30 Years Ago Today...
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Thirty years of Bon Jovi's 'Slippery When Wet': The best of the rest
In 1986, television viewers watched Family Ties, moviegoers flocked to see Top Gun, and radio airwaves were dominated by Lionel Richie and Robert Palmer. Then, on August 18, 1986, a New Jersey band named Bon Jovi released their third studio album.
The album, Slippery When Wet, would go on to sell twelve million copies worldwide. It became the first hard rock album to have two consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits. And the singer, Jon Bon Jovi, would inspire Dee Snider of Twisted Sister to say: “There’s no smiling in heavy metal, Jon. People didn’t even know we had teeth until he came along.”
Now, a personal anecdote…
It was fall of 1986, junior high English class. A classmate, Dave, pressed a cassette copy of Slippery When Wet in my hands and told me to give it a listen. The following summer, I recall ending a summer course with repeated listenings of “Never Say Goodbye.” Since then, I’ve been to numerous Bon Jovi concerts, bought a variety of t-shirts, and purchased their songs via multiple formats (vinyl, CD, digital). And I’ve read this… more than once!
Somewhere in America, a jukebox, radio station, or cover band is playing “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Livin’ on a Prayer,” or “Wanted Dead or Alive,” the three U.S. top 10 singles from Slippery When Wet. They’re iconic concert and radio favorites. But beyond those songs, ingrained in many brains, there are seven other songs on the album. So the question becomes: Which other track is your favorite?
Below isn’t a ranking, but an in-order listing of the other songs. So review carefully (if you don’t already have an answer locked in) and take to the comments section to discuss your selection.
“Let It Rock”: An up-tempo number, often used as a concert-opener by the band
“Social Disease”: Contains the stellar lyric “She could run the bullet train on 38 double-D’s”
“Raise Your Hands”: Fondly remembered as the song Barf (John Candy) danced to inSpaceballs
“Without Love”: A trademark Bon Jovi-style song… depressing verses paired with an upbeat chorus
“I’d Die For You”: Imagine Tommy’s wedding vows to Gina
“Never Say Goodbye”: A Bon Jovi staple: the nostalgia song (reference: “Blood on Blood,” “Just Older”). And while it was released elsewhere, “Never Say Goodbye” was never a U.S. single.
“Wild in the Streets”: Admittedly, my personal favorite. The lyrics read like a variation ofWest Side Story, but the chorus and beat are just so darn happy!
So which lesser-known song from the album is your favorite? And HAPPY 30th ANNIVERSARY to Slippery When Wet!
