Here is why Jon Bon Jovi not impressed with 'Livin' on a Prayer' initially
Apr 28, 2024
Washington [US], April 28 : American singer-songwriter and guitarist Jon Bon Jovi talked about his four-decades-long career and shared that he didn't initially connect with the band Bon Jovi's chart-topping 1986 hit, 'Livin' on a Prayer', reported People.
"It wasn't that I didn't want to record it, but I wasn't all that impressed on the day that we wrote it," said Bon Jovi.
On writing the song, "it was the simple chord progression, the melodies and the lyrics" at first. "But the bass line came to life in the demo studio, when we took it back to the band and worked it up," reflects the Grammy winner. "That's how it became what it is."
"We knew what we wanted, we just didn't have it, and so I was like, 'Yeah, it's good. Good day. Good day at the office,' and I was wrong," says Bon Jovi. "It's one of the biggest songs in our catalog."
'Livin' on a Prayer' was written by the Bon Jovi vocalist, former bandmate Richie Sambora, and songwriter Desmond Child, and was featured on the group's 1986 album Slippery When Wet, which also included the hits 'You Give Love a Bad Name' and 'Wanted Dead or Alive'.
Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi life, a new documentary series available on Hulu, tells the band's life. One episode delves into the creation of "Livin' on a Prayer," revealing how Sambora and Child begged Bon Jovi to record the song.
According to People, at the time, the vocalist thought the song would be more well-suited for a movie soundtrack, though it ended up serving as the second single from Slippery When Wet and ultimately reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
'Livin' on a Prayer' isn't the only hit Bon Jovi didn't immediately see the full potential of. He also wasn't too keen on 1994's "Always" from the Cross Road album, "which is also one of our biggest songs ever," says the performer.
"When I'd written that, we demoed it for a movie, that I had written it for, and thought, 'Yeah, that's not very good.' Put it on the shelf, and an A&R guy, who was a friend of ours, was listening to some of those lost songs, and he said, 'You know, this is a monster hit,'" recalls Bon Jovi. "He was right."
After reflecting on their career in 'Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story', the band will release a new album, Forever, on July 7, reported People.
