You Give Love a Bad Name

Bon Jovi's third album, Slippery When Wet, needed a knockout lead single. The band had never worked with an outside songwriter before, but producer Bruce Fairbairn urged them to bring in Desmond Child, a move that paid off immediately. Child helped reshape a rough idea into the explosive "You Give Love a Bad Name," built around a riff Richie Sambora had been toying with. The session clicked fast, and the song was recorded in Vancouver with Bob Rock engineering.

The track opens with a four-note synth stab, then Sambora's guitar riff kicks in, simple, mean, and instantly recognizable. Jon Bon Jovi's vocal shifts from a snarl in the verses to a full-throated shout in the chorus. The bridge drops to a near-whisper before the key change launches the final chorus, a trick that became a stadium-rock staple. Lyrically, the song is a bitter kiss-off to a manipulative lover, anchored by the hook "Shot through the heart, and you're to blame."

Released July 23, 1986 on Mercury Records, the single climbed to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 29, staying on the chart for 17 weeks. It hit number 14 in the UK and topped the charts in Canada. The music video, directed by Wayne Isham and shot at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, featured model Cynthia Rhodes in a boxing-ring vignette and became an MTV staple. As of 2024, the official YouTube video has over 130 million views.

Critics praised the song's hook and energy. Rolling Stone later ranked it number 20 on its list of the 100 Greatest Hair Metal Songs. The song has been covered by artists ranging from metalcore band Atreyu to pop singer Madison Beer, and Blake Lewis's 2007 performance on American Idol sent it back to the Hot 100 at number 29. Its chorus has entered the pop-culture lexicon, referenced in films, TV shows, and commercials.[edit]