You Give Love a Bad Name

You Give Love a Bad Name Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet Family Friendly Information Released 1986 (2010) Genre Rock Language English Length 3:48 Source Lego Rock Band Available November 3, 2009 Playable in Rock Band Rock Band 2 Rock Band 3 Rock Band Blitz Lego Rock Band Difficulty Band 1 Basic Pro Guitar 3 3 Bass 1 3 Drums 1 1 Keys 2 3 Vocals 2 2

Details Male singer Guitar Solo Vocal Solo 3-part Harmonies

You Give Love a Bad Name is a song by Bon Jovi.

Desmond Child helped write this along with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. He was brought in by the record company to give Bon Jovi a more commercial sound. Among others, Child has written hits for Cher, Aerosmith, and Ricky Martin.

This was the first time Child worked with Jon and Richie. He came to New Jersey, where they worked on this in the basement of Sambora's mother's house. Child came up with the title, and Jon immediately thought up the first line ("Shot through the heart..."). From there, they put the rest of the song together, with "Shot Through the Heart" as the working title.

This song is about a guy whose girlfriend is extremely bad for him.

This was the first big hit for Bon Jovi, but they did have a minor hit 2 years earlier. In 1984, "Runaway," from their first album, became popular in New Jersey and hit #39 in the US.

At one point, this was intended for the group Loverboy. Bon Jovi and Sambora started out writing it for them but liked it so much they kept it for themselves.

This was the first Bon Jovi song to get played on MTV. Lead singer Jon Bon Jovi had big hair at the time.

The follow-up single, "Livin' On A Prayer," was also a #1 hit. Desmond Child also helped write and produce that one.

The album was recorded in Vancouver. They got the idea for the album title at a strip club they went to after recording sessions. "Slippery When Wet" is also a common road sign in America, but they were probably more inspired by the girls who danced in a shower at the club.

Jon Bon Jovi dated actress Diane Lane in the mid-'80s, and there are rumors that she was the inspiration for this song. We haven't found anything to confirm this.

In 2005, this became a #1 hit in Poland when the Polish singer Mandaryna recorded it.

Blake Lewis performed this in 2007 on season 6 of American Idol, incorporating beatboxing into the song. The judges loved it, and Lewis performed it again on the season finale. Lewis came in second to Jordin Sparks. (Thanks, Donovan Berry - El Dorado, AR, for above 2)

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