“Slippery When Wet” is the third studio album from American rock band Bon Jovi released on August 18, 1986. The band had released their previous record “7800° Fahrenheit” to moderate success but wanted to change their approach to reflect the music that their predominantly younger audience wanted to hear. After amassing a total of thirty potential songs, the group began touring throughout their home state of New Jersey, performing exclusively for teenage listeners, and taking feedback on which songs were good enough to make the final cut. In the studio, Bon Jovi sought the collaboration of Songwriting Hall of Fame inductee Desmond Child to perfect an album that would finally land them the mainstream radio success they had been searching for. Upon its release, “Slippery When Wet” stayed atop the Billboard Top 200 chart for eight weeks and was named the best-selling album of 1987. Critics were unsure of the album’s artistic merit at first, mostly attributing Bon Jovi’s success to a burgeoning MTV generation propping up album sales because of a never-ending rotation of the work’s hit lead single “Livin’ on a Prayer,” but ultimately, the naysayers came around "The Village Voice" famously stated, “Surely, seven million teenagers can’t be wrong.” The album has gone on to be certified Diamond, becoming the 48th best selling album of all time, and ranking 44th on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of the Definitive 200 albums of all time. Belt out some of the most iconic songs of the 80’s including “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” and the biggest hit of their career “Livin’ on a Prayer” by streaming the album in full on Spotify!
Featured Album: "Slippery When Wet" by Bon Jovi
Updated: Aug 27, 2021
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