My friend Mat, who had a regular job at that chicken farm, got us the job and showed us what needed to be done. He also set up a radio to pass the time as we worked.
Suddenly this song came on the radio that sounded kind of like heavy metal, but was not as angry or loud.
“Shot through the heart, and you’re to blame, darling you give love a bad name.”
I asked if anyone knew the name of that song. No one did. We were all pretty much hearing it for the first time.
That night I went home and listened to AM 106, a Calgary radio station that had the “Top 10 at 10”. I listened patiently and heard that song again.
It was “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi.
I thought that couldn’t be. Bon Jovi was a heavy metal band.
Read it in “Circus”
The first time I had come across Bon Jovi was earlier that summer when I was spending a couple weeks with my cousins in Brooks. My cousin Fred was really into heavy metal, and he had stacks of two magazines – “Hit Parader” and “Circus” – that focused on heavy metal but also covered a little bit of other music.
The first time I had come across Bon Jovi was earlier that summer when I was spending a couple weeks with my cousins in Brooks. My cousin Fred was really into heavy metal, and he had stacks of two magazines – “Hit Parader” and “Circus” – that focused on heavy metal but also covered a little bit of other music.
That’s where I read about Bon Jovi, this heavy metal band who had put out two albums so far – “Bon Jovi” and “7800 Fahrenheit”. “Runaway” was the only recognizable song from those two efforts, that cracked the top 40.
Little did I know, Bon Jovi would release an album shortly that would stick around for the entire school year, and keep reappearing in my life with different songs.
“Slippery When Wet”
Bon Jovi released “Slippery When Wet” in August of 1986. “You Give Love a Bad Name” was the first single, and it gained steam, getting more and more airplay.
Bon Jovi released “Slippery When Wet” in August of 1986. “You Give Love a Bad Name” was the first single, and it gained steam, getting more and more airplay.
When Grade 12 started in the Fall of 1986, I started going to high school football games in Lethbridge. You see all the games were played at the Sportsplex field in Lethbridge, no matter if the teams were from Lethbridge or not.
I went to one of the first games with a bunch of people I was just getting to know. One was Mary Gage. As we sat in the car on the way to Lethbridge she asked if we could play this new tape she bought. I asked what it was.
She was sitting in the front and held out the tape for me to see.
It was “Slippery When Wet”.
“You Give Love a Bad Name” went all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, a sign of things to come.
“Livin’on a Prayer”
The second single released from “Slippery When Wet” was “Livin’ on a Prayer” which also went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
The second single released from “Slippery When Wet” was “Livin’ on a Prayer” which also went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
In the Spring, I asked out this girl named Gina. My best friend Chris Vining, was a funny man. We worked at a greenhouse after school, and one day he started singing “Robbie used to work at the greenhouse, union’s been on strike, he’s down on his luck, it’s tough, so tough. Gina works the diner all day…”
I thought it was pretty funny.
At our high school grad reception at the Lethbridge Lodge a few months later, we brought the place down dancing to “Livin’ on a Prayer”.
Grad theme
Our high school grad class voted for a theme to be played. One of the choices was “Never Say Goodbye” by Bon Jovi. I absolutely loved the song, but even as a teenager I thought it had some lyrics I knew parents would object to. Those included “Remember when we lost the keys, and you lost more than that in my backseat baby”.
Our high school grad class voted for a theme to be played. One of the choices was “Never Say Goodbye” by Bon Jovi. I absolutely loved the song, but even as a teenager I thought it had some lyrics I knew parents would object to. Those included “Remember when we lost the keys, and you lost more than that in my backseat baby”.
I did not think that song would win, but it did.
The grad committee changed the lyrics, and I really didn’t agree with that. Making things more awkward was I was one of the valedictorians so I went to confirm my table at the front with Vining, who was giving a toast. The grad advisor, Mrs. Mayeske was there, and we brought up how we didn’t agree with the lyrics being re-written, because when they re-wrote one line they had to keep changing it to match. All of a sudden Mayeske flew off the handle yelling about how she was not going to have a song about drinking and screwing. Vining just kept saying, “What you’re doing isn’t right” and that just riled Mayeske more. Eventually we just walked out.
Adding insult to injury, Superintendent Jim Phelps quoted from the revised lyrics in his speech at grad, and the class actually sang the song with revised lyrics at the grad banquet.
I also remember in first year of university people asking what our grad song and being shocked to hear it was “Never Say Goodbye”.
Then I told them the story.
Cruisin’
The third single released was “Wanted Dead or Alive”, which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100.
The third single released was “Wanted Dead or Alive”, which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100.
One night, I had my licence and was cruising with my friend Doug. We had this friend Shari whose boyfriend was working that night, so she joined us for a bit.
Doug’s brother Dave was a friend and classmate of mine. We knew he was having troubles with his girlfriend and he was going to talk to her. We drove by her place several times to see if his truck was still there, and it always was, even after we went for pizza at Dilo’s. We also went cruising into Lethbridge listening to the radio.
When “Wanted Dead or Alive” came on, we urged Shari to sing along, and she was awesome.
At that exact time, Dave was breaking up with his girlfriend.
Brotherly love
I really got to know the songs on “Slippery When Wet” after my brother bought it through Columbia House and recorded a copy off vinyl for me. I always laughed because he pronounced the band name like “Bon Jawvi”.
I really got to know the songs on “Slippery When Wet” after my brother bought it through Columbia House and recorded a copy off vinyl for me. I always laughed because he pronounced the band name like “Bon Jawvi”.
He didn’t listen to the radio much.
Those other songs
As I listened to “Slippery When Wet”, there were a lot of songs that stuck with me. Those included “Without Love”, “I’d Die For You”, and “Social Disease”, although I thought it was a little obvious and cheesey.
As I listened to “Slippery When Wet”, there were a lot of songs that stuck with me. Those included “Without Love”, “I’d Die For You”, and “Social Disease”, although I thought it was a little obvious and cheesey.
In the Spring of 1988, I was back at the greenhouse working with Karen Koenen after first year of university. We were out in the garden and talking about the other lesser known songs from “Slippery When Wet” and she pointed out “I’d Die for you” and its lyric “In a world that don’t know Romeo and Juliet”, as well as “Without Love”.
Jersey boys
It was just a matter of time before Bon Jovi released a follow-up album to “Slippery When Wet”. In September of 1988 they released “New Jersey” and the first single from it was “Bad Medicine”. I remember first hearing it just as my second year of university was getting going and I was a floor coordinator.
It was just a matter of time before Bon Jovi released a follow-up album to “Slippery When Wet”. In September of 1988 they released “New Jersey” and the first single from it was “Bad Medicine”. I remember first hearing it just as my second year of university was getting going and I was a floor coordinator.
“Bad Medicine” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and set the stage for another successful album to close out the decade.
“Born to be my Baby” followed, peaking at number three, then “I’ll be There for You” went all the way to number one, “Lay Your Hands on Me” peaked at number seven, and “Living in Sin” peaked at number nine.
At the close of the ‘80s, Bon Jovi was on a big winning streak that just kept on going.
The years after
Bon Jovi kept on writing, recording and performing with songs such as “Keep the Faith”; “Bed of Roses”; “Always”, which peaked at number four; “It’s My Life”; “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” and much more.
Bon Jovi kept on writing, recording and performing with songs such as “Keep the Faith”; “Bed of Roses”; “Always”, which peaked at number four; “It’s My Life”; “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” and much more.
“Always” will always have a special place in my heart. It was the first song played at my friend Shane Saunders’ wedding to dance with his bride, because it was the first song they ever danced to.
Parting thoughts
When I was in high school hearing a Bon Jovi song was like, well, an event. Every time we heard “You Give Love a Bad Name”, “Wanted Dead or Alive”, and especially “Livin’ On a Prayer”, we pumped our fists and yelled out the lyrics at the top of our lungs.
When I was in high school hearing a Bon Jovi song was like, well, an event. Every time we heard “You Give Love a Bad Name”, “Wanted Dead or Alive”, and especially “Livin’ On a Prayer”, we pumped our fists and yelled out the lyrics at the top of our lungs.
They really were the anthems of the ‘80s.
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