books|year=1990|isbn=0-679-73015-X|chapter=B|access-date=August 17, 2020|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=B&bk=80|via=robertchristgau.com}}

| rev3 = Record Mirror

| rev3score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Gardner|first=Mike|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/80s/86/Record-Mirror-1986-09-20.pdf|title=Review: Bon Jovi — Slippery When Wet // FM — Indiscreet|magazine=Record Mirror|date=September 20, 1986|access-date=November 3, 2022|page=11|location=London|publisher=Spotlight Publications Ltd.|via=World Radio History|issn=0144-5804|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006165046/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/80s/86/Record-Mirror-1986-09-20.pdf|archive-date=October 6, 2021}}

| rev4 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev4score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine |title=Rolling Stone Album Guide |magazine=Rolling Stone|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/bon-jovi/albumguide|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628221528/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/bon-jovi/albumguide|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 28, 2011}}

}}

The album was a massive commercial success. Between 1986 and 1987, Slippery When Wet produced a string of hit songs, including three Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits, two of which ("You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer") reached No. 1. The third single "Wanted Dead or Alive" peaked at No. 7. The album peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making it Bon Jovi's first number-one album in the United States. The album spent 38 weeks inside the Top 5 of Billboard 200, including 8 weeks at No. 1. It is the best-selling album of 1987 in the United States, and eventually reached Diamond certification by the RIAA and current sales stand at 15 million copies, making it one of the best-selling albums in the United States. In the UK, Slippery When Wet received a 3× Platinum certification by the BPI. The album also achieved Diamond status in Canada, and 6× Platinum status in Australia.

Slippery When Wet was met with generally positive reviews. Writing in The Village Voice in September 1987, Robert Christgau said, "Sure seven million teenagers can be wrong, but their assent is not without a certain documentary satisfaction. Yes, it proves that youth rebellion is toothless enough to simulate and market. But who the hell thought youth was dangerous in the current vacuum? Would you have preferred the band market patriotism? And are you really immune to 'Livin' on a Prayer'?"{{cite news |last=Christgau |first=Robert |date=September 1, 1987 |title=Christgau's Consumer Guide |work=The Village Voice |url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv9-87.php |access-date=August 17, 2020 |via=robertchristgau.com}} In 1990 in Rolling Stone, Jimmy Guterman thoroughly berated the band and the album. "Jon Bon Jovi and his band serve up condescending sentiment, reducing every emotional statement to a barefaced cliché – either because they think that's all their audience can comprehend or because that's all they can comprehend. On Slippery When Wet, Bon Jovi sounds like bad fourth-generation metal, a smudgy Xerox of Quiet Riot."{{Cite magazine |last=Guterman |first=Jimmy |date=November 7, 1990 |title=Slippery When Wet |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/slippery-when-wet-252457/ |access-date=February 14, 2020}} The album is ranked 44th in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the Definitive 200 Albums of all time.

In 2005, Slippery When Wet was re-issued as a DualDisc. The CD side contains a newly remastered version. The DVD side contains the same album in its original stereo mix, a slightly expanded 5.1 surround sound version, and all 5 music videos. The expanded album includes additional elements within many of the songs, in some cases increasing their runtime. The DualDisc was released on September 20, 2005, the same release date as Have a Nice Day.

All tracks written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, except where noted.

{{Track listing

| headline = Side A

| title1 = Let It Rock

| length1 = 5:26

| title2 = You Give Love a Bad Name

| writer2 = {{hlist|Bon Jovi|Sambora|Desmond Child}}

| length2 = 3:43

| title3 = Livin' on a Prayer

| writer3 = {{hlist|Bon Jovi|Sambora|Child}}

| length3 = 4:11

| title4 = Social Disease

| length4 = 4:18

| title5 = Wanted Dead or Alive

| length5 = 5:09

}}

{{track listing

| headline = Side B

| title1 = Raise Your Hands

| length1 = 4:17

| title2 = Without Love

| writer2 = {{hlist|Bon Jovi|Sambora|Child}}

| length2 = 3:31

| title3 = I'd Die for You

| writer3 = {{hlist|Bon Jovi|Sambora|Child}}

| length3 = 4:31

| title4 = Never Say Goodbye

| length4 = 4:49

| title5 = Wild in the Streets

| writer5 = Bon Jovi

| length5 = 3:56

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 1998 Special Edition bonus CD (PHCR-90015/6)

| title1 = Wanted Dead or Alive

| note1 = live at Wembley 1995

| length1 = 8:06

| title2 = Livin' on a Prayer

| note2 = live/US 1987

| writer2 = {{hlist|Bon Jovi|Sambora|Child}}

| length2 = 5:05

| title3 = You Give Love a Bad Name

| note3 = live/US 1987

| writer3 = {{hlist|Bon Jovi|Sambora|Child}}

| length3 = 3:43

| title4 = Wild in the Streets

| note4 = live at Wembley 1995

| writer4 = Bon Jovi

| length4 = 4:55

| title5 = Borderline

| note5 = studio outtake

| writer5 = {{hlist|Bon Jovi|David Bryan}}

| length5 = 4:12

| title6 = Edge of a Broken Heart

| note6 = studio outtake

| writer6 = {{hlist|Bon Jovi|Sambora|Child}}

| length6 = 4:36

| title7 = Never Say Goodbye

| note7 = live acoustic version

| length7 = 5:30

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 2010 Special Edition bonus tracks

| title11 = You Give Love a Bad Name

| note11 = live version

| writer11 = {{hlist|Bon Jovi|Sambora|Child}}

| length11 = 4:10

| title12 = Livin' on a Prayer

| note12 = live version

| writer12 = {{hlist|Bon Jovi|Sambora|Child}}

| length12 = 5:33

| title13 = Wanted Dead or Alive

| note13 = live version

| length13 = 5:22

| total_length = 58:57

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 2024 Deluxe Edition Disc 2 bonus tracks

| title1 = Wanted Dead or Alive

| note1 = Acoustic version

| length1 = 5:32

| title2 = Livin' on a Prayer

| note2 = Alternate mix, from Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story

| length2 = 4:59

| title3 = Raise Your Hands

| note3 = Extended version, Obie O'Brien mix

| length3 = 5:38

| title4 = Wild In The Streets

| note4 = Live at Cincinnati Gardens, March 18, 1987

| length4 = 5:10

| title5 = Livin' on a Prayer

| note5 = Live at Cobo Arena, March 11, 1987

| length5 = 6:16

| title6 = Wanted Dead or Alive

| note6 = Live at Cobo Arena, March 11, 1987

| length6 = 8:26

| title7 = Let it Rock

| note7 = Live at Nassau Coliseum, April 7, 1987

| length7 = 11:58

}}

Credits partly sourced from AllMusic.

Bon Jovi

• Jon Bon Jovi – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar on "Wanted Dead or Alive"
• Richie Sambora – harmony and backing vocals, lead guitar, acoustic guitar, guitar synths, talk box on "Livin' on a Prayer"
• Alec John Such – bass, backing vocals
• Tico Torres – drums, percussion, finger cymbals on "Livin' on a Prayer"
• David Bryan – backing vocals, keyboards, "noise"

Additional musicians

• Tom Keenlyside – saxophone
• Hugh McDonald – bass on "Livin' on a Prayer" (uncredited){{cite web |last=Brodén |first=Victor |date=July 23, 2014 |title=On Bass: The Song Guys |url=https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/21155-on-bass-the-song-guys |access-date=March 10, 2017 |website=Premier Guitar |language=en}}{{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 |access-date=March 11, 2017 |website=Forbes}}{{cite web |last=McDonald |first=Hugh |others=Archived at the Wayback Machine of Internet Archive |title=Hugh McDonald Official Website – Discography |url=http://www.huey-mcdonald.com/discography.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302012105/http://www.huey-mcdonald.com/discography.php |archive-date=March 2, 2012 |access-date=March 11, 2017 |website=www.huey-mcdonald.com}}
• Joani Bye – backing vocals on "Livin' on a Prayer" (uncredited){{Cite web |title=What Makes This Song Great? Ep.111 BON JOVI "Livin' on a Prayer" |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJgrXqvpXF0 |access-date=March 4, 2022 |website=YouTube| date=January 18, 2022 }}
• Nancy Nash – backing vocals on "Livin' on a Prayer" (uncredited)
• Mike Reno – possible backing vocals on "Livin' on a Prayer" (uncredited){{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 }}

Production

• Bruce Fairbairn – producer, horns, percussion
• Bob Rock – engineering, mixing
• Tim Crich – assistant engineering
• George Marino – digital remastering
• Bill Levy – artwork, art direction
• Mark Weiss – photography
• George Corsillo – design

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|award=Platinum|number=6|type=album|relyear=1986|certyear=1993|artist=Bon Jovi|title=Slippery When Wet|access-date=November 12, 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Austria|type=album|relyear=1986|certyear=1987|award=Gold|certref={{cite web|url=https://backstage.bonjovi.com/artifact/0014250|title=Slippery When Wet Gold Award (Austria)|date =May 15, 2024}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|type=album|artist=Bon Jovi|title=Slippery When Wet|nocert=true|salesamount=100,000|relyear=1986|salesref={{cite news |last=Serpa |first=Paulo Ernesto |date=January 2, 1990 |title=A parada de sucessos do Hollywood Rock |language=pt |page=28 |work=Jornal do Brasil |url=http://memoria.bn.br/DocReader/docreader.aspx?bib=030015_11&pasta=ano%20199&pesq=terence%20trent%20darby%20copias&pagfis=1854 |via=National Library of Brazil}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|award=Diamond|type=album|relyear=1986|access-date=June 9, 2012|artist=Bon Jovi|title=Slippery When Wet}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|type=album|artist=Bon Jovi|title=Slippery When Wet|award=Platinum|id=14145|relyear=1986|certyear=2024|access-date=July 7, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Finland|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=1986|access-date=June 9, 2012|artist=Bon Jovi|title=Slippery When Wet|salesamount=73,564}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|nocert=true|type=album|relyear=1986|salesamount=38,000|artist=Bon Jovi|title=Slippery When Wet|salesref={{Cite web |date=July 11, 1987 |title=The Success Story Of Bon Jovi |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/80s/1987/M&M-1987-07-11.pdf |access-date=June 4, 2020 |page=10 |via=American Radio History |magazine=Music & Media}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=1986|access-date=June 9, 2012|artist=Bon Jovi|title=Slippery When Wet}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Hong Kong|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1986|certyear=1988|access-date=June 6, 2012|artist=Bon Jovi|title=Slippery When Wet}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1986|certyear=2022|access-date=August 17, 2022|artist=Bon Jovi|title=Slippery When Wet}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Japan (Oricon Charts)|nocert=yes|salesamount=215,000|salesref=}}

{{Certification Table Entry |region=Malaysia|nocert=yes|salesamount=10,000|salesref={{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A65UAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA20&dq=Malaysia&article_id=2817,3292089&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi14NKV7Z-MAxV_SDABHbJaPGM4HhDoAXoECAwQAw#v=onepage&q=Malaysia&f=false|title=Sale of international music releases up|newspaper=New Straits Times|access-date=23 March 2025|date=29 November 1988|page=20|first=R.S.|last=Murthi}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Netherlands|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=1986|access-date=June 16, 2012|artist=Bon Jovi|title=Slippery|certyear=1994}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|award=Platinum|number=2|type=album|relyear=1986|artist=Bon Jovi|source=radioscope|access-date=December 17, 2024|title=Slippery When Wet}}

{{Certification Table Entry|artist=Bon Jovi|title=Slippery When Wet|region=Norway|type=album|relyear=1986|certyear=1987|award=Gold|certref={{Cite magazine |date=December 26, 1987 |title=The European Best Sellers of 1987 |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1987/M&M-1987-12-26.pdf |magazine=Music & Media |volume=4 |issue=51/52 |pages=42–46}}|salesamount=50,000|salesref=}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Singapore|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1986|certyear=2020|access-date=November 24, 2021|artist=Bon Jovi|title=Slippery When Wet}}

{{certification Table Entry|title=Slippery When Wet|type=album|artist=Bon Jovi|relyear=1986|certyear=1987|region=Spain|award=Platinum|certref={{Cite web |title=Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1979–1990 |url=http://www.mediafire.com/view/x263f6daopkswo8 |publisher=Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Sweden|nocert=true|type=album|relyear=1986|salesamount=100,000|artist=Bon Jovi|title=Slippery When Wet|salesref=|access-date=June 4, 2020}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Switzerland|award=Platinum|number=2|type=album|relyear=1986|access-date=June 9, 2012|artist=Bon Jovi|title=Slippery When Wet}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|award=Platinum|number=3|type=album|relyear=1986|certyear=1993|id=5983-2213-2|access-date=June 9, 2012|artist=Bon Jovi|title=Slippery When Wet}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|award=Platinum|number=15|type=album|relyear=1986|certyear=2024|access-date=July 23, 2024|artist=Bon Jovi|title=Slippery When Wet}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}

• List of best-selling albums
• List of best-selling albums in the United States
• List of glam metal albums and songs

{{Reflist}}

• {{youTube|lDK9QqIzhwk|title="Livin' On A Prayer" official music video}}

{{BonJovi}}

{{Billboard Year-End number one albums 1970–1989}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1986 albums

Category:Bon Jovi albums

Category:Mercury Records albums

Category:Vertigo Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Bruce Fairbairn

Category:Albums recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios

Category:Obscenity controversies in music