When: Released August 18, 1986
Why? This is one of the best-selling albums of all time. I’ve only heard Bon Jovi radio singles, including three tracks from this album.
What? Ten songs, 44 minutes.
First Impressions: I have really mixed feelings about this.
Opener “Let It Rock” is not a great song, but it starts the album in high gear. And it leads into the album’s two highlights: “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer,” songs that put a wide smile on my face during this listen. The vocals and instruments on these tracks are perfect examples of mid-1980s pop-rock songwriting and production. (I could imagine Heart doing a great version of “You Give Love…”)
Unfortunately, the album never again hits that level of excitement. “Social Disease” is a considerable drop in quality, while “Raise Your Hands,” clearly intended to be a stadium rocker, is an endless string of tired clichés that pile up into nonsense. Similarly, “Without Love” and “Never Say Goodbye” are crippled by some embarrassingly bad lyrics and regrettable sentiments. “I’d Die for You,” while generally stronger, stumbles when it comes to a coherent chorus melody. “Wild in the Streets” seems to have come from a different band entirely, featuring imagery and vocabulary unlike anything on the previous tracks, as if they’d copied it verbatim from Bruce Springsteen’s notebook when he wasn’t looking.
My mixed feelings carry over to the third big hit on this album: “Wanted: Dead or Alive.” On the surface, it’s a meaningful power ballad. But comparing the touring life of a rock star with the life of a cowboy doesn’t bear scrutiny; in fact, it falls apart when you really think about it. (But I gather we’re not supposed to be really thinking about the songs on this album.) In addition, the main chorus hook just doesn’t make sense in the context of the cowboy/touring-band metaphor: “Wanted dead or alive” was something law enforcement said about serious criminals, not cowboys. And who, exactly, wants Bon Jovi if they’re dead?
Setting aside the weak chorus of “I’d Die for You,” this album shines in its melodies and production. Unlike the lyrics, no musical clichés jumped out at me; I found the arrangements inventive and infectious. I enjoyed Richie Sambora’s guitar playing, and I found his tone unique and appealing. The vocal harmonies were also strong, reminding me a lot of Mutt Lange-produced Def Leppard.
Less appealing for me, though, was lead singer Jon Bon Jovi’s performance. “Let It Rock” was at least a whole step too high for him to sing comfortably. In other songs, he sounded strident—even whiny—at times.
So? I was surprised how much I enjoyed “You Give Love…” and “Livin’ on a Prayer.” And I was equally surprised that nothing else on the album matched the quality of those tracks. Instrumentally, the album is dynamite. But even on an album meant to be mindless, I still want lyrics I can sing along to without feeling ignorant.