Top Ten Songs by Bon Jovi

Being a teenager in the 1980’s we were adorned with a lot of great “Big Hair” bands. Many of the bands that came on the scene in that generation are still alive and kicking today. Bon Jovi is one of those bands that have stood the test of time and continue to churn out great lyrics and great beats. They’ve recently even crossed over into the realm of country music by working with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland on the song “Who Says You Can’t Go Home.”

John Bongiovi worked as a gopher in New York’s Power Station recording studio bringing home $50 a week in 1983. When he wasn’t sweeping floors or sleeping on them he was getting musicians to help him with his own music. He ended up donating his song Runaway to a compilation album of other unknown local artists. The song got a lot of airtime, John was guided to change his name to Jon Bon Jovi, he enlisted David Bryan, Tico Torres, and Alec John Such to become his band. He was later approached by Richie Sambora and the rest is history. Alec John Such is no longer with the band but the remaining four are all original members.

Bon Jovi hit the scene in 1984. They haven’t slowed down or looked back since. Bon Jovi is a powerhouse of musical talent that exploded into something phenomenal. They had the look and sound that the American youth was after in the mid-eighties and it carried them over the top. Bon Jovi soon went from opening band for groups like ZZ Top and the Scorpions to being the headliners.

The members of the band are self-proclaimed work-a-holics and spent the biggest part of those early years touring and recording. It took its toll on them in 1990 and the band took a hiatus. Jon and Richie both produced solo albums during that time. Jon did the album “Blaze of Glory” for the movie “Young Guns II” and Richie did the album “Stranger in This Town”, which is also a great album.
Jon finally fired his management, advisors and agents and took control of the bands management himself in 1991. In 1992 they hit the scene again with the album “Keep the Faith”.

In 1989 at the MTV Music Video Awards, Jon and Richie took to the stage with acoustic guitars in hand and did two numbers. The songs “Wanted Dead or Alive” and “Livin’ on a Prayer” performed on national TV in their acoustic version was said to be the inspiration behind “MTV’s Unplugged“. Many bands and artists followed suit doing their own “unplugged” songs.

The songs I’ve chosen for this Top Ten list all hit the Top Ten Billboard charts and many went straight to #1 for several weeks.
It’s hard to pick ten songs by a band that has had as many hits as Bon Jovi, especially considering how may hit the Top Ten. The majority of this list is comprised of songs that define the band Bon Jovi.

10. “You Give Love a Bad Name” from the 1986 album “Slippery When Wet“.
9. “Livin’ on a Prayer” from the 1986 album “Slippery When Wet“.
8. “Bad Medicine” from the 1988 album “New Jersey“.
7. “Born to be My Baby” from the 1988 album “New Jersey“.
6. “I’ll Be There for You” from the 1988 album “New Jersey“.
5. “Living in Sin” from the 1988 album “New Jersey“.
4. “Always” from the 1994 album “Cross Road“.
3. “Blaze of Glory” from Jon’s 1990 album “Blaze of Glory”
2. “Someday I’ll be Saturday Night” from the 1994 album “Cross Road“.
1. “Wanted Dead or Alive“, considered the bands anthem, from the 1986 album “Slippery When Wet“.

Bon Jovi is still going strong and always has something working for the future. They’ve had un-surmounted success in their first twenty years and I suspect that Bon Jovi will still be kicking in the next twenty.