| "Livin' on a Prayer" | |||||||||||
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| Single by Bon Jovi | |||||||||||
| from the album Slippery When Wet | |||||||||||
| B-side | "Wild in the Streets"/"Edge of a Broken Heart" | ||||||||||
| Released | 31 October 1986 | ||||||||||
| Format | 7", 12", CD Single | ||||||||||
| Recorded | 1986 | ||||||||||
| Genre | Glam metal | ||||||||||
| Length | 4:12 | ||||||||||
| Label | Mercury Records | ||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child | ||||||||||
| Producer | Bruce Fairbairn | ||||||||||
| Bon Jovi singles chronology | |||||||||||
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"Livin' on a Prayer" is Bon Jovi's second single from their Slippery When Wet album. Written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora with Desmond Child, the single, released in late 1986, was well-received at both rock and pop radio and its music video was given heavy rotation at MTV, giving the band their first #1 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The single also became Bon Jovi's second consecutive #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit[1] and has become the band's signature song, topping fan-voted lists and re-charting around the world decades after its release.
The album version of the song fades out at the end, with a song length of 4:10. However, the version playable on the music video games Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2 retains the original studio ending of the song, where the band revisit the intro riff and end with a talkbox solo. This version of the song ends at 4:53.
The song is also featured in the 2001 movie Rock Star. The song was sung by Sri & David to a sold out house at Mint in San Francisco on 8/20/2011.
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Jon Bon Jovi did not like the original recording of this song, which can be found as a hidden track on 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong. Richie Sambora convinced him the song was good, and they reworked it with a new bass line, different drum fills and the use of a talk box to include it on their Slippery When Wet album. It spent two weeks at number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks, from January 31–February 14, 1987, and four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, from February 14–March 7. It also hit number four on the UK singles chart.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks — in which New Jersey was the second-hardest hit state after New York, suffering hundreds of casualties among both WTC workers and first responders—the band performed an acoustic version of this song for The Concert for New York City. Bon Jovi performed a similar version as part of the special America: A Tribute to Heroes.
In 2006, online voters rated "Livin' on a Prayer" #1 on VH1's list of The 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s. More recently, in New Zealand, "Livin' on a Prayer" was #1 on the C4 music channel show's "U Choose 40", on the 80's Icons list. It was also #1 on the "Sing-a-long Classics List". After Bon Jovi performed in New Zealand on January 28, 2008 while on their Lost Highway Tour, the song re-entered the official New Zealand RIANZ singles chart at number 24, over twenty years after the initial release.[2]
Australian music TV channel MAX placed this song at #18 on their 2008 countdown "Rock Songs: Top 100". In 2009, the song returned to the charts in the UK, notably hitting the number-one spot on the UK Rock Chart.
In 2010 the song was chosen in an online vote on the Grammy.com website over the group's more recent hits "Always" and "It's My Life" to be played live by the band on the 52nd Grammy Awards telecast.[3][4]
In the Billboard Hot 100 Anniversary 50, "Livin' on a Prayer" was named as 46 in the All time rock songs.[5]
The song is about a fictional working class couple, Tommy and Gina, who struggle to make ends meet and maintain their relationship. Tommy "used to work on the docks" because "union's been on strike, he's down on his luck". Gina works at a diner, "workin' for her man".
While some have loosely interpreted the lyrics to be anti-labor, inferring that the striking labor union are the catalyst for the troubled chain of events for Tommy and Gina, others have pointed out that the song does not clarify the circumstances behind the strike, and the lone, vague reference does not equate with an anti-union political message. In fact, Jon Bon Jovi explained that he "wrote that song during the Reagan era (1980-1988) and the trickle-down economics are really inspirational to writing songs".[6]
The video for the song features shots of the band rehearsing, then playing in front of a crowd. The first half of the video, featuring the rehearsal footage, is black and white, and the second half of the video, performing to the arena audience, is in color.
In the beginning of the video, Jon Bon Jovi has a harness attached, and later in the music video he soars over the crowd via overhead wires.
The music video was recorded at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California and was directed by Wayne Isham.[7]
Bon Jovi have themselves reworked the song several times, including an acoustic live version that served as a precursor to the MTV Unplugged series and a re-recorded version of the song, "Prayer '94", which appeared on U.S. versions of their Cross Road hits collection. But the song has had a life of its own beyond the band, particularly in several dance music incarnations. The Audition recorded a version for Kerrang!'s CD Higher Voltage (June 7). Alvin and the Chipmunks covered this song for their 2008 album Undeniable. Stellar Kart covered the song for their 2005 album All Gas. No Brake. It has also been covered by Philmore.
The song was sung by the female members of the Glee cast as a mash-up with "Start Me Up" by The Rolling Stones for the episode "Never Been Kissed."
Sophie Habibis covered the song during 'Rock Week' on the Eighth Series of X Factor UK.
Swedish hip hop group Looptroop Rockers covered the song on their 2008 album Good Things.
| Chart (1986-) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
| UK Rock Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 4 |
| New Zealand RIANZ | 24 |
| Preceded by "My Baby" by The Pretenders |
Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks number-one single January 31, 1987 – February 13, 1987 (2 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Midnight Blue" by Lou Gramm |
| Preceded by "Open Your Heart" by Madonna |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single February 14, 1987 – March 7, 1987 (4 Weeks) |
Succeeded by "Jacob's Ladder" by Huey Lewis and the News |
| Preceded by "Desolation Row" by My Chemical Romance "Destabilise" by Enter Shikari "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)" by The Darkness |
UK Rock Chart number-one single February 22, 2009 – March 22, 2009 November 6, 2010 - November 13, 2010 January 2, 2011 - January 9, 2011 |
Succeeded by "I'd Come For You" by Nickelback "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" by My Chemical Romance "Feeling Good" by Muse |
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