Slippery When Wet: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
VisualWikitext
imported>HariManuel97
→Certifications and sales: : Added Austrian certification
 
imported>ShiranuiAensland
 
(One intermediate revision by one other user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox album
{{Infobox album
| name        = Slippery When Wet
| name        = Slippery When Wet
Line 10: Line 10:
| recorded    = 1986
| recorded    = 1986
| studio      = [[Little Mountain Sound Studios|Little Mountain]] (Vancouver, Canada)
| studio      = [[Little Mountain Sound Studios|Little Mountain]] (Vancouver, Canada)
| genre        = {{hlist|[[Glam metal]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Buckley|first=Peter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ctjc6UWCm4C&pg=PA121|title=The Rough Guide to Rock|date=2003|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=978-1-84353-105-0|page=121}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Slaughter|first=Matthew|date=June 30, 2014|title=Album Review: Bon Jovi - New Jersey (deluxe edition)|url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/18304/reviews/4147943|access-date=June 29, 2021|website=[[Drowned in Sound]]|archive-date=January 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125051830/https://drownedinsound.com/releases/18304/reviews/4147943|url-status=dead}}</ref>|[[pop metal]]<ref name=AllmusicPopMetal>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/explore/style/d7728 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205030622/http://www.allmusic.com/explore/style/d7728 |archive-date=February 5, 2012 |work=AllMusic |title=Pop Metal}}</ref>|[[pop rock]]<ref name="reesman">{{cite web |last1=Reesman |first1=Bryan |title=How Bon Jovi Changed the World With 'Slippery When Wet' |url=https://observer.com/2016/08/how-bon-jovi-changed-the-world-with-slippery-when-wet/ |website=[[The New York Observer|Observer]] |date=August 18, 2016 |access-date=6 February 2023}}</ref><ref name="tdim">{{cite web |title=Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet |url=https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/classic-albums/bon-jovi-slippery-when-wet/ |website=This Day in Music |date=January 13, 2022 |access-date=6 February 2023}}</ref>|[[hard rock]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Harrison|first=Thomas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MBEZBL7Dr7YC&pg=PA48|title=Music of the 1980s|date=2011|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|isbn=978-0-313-36600-0|page=48}}</ref>}}
| genre        = {{hlist|[[Glam metal]]<ref>Multiple soureces:
*{{cite book|last=Buckley|first=Peter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ctjc6UWCm4C&pg=PA121|title=The Rough Guide to Rock|date=2003|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=978-1-84353-105-0|page=121}}
*{{cite web|last=Slaughter|first=Matthew|date=June 30, 2014|title=Album Review: Bon Jovi - New Jersey (deluxe edition)|url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/18304/reviews/4147943|access-date=June 29, 2021|website=[[Drowned in Sound]]|archive-date=January 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125051830/https://drownedinsound.com/releases/18304/reviews/4147943|url-status=dead}}</ref>|[[arena rock]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Llewellyn |first=Siân |date=September 19, 2021 |title=Bon Jovi: How the New Jersey album nearly killed the band |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/bon-jovi-new-jersey |access-date=July 23, 2025 |website=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]] |language=en}}</ref>|[[hard rock]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Harrison|first=Thomas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MBEZBL7Dr7YC&pg=PA48|title=Music of the 1980s|date=2011|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|isbn=978-0-313-36600-0|page=48}}</ref>|[[pop rock]]<ref>Multiple sources:
*{{cite web |last1=Reesman |first1=Bryan |title=How Bon Jovi Changed the World With 'Slippery When Wet' |url=https://observer.com/2016/08/how-bon-jovi-changed-the-world-with-slippery-when-wet/ |website=[[The New York Observer|Observer]] |date=August 18, 2016 |access-date=6 February 2023}}
*{{cite web |title=Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet |url=https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/classic-albums/bon-jovi-slippery-when-wet/ |website=This Day in Music |date=January 13, 2022 |access-date=6 February 2023}}</ref>}}
| length      = 43:49
| length      = 43:49
| label        = {{hlist|[[Mercury Records|Mercury]] (NA)|[[Vertigo Records|Vertigo]] (WW)}}
| label        = {{hlist|[[Mercury Records|Mercury]] (NA)|[[Vertigo Records|Vertigo]] (WW)}}
Line 40: Line 44:
}}
}}


'''''Slippery When Wet''''' is the third studio album by American [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Bon Jovi]], released on August 18, 1986, by [[Mercury Records]] in North America and [[Vertigo Records]] internationally. It was produced by [[Bruce Fairbairn]], with recording sessions taking place between January and July 1986 at [[Little Mountain Sound Studios]] in [[Vancouver]]. The album features many of Bon Jovi's best-known songs, including "[[You Give Love a Bad Name]]", "[[Livin' on a Prayer]]", and "[[Wanted Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi song)|Wanted Dead or Alive]]". Resulting in the first [[glam metal]] album to have 3 top 10 hits on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart. To promote the album, Bon Jovi embarked on the [[Slippery When Wet Tour]], which ran from July 1986 to October 1987.
'''''Slippery When Wet''''' is the third studio album by American [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Bon Jovi]], released on August 18, 1986, by [[Mercury Records]] in North America and [[Vertigo Records]] internationally. It was produced by [[Bruce Fairbairn]], with recording sessions taking place between January and July 1986 at [[Little Mountain Sound Studios]] in [[Vancouver]]. The album features many of Bon Jovi's best-known songs, including "[[You Give Love a Bad Name]]", "[[Livin' on a Prayer]]", and "[[Wanted Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi song)|Wanted Dead or Alive]]", resulting in the first [[glam metal]] album to have 3 top 10 hits on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart. To promote the album, Bon Jovi embarked on the [[Slippery When Wet Tour]], which ran from July 1986 to October 1987.


''Slippery When Wet'' was an instant commercial success, spending eight weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart and was named by ''Billboard'' as the top-selling album of 1987.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Billboard 200 Albums : Nov 24, 2016 - Billboard Chart Archive |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1987/the-billboard-200}}</ref> ''Slippery When Wet'' is Bon Jovi's best-selling album to date, with a [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) certification of [[RIAA certification|15× Platinum]], making it one of the [[List of best-selling albums in the United States|top 100 best-selling albums in the United States]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Top 100 Albums |url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-100-albums |access-date=October 6, 2015 |publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]]}}</ref> The album has been called the album that turned "[[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] into a radio-friendly pop format",<ref>{{cite book|last=Bukszpan|first=Daniel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YaDDsg0H35gC&pg=PT24|title=The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal|date=2003|publisher=[[Barnes & Noble Publishing]]|isbn=978-0-7607-4218-1|page=25}}</ref> and is also commonly seen as "a breakthrough for hair metal".<ref name=allmusic/><ref>{{cite web|title=Pop-Metal Music Genre Overview|url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/pop-metal-ma0000002785|access-date=June 29, 2021|publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>
''Slippery When Wet'' was an instant commercial success, spending eight weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart and was named by ''Billboard'' as the top-selling album of 1987.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Billboard 200 Albums : Nov 24, 2016 - Billboard Chart Archive |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1987/the-billboard-200}}</ref> ''Slippery When Wet'' is Bon Jovi's best-selling album to date, with a [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) certification of [[RIAA certification|15× Platinum]], making it one of the [[List of best-selling albums in the United States|top 100 best-selling albums in the United States]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Top 100 Albums |url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-100-albums |access-date=October 6, 2015 |publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]]}}</ref> The album has been called the album that turned "[[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] into a radio-friendly pop format",<ref>{{cite book|last=Bukszpan|first=Daniel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YaDDsg0H35gC&pg=PT24|title=The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal|date=2003|publisher=[[Barnes & Noble Publishing]]|isbn=978-0-7607-4218-1|page=25}}</ref> and is also commonly seen as "a breakthrough for hair metal".<ref name=allmusic/><ref>{{cite web|title=Pop-Metal Music Genre Overview|url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/pop-metal-ma0000002785|access-date=June 29, 2021|publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>
Line 48: Line 52:


==Writing and composition==
==Writing and composition==
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.
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 by the duo with Desmond Child, and "Wild in the Streets" was by Jon 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 [[It's Only Love (Bryan Adams song)|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 [[Artists and repertoire|A&R]] [[Derek Shulman|guy]] came up with Desmond's name&nbsp;... 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."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Dome |first=Malcolm |author-link=Malcolm Dome |date=July 2006 |title=We'll make it, I swear... |magazine=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]] |issue=94 |page=44}}</ref>


Jon Bon Jovi explained, "I liked what [[It's Only Love (Bryan Adams song)|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 [[Artists and repertoire|A&R]] [[Derek Shulman|guy]] came up with Desmond's name&nbsp;... 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."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Dome |first=Malcolm |author-link=Malcolm Dome |date=July 2006 |title=We'll make it, I swear... |magazine=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]] #94 |page=44}}</ref>
Jon 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 [[List of signature songs|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]]''.


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 [[List of signature songs|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 by the trio during the making of the album, "[[Edge of a Broken Heart (Bon Jovi song)|Edge of a Broken Heart]]", is not on the final release. 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 (album)|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.


One of the songs written during the making of the album, "[[Edge of a Broken Heart (Bon Jovi song)|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 (album)|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, Jon 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."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Dome |first=Malcolm |author-link=Malcolm Dome |date=July 2006 |title=We'll make it, I swear... |magazine=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]] |issue=94 |page=47}}</ref>


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."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Dome |first=Malcolm |author-link=Malcolm Dome |date=July 2006 |title=We'll make it, I swear... |magazine=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]] #94 |page=47}}</ref>
A song titled "Borderline" was co-written by Jon Bon Jovi and [[David Bryan]] for the album, but was released only in Japan as a single and [[EP]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Bon Jovi – "Borderline" (1986) – 12″ Single (Japanese Edition) – (The Bon Jovi Collection Series) | date=February 19, 2024 | url=https://2loud2oldmusic.com/2024/02/19/bon-jovi-borderline-1986-12-single-japanese-edition-the-bon-jovi-collection-series/ }}</ref>


==Title and artwork==
==Title and artwork==
The album's name was changed during its inception, including ''Wanted Dead or Alive''. A proposed cover with the band dressed as cowboys<ref>{{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}}</ref> was later used for the [[Wanted Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi song)|single release of the track of the same name]].
The album's name was changed during its inception, including ''Wanted Dead or Alive''. A proposed cover with the band dressed as cowboys<ref>{{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}}</ref> was later used for the [[Wanted Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi song)|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."<ref>{{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}}</ref>
According to Jon 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."<ref>{{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}}</ref>


The cover consists of a wet black [[Bin bag|garbage bag]] with the words "Slippery When Wet" traced in the water. "So simple, and not very impressive", said Sambora.<ref name="auto">{{Cite magazine |last=Dome |first=Malcolm |author-link=Malcolm Dome |date=July 2006 |title=We'll make it, I swear... |magazine=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]] #94 |page=45}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> 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."<ref name="auto" /> In Japan, most releases of the album included the original cover art.
The cover consists of a wet black [[Bin bag|garbage bag]] with the words "Slippery When Wet" traced in the water. "So simple, and not very impressive", said Sambora.<ref name="auto">{{Cite magazine |last=Dome |first=Malcolm |author-link=Malcolm Dome |date=July 2006 |title=We'll make it, I swear... |magazine=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]] |issue=94 |page=45}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> 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."<ref name="auto" /> In Japan, most releases of the album included the original cover art.


==Reception==
==Reception==
{{Album reviews
{{Music ratings
| title = Retrospective professional ratings
| title = Retrospective professional ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
Line 189: Line 195:


==Personnel==
==Personnel==
Credits partly sourced from [[AllMusic]].<ref name=allmusic/>
Personnel per ''Slippery When Wet'' liner notes,<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Slippery When Wet |others=[[Bon Jovi]] |date=1986 |type=Album liner notes}}</ref> except where noted.


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


'''Additional musicians'''
'''Additional musicians'''
Line 236: Line 242:
|1
|1
|-
|-
{{album chart|Germany4|11|artist=Bon Jovi|album=Slippery When Wet|id=444|rowheader=true|access-date=August 20, 2024}}
{{album chart|Germany|11|artist=Bon Jovi|album=Slippery When Wet|id=444|rowheader=true|access-date=August 20, 2024}}
|-
|-
{{album chart|Greece|64|artist=Bon Jovi|album=Slippery When Wet|rowheader=true|access-date=August 20, 2024}}
{{album chart|Greece|64|artist=Bon Jovi|album=Slippery When Wet|rowheader=true|access-date=August 20, 2024}}
Line 363: Line 369:
{{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=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=<ref name="Jachart" />}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Japan (Oricon Charts)|nocert=yes|salesamount=215,000|salesref=<ref name="Jachart" />}}
{{Certification Table Entry |region=Malaysia|nocert=yes|salesamount=10,000|salesref=<ref>{{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}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Entry |region=Malaysia|nocert=yes|salesamount=10,000|salesref=<ref>{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A65UAAAAIBAJ&dq=Malaysia&pg=PA20&article_id=2817,3292089|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}}</ref>}}
{{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=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|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}}
Line 408: Line 414:
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|3
|-
|-
| ''[[Loudwire]]''
|US
|The Best Hard Rock Album of Each Year Since 1970<ref name="loudbesthr24">{{Cite web |date=4 December 2024 |title=The Best Hard Rock Album of Each Year Since 1970 |url=https://loudwire.com/best-hard-rock-album-each-year/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250803131410/https://loudwire.com/best-hard-rock-album-each-year/ |archive-date=2025-08-03 |access-date=2025-09-30 |website=[[Loudwire]] |series=[[Townsquare Media]] |language=en}}</ref>
|align="center"|1
|}
|}


Latest revision as of 23:20, 19 November 2025

Script error: No such module "other uses". Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "Unsubst-infobox".

Slippery When Wet is the third studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on August 18, 1986, by Mercury Records in North America and Vertigo Records internationally. It was produced by Bruce Fairbairn, with recording sessions taking place between January and July 1986 at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver. The album features many of Bon Jovi's best-known songs, including "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer", and "Wanted Dead or Alive", resulting in the first glam metal album to have 3 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. To promote the album, Bon Jovi embarked on the Slippery When Wet Tour, which ran from July 1986 to October 1987.

Slippery When Wet was an instant commercial success, spending eight weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and was named by Billboard as the top-selling album of 1987.[1] Slippery When Wet is Bon Jovi's best-selling album to date, with a Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certification of 15× Platinum, making it one of the top 100 best-selling albums in the United States.[2] The album has been called the album that turned "heavy metal into a radio-friendly pop format",[3] and is also commonly seen as "a breakthrough for hair metal".[4][5]

Background

Upon its 1985 release, Template:Proper name 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.[6]

Writing and composition

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 by the duo with Desmond Child, and "Wild in the Streets" was by Jon 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."[7]

Jon 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.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". 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 by the trio during the making of the album, "Edge of a Broken Heart", is not on the final release. 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, Jon 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."[8]

A song titled "Borderline" was co-written by Jon Bon Jovi and David Bryan for the album, but was released only in Japan as a single and EP.[9]

Title and artwork

The album's name was changed during its inception, including Wanted Dead or Alive. A proposed cover with the band dressed as cowboys[10] was later used for the single release of the track of the same name.

According to Jon 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."[11]

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.[12] 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.[13][14] 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."[12] In Japan, most releases of the album included the original cover art.

Reception

Template:Music ratings

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'?"[15] 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."[16] The album is ranked 44th in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the Definitive 200 Albums of all time.

2005 re-release

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.

Track listing

Original release

All tracks written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, except where noted. Template:Track listing Template:Track listing Template:Track listing Template:Track listing Template:Track listing

Personnel

Personnel per Slippery When Wet liner notes,[17] except where noted.

Bon Jovi

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

<templatestyles src="Col-begin/styles.css"/>

Certifications and sales

Template:Certification Table Top Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Bottom

Accolades

Publication Country Accolade Rank
Guitar World US Top 20 Hair Metal Albums of the Eighties[38] 7
LA Weekly US Top 20 Hair Metal Albums of All Time[39] 12
Loudwire US Top 30 Hair Metal Albums[40] 5
Metal Rules US Top 50 Glam Metal Albums[41] 13
Rolling Stone US 50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time[42] 3
Loudwire US The Best Hard Rock Album of Each Year Since 1970[43] 1

See also

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:BonJovi Template:Billboard Year-End number one albums 1970–1989

Template:Authority control

  1. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named allmusic
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  8. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ a b Template:Cite magazine
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Template:Cite magazine Digit page 17 on the PDF archive.
  28. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Template:Cite magazine Digit page 37 on the PDF archive.
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  36. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=Slippery_When_Wet&oldid=3371544"