<p id=”par-1_58″>It’s hard for me to get sick of anything having to do with <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/classic-rock/”>classic rock</a>. However, one of <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/surprising-meaning-bon-jovis-livin-on-a-prayer.html/”>Bon Jovi’s songs</a> is too ubiquitous for its own good. The track doesn’t need to be shoved down everyone’s throats all the time. After all, there are far better 1980s hair metal songs — and far better Bon Jovi songs.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-1-bon-jovi-song-seemed-to-be-widely-liked-but-rarely-loved”>1 Bon Jovi song seemed to be widely liked but rarely loved</h2>
<p id=”par-2_72″>“Tommy used to work on the docks.” That one line should be able to conjure up the whole song for you. “Livin’ on a Prayer” went from being a popular 1980s rock song to being the 1980s rock song. It’s everywhere. That’s pretty interesting, considering that no one has ever put “Livin’ on a Prayer” on any of those tedious lists of the 100 or 500 or 1,000 songs of all time.</p>
<p id=”par-3_58″>Everybody seems to like “Livin’ on a Prayer,” even if nobody loves it. However, that goodwill should dry up immediately. Nobody needs to hear “Livin’ on a Prayer” for the next 20 years because it’s been far too overexposed. I’d rather hear “Wanted Dead or Alive” a hundred more times than hear “Livin’ on a Prayer” once more. </p>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-bon-jovi-didn-t-write-their-biggest-behemoth-alone”>Bon Jovi didn’t write their biggest behemoth alone</h2>
<p id=”par-4_90″>The track was co-written by Desmond Child, the same musician who gave us Aerosmth’s “Dude Looks Like a Lady.” In his 2023 book <em><a href=”https://www.everand.com/read/671938931/Livin-On-A-Prayer-Big-Songs-Big-Life#__search-menu_387092″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Livin’ on a Prayer: Big Songs Big Life</a></em>, Child explained how the song came to be. “My first impulse was to suggest, ‘Johnny used to work on the docks,’” he said. “I was Johnny — Johnny Barrett being my real name — but Jon thought that would be weird because fans would think that he was singing about himself. So we came up with the sound-alike, ‘Tommy.’”</p>
<p id=”par-5_49″>“Richie [Sambora] added the second ‘whoa’ after ‘halfway there’ that moves upward at the top of the chorus, a ‘whoa’ that would cause generations of Bon Jovi fans to throw their fists up in the air for decades to come,” Child recalled. “Thus, ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ was born.”</p>
<p id=”par-6_49″>Child also co-wrote <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/you-give-love-a-bad-name-wasnt-meant-bon-jovi-even-though-wrote.html/”>“You Give Love a Bad Name.”</a> Child felt that “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “You Give Love a Bad Name” changed everything. “On the strength of these two songs, Bon Jovi took its place in history among the world’s biggest rock ‘n’ roll bands,” he opined.</p>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
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<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/frank-sinatra-inspired-controversial-line-bon-jovis-its-my-life.html/”>
Frank Sinatra Inspired a Controversial Line of Bon Jovi’s ‘It’s My Life’ </a>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-bon-jovi-s-livin-on-a-prayer-was-part-of-a-string-of-hits”>Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ was part of a string of hits</h2>
<p id=”par-7_35″>“Livin’ on a Prayer” topped the <a href=”https://www.billboard.com/artist/bon-jovi/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Billboard Hot 100</a> for four weeks. None of Bon Jovi’s tracks lasted as long at the pinnacle of the chart. The tune lasted on the chart for 22 weeks.</p>
<p id=”par-8_78″>“Livin’ on a Prayer” appeared on <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/kiss-paul-stanley-involved-bon-jovis-biggest-studio-album.html/”>the album <em>Slippery When Wet</em></a>. That record was No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for eight weeks and lasted on the chart for 118 weeks in total. It was bigger than any of Bon Jovi’s other studio albums. <em>Slippery When Wet</em> produced two other big hits: “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Wanted Dead or Alive.” The former was yet another No. 1 single, while the latter peaked at No. 7.</p>
<p id=”par-9_23″>“Livin’ on a Prayer” was massive in the 1980s and it’s still huge today. Maybe it’s time to give the track a rest.</p>