The 'List: Bon Jovi

"Let it rock. Let it roll; you can't stop the fire burning outta control..."Lyrics from "Let It Rock" - first album cut from 1986's "Slippery When Wet."

Hello, one and all.

The third (but who's actually counting) artist profile is a band from New Jersey that, while sadly didn't have a catalog song on me and my buddy's "heavy metal" 'list, are still a band that is revered by he and I. Why? While many metal/hard rock bands lived the hard life, i.e. drugs, booze, fast women, hotel trashing fits, and even ended in premature death, this hard rock/metal/glam/hair band did quite frankly the unthinkable: Get by on clean living and moxie alone — not to mention some killer rock 'n' roll music! A boy-next-door metal band? Huh?!

They're a five-man band from Sayreville, NJ who took their name from its frontman John Francis Bongiovi Jr. who stylized his name to Jon Bon Jovi. The last name was pretty much the statement they planned to make. With metal music on the rise in popularity in the early 80s, mostly on the album charts rather than pop, this band was already poised to break into the big time. They had the look; big hairspray-teased hair, tight spandex pants, torn shirts, the ability to shred, wail, kick, scream, jump, and draw a killer concert crowd — of what I imagine were mostly teenage girls and a few tough boys who weren't afraid to list them right up there with Van Halen, Def Leppard, Guns N Roses, Poison, Motley Crue, and AC/DC as one of their favorite metal bands. C'mon, you know who you are!

Their self-title debut album in 1984 would yield them their first top-40 hit in "Runaway" which, at the very least, had a video in popular rotation on MTV, giving them some heavy exposure. Their second album in 1985, 7800° Fahrenheit, went gold for them, but yielded no hits on the pop charts, but their concert appearances would more than make up for the album sales/chart disappointment. As the sad cliche is always coined, if at first you don't succeed...

Late 1986 would be the prize-winning year. With little to no fanfare, "Slippery When Wet" was released and their first single, "You Give Love a Bad Name," shot all the way to number one. Their next single fared even better; "Livin' On A Prayer" spent four weeks at number one and gave them legions of fans, even those who identified with Tommy and Gina, the working-class couple in the song. They oddly went Lynyrd Skynyrd with their next single, "Wanted Dead or Alive," which was a top-10 smash, idealizing life on the road as a band like being an outlaw in the old west.

Other album successes happened, New Jersey, a brief hiatus and then Keep The Faith and their greatest hits album, Cross Road, were released and still earned them cred as a killer arena rock band. (Jon) Bon Jovi has always been a stickler for clean living and his bandmates have also proven that they could keep the metal band stereotype at bay. Call them: "the metal band you could take home to meet your mama and papa".

The then-lineup: Richie Sambora (who left the band officially), Tico Torres, Alec John Such (also has left), and David Bryan, and of course, Jon. My buddy Oates and I will let the 'list begin. Enjoy!

Congratulations on your Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame 2018 induction, guys!

Cherry Picks

Their first major hit on the pop charts. While it didn't go very high, their eerie MTV music video made a dent and gave them exposure. The killer keyboard opening can still keep the blood pumping and yes, my buddy beat me to it; it would've made my 'list, too. Something took its place. Cherry, we gotta talk...

Once again, the pilfering of my 'list (damn it!). Their iconic ode to blue collar love made them the darlings of the hard rock/glam metal scene and won them the respect of legions of fans (including myself and my buddy). The opening is the sound of an electric kazoo.

An album cut from Slippery When Wet that received a lot of radio airplay despite not being released as a single. It's a power ballad that I imagine had a high school graduation theme if I had to spitball its lyrical content.

The hard rock/metal format might've changed into alternative/grunge, but this is still vintage Bon Jovi. A bigger hit on the rock charts and with a more spiritual vibe than their previous hits.

A slower-tempo-ed power ballad with emphasis on piano and romantic mood rather than electric guitar and arena rock bravado. It proved that the Jovis could sway your hearts as well as your hips.

An original song from their Cross Road greatest hits compilation. It was a smash and yes, even the hard rockers could still rock a ballad and jerk a tear from your eye.

Just like "Livin' On a Prayer," it began with the electric kazoo and hearkened us back to their 1980s glory (blaze of it, I suppose?). They even make mention of Tommy and Gina from that iconic classic. Moving on to...

Uh-oh! What happened? They went from hard rocking good boys to...good boy honkeytonkers? This country-tinged rocker is a duet with Nettles, a member of the duo Sugarland. It wouldn't surprise me that this song's on my friend's 'list. He's the country king!

There's still a bit of a country feel in this torchy rock ballad. It was off their Lost Highway CD/download. Next one's a bit of a cheat, but...

This was all a solo effort by Jon himself. He wrote and sung the theme to the 1990 western/action sequel Young Guns II. It mimicked his band's "Wanted Dead or Alive" to a tee, but was written to fit the outlaw storyline of the movie's plot. Went number one and earned him a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for Best Song and a Grammy nod for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. My turn...

My Picks

Off the New Jersey album and the first cut off it. It's long and beat-heavy and repetitive, but it's catchy and a head-swiveler. Not to be confused with the 1985 Thompson Twins' new wave ballad.

The second single and first release off New Jersey shot all the way to the top, leaving no doubt that the band was white-hot and primed for even more iconic status.

A Slippery When Wet cut that I enjoyed time and time again. Neeeeeext!

The New Jersey album had its fair share of memorable smashes, this one released in my last year of high school. Bear with me. This power ballad is either a breakup song, or... a "time to pack up and leave to another state and town" song. Take your pick.

Fast rocker from New Jersey had a pop feel and a massive killer hook, still with the, "Hey, I'm just a real nice guy" lyrics.

A torchy power ballad about asking a hand in marriage and being rebuked by the family, or perhaps the idea of cohabitation without the benefit of a marriage license. Many could argue that despite not being discussed or even underlined, it could also be a song about many LGBT couples. Just stirring the pot.

"Shot through the heart...!" Their first number one. You all know it by now!

This is the opening track from Slippery When Wet and my lodging the "Why the fuck was this song not released as single?!" complaint! The organ solo alone is the main hook. Then the song lights a match, and we are engulfed in a Bon Jovi inferno! Seriously! What happened?! Anyway, it's my top three all-time favorite Jovi song! Case closed, end of discussion!

Another SWW album cut. Catchy and fun. Question. Was that a real porno movie sampled in the very beginning? Hmmmmm. And now...

My all-time fave from the Jovis and a big thank you to my buddy Oates for not adding it to his 'list. They slowed the tempo and gave us a strong Lynyrd Skynyrd vibe with this one: metal meets southern-fried rock! The song is a rumination about life on the road as a band and the many stops, stresses and even tensions that can arise from concert touring. It metaphors as if they are gunslingers about to head out to a gunfight and become outlaws in the process. A great concept and they won me over as a group because of it.

Sadly, what should've been their third consecutive number one, wasn't. It only peaked at number seven.

Whhhhhhhyyyyyyyyy?!

Riding my steel horse outta here, folks!

Next 'List Pending.

The Iconic 1986 Album That Prompted This 'list!