The AT40 Blog/November 29, 1986: Giving love a bad name, and winning the chicks over

The third album by New Jersey rockers Bon Jovi was going to be a crucial one.

There simply was no doubt. Their first album, the band's self-titled one, sold over half a million copies in 1984 and gave the band their first Top 40 hit, "Runaway," which peaked at No. 39 in April 1984, spending one week in the Top 40. Their second album, "7800 (Degrees) Fahrenheit," also did well with sales of over half a million copies, but there were no Top 40 hits, although the band did a cool video for the song, "In And Out Of Love" in the summer haven of Seaside Heights, N.J.

Success was the band's when it came to a core audience. But that core audience was the same audience that appealed to glam metal bands. In other words, the band was pretty successful in bringing dudes in to listen to their music.

They had a problem relating to the ladies. And the band's new manager, Doc McGhee, who had worked as manager for KISS and Motley Crue, knew that if his new artists he was representing could ever make it in the business, they needed to appeal to the ladies and not just the metal heads that followed them around like puppy dogs.

McGhee knew he had five good-looking young guys in their mid-to-late 20s, led by long-haired, blue-eyed and looks-that-could-melt-any-heart lead singer Jon Bon Jovi, who the band was named for. The appeal there to the ladies wasn't a problem. But he needed a "bridge" to get the girls over to the band's side.

That bridge was being built in January 1986 at the Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, well over 3,000 miles away from the band's Sayreville, N.J. base. After working with Lance Quinn on two albums, McGhee had the band work with rock production veteran Bruce Fairbairn and mixer/engineer Bob Rock. Next, McGhee brought in another veteran of the industry, Desmond Child, to compose songs with the band's two main writers, Bon Jovi and lead guitarist Richie Sambora.

The guys worked hard on writing songs for the album that would have more of a "mainstream rock" appeal, which had been missing on the first two albums. Sambora and Bon Jovi co-wrote nine of the 10 tracks, and four of those songs were collaborations with Child.

But Child had come into the session with a song he had as an ace in the hole. The original title of the song was "If You Were A Woman (And I Was A Man)." Child wrote the song in 1985 and handed it off to Jim Steinman, who once again was producing Bonnie Tyler on a new album called "Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire." Child heard the final version of the song, and though Steinman did his best in production, he was not happy with how it came out. So armed with the same song, he had a plan for his two new writing buddies -- let's re-write the heck out of this song.

So the trio did. And what the three of them turned the song into was of a wicked woman who is well-versed in her ways and that Bon Jovi is trapped under her spell. Making the new lyrics memorable are that the lines "Shot through the heart, and you're to blame, you give love a bad name" and "Oh, you're a loaded gun. Oh, there's nowhere to run. No one can save me. The damage is done," are repeated throughout. This was perfect for the new fan to come in and listen to this song by an act they may have heard of before, but now had their full attention.

Many of the songs on the album they would call "Slippery When Wet" were meant to appeal to all audiences, most notably, "Never Say Goodbye" and "I'd Die For U." The idea from the start was to "soften" the Bon Jovi hard-rock image and the song that everyone agreed would be the one to kick off the new album was the one Child, Bon Jovi and Sambora re-wrote, "You Give Love A Bad Name," even though the song sounded strangely familiar in hard rock style as songs from the first two albums. As a matter of fact, a song called "Shot Through The Heart" was on the band's debut album in 1984, and it did for a short time cause confusion with the new single.

This release was going to build the pop "sex appeal" for the band.

But its chart run didn't get off to such a hot start. It was the lowest of the five Hot 100 debuts the week of September 6, 1986, at No. 93, the highest debut being Chicago's remake with new lead singer Jason Scheff in charge of their 1970 hit "25 Or 6 To 4." The next week, the song climbed 10 notches to No. 83.

Everything, though, changed for the band the week of September 20, 1986. It leaped 15 points to No. 68. The run to the top was officially on.

The week after that, Bon Jovi was in the Top 50 at No. 47, up 21 places. Their second Top 40 hit was inevitable.

Not yet, though. It was a surprise the next week that "You Give Love A Bad Name" slowed down and only went up six places to No. 41. But a week later, Bon Jovi was in the Top 40 pool with both feet in as the song leaped up to debut at No. 29.

After a five-point move to No. 24, Bon Jovi jumped into the Top 20 the week of October 25, 1986, going from No. 24 to No. 16. After a climb to No. 11 the next week, Bon Jovi was in the Top 10 for the first time ever the week of November 8, 1986 at No. 7. How far could it go from here?

On November 15, 1986, Bon Jovi cracked the Top 5, leaping two places that week. The next week, it was at No. 4, but still had some prime area to get through -- notably new No. 1 hit "Human" by the Human League and Madonna's latest smash single, "True Blue," at No. 3.

One thing going for the band was the fact that "Slippery When Wet" had hit No. 1 on the Top 200 album chart the week of October 25, so many people who bought the album were familiar with the song and told others to buy the song or request it on radio stations. And that led to the unthinkable just a year or two earlier when on the week of November 29, 1986, "You Give Love A Bad Name" scaled the last three points on the chart to become Bon Jovi's first No. 1 hit.

And though the song would spend one week at No. 1, the ball was rolling. There would be two more Top 10 hits for the band to come, including the follow-up No. 1 hit, "Livin' On A Prayer," and that helped propel the album sales to 12 million copies in the United States alone for "Slippery When Wet." It also helped to propel the two previous albums the band recorded over the 1 million sales mark, making both those albums platinum, too.

In the end, the band not only stayed true to their metal head guys who first worshiped them, but also allowed the young ladies who were taking longing looks at Bon Jovi and his bandmates to come be a part of the experience as well.

McGhee got what he wanted and thrived because of that simple, subtle move to make the band be more appealing to the chicks as well as the dudes. And Bon Jovi the band became worldwide superstars who toured endlessly, most famously for the Monsters Of Rock tour in 1987 alongside Cinderella, Dio, Metallica, W.A.S.P. and Anthrax and for their 1989 visit to the U.S.S.R. just before the end of Communism and the bringing down of the Berlin Wall.

Though key members Alec Jon Such and Sambora no longer play in the band, they continue on as a trio -- Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres. And though Bon Jovi himself can't hit some of those high notes he once did, he still knows how to bring the fans in.

Both dudes and chicks.

The AT40 Blog/November 18, 1972: The music gets more mellow

In the late 1960s, music had an angst to it. It had a purpose. It was there in words and notes, vociferously speaking out on many subjects, most importantly the crisis of the Vietnam War and our economy. It could be hard-hitting. It could be loud. A lot of it was loud, both in sound and message.

But as the 1960s faded and the 1970s came about, the music suddenly became less loud. The messages weren't quite as out there as they once were.

And by November of 1972, the music was just downright ... mellow. It was softer than tissue paper. And for a brief time, the most important chart to track your songs on the Hot 100 wasn't the R&B music chart or even the Country & Western music chart.

It was the Easy Listening chart, or what we now call the Adult Contemporary chart. Of course, in 1972, the main musical acts that regularly took swings on the chart were those your mother and father liked: Steve Lawrence & Edye Gorme, Andy Williams and all those instrumentalists and orchestra leaders like Henry Mancini and Mantovani.

Let's just say there's a reason why the softer music is now called contemporary.

But on the week of November 18, 1972, the music had a more than usual "softer" side to it. Matched up against the regular Top 40 chart, 21 of the songs on it were simultaneously Top 40 Easy Listening hits. Six of these songs would be No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart and three of those 21 songs would be No. 1 hits on the Top 40 pop chart.

And none of these songs really represented the better side of "elevator music." These were hit songs that two generations later are still favorites on oldies and 1970s radio stations.

No. 1  I Can See Clearly Now--Johnny Nash (No. 1 pop): Just like its four-week run at the top of the Hot 100, Johnny Nash's sunny view "I Can See Clearly Now" was No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart for the third straight week. It, too, spent four weeks at No. 1 and would be Nash's only No. 1 hit on the EL chart as well.

No. 2 I'd Love You To Want Me--Lobo (No. 2 pop):  And at No. 2 on the EL chart was the song that moved up one notch to land at No. 2 on the Top 40 as well by Florida native Lobo. The man born Roland Kent Lavoie in Tallahassee, Fla., and who grew up in Winter Haven, Fla., would stall out at No. 2 with his beautiful ballad of wanting to be wanted on the pop chart, but would push its way to No. 1 on the EL chart, the second of what would be four No. 1 hits on that chart between 1971-79.

No. 3 I Am Woman--Helen Reddy (No. 4 pop): The women's liberation anthem of all-time was hitting a nerve with the soft pop sound of mom and dad's radio station as well. It would be Reddy's breakthrough hit on the pop chart, hitting No. 1 the week of December 9, 1972, while peaking at No. 2 on the Easy Listening chart.

No. 4 If I Could Reach You--The Fifth Dimension (No. 11 pop): One of the big fan favorites on those Easy Listening radio stations was the Fifth Dimension, starting with 1967's debut hit, "Up, Up And Away." With Marilyn McCoo's beautiful voice painfully speaking the truth that the man she was with for the night was going to be up and out before the sun comes up that morning, the song was on its way to being the group's fifth and last No. 1 EL chart. It peaked at No. 10 on the pop chart, the group's last Top 40 hit

No. 5 Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues--Danny O'Keefe (No. 23 pop): The one and only Top 40 pop hit for Seattle resident Danny O'Keefe was a hit on the Easy Listening chart, peaking at the No. 5 spot. It had also just peaked at No. 9 on the pop chart.

No. 6 It Never Rains In Southern California--Albert Hammond (No. 21 pop): British-born, Spanish-raised Albert Hammond was starting to make a name for himself as a singer-songwriter, penning this tune about the trials and tribulations of trying to make it in the entertainment business. His biggest hit, "Rains" got to No. 5 on the pop chart and would ultimately peak at No. 2 on the Easy Listening chart.

No. 7 Summer Breeze--Seals & Crofts (No. 10 pop): Two friends from Texas, Jim Seals and Dash Crofts, were enjoying their debut success with the wispy and warmly wonderful "Summer Breeze," sailing into the Top 10 on the pop chart on this week, up from No. 16 the week before. It would peak at No. 4 on the EL chart and No. 6 on the pop chart, the first of three Top 10 pop hits the duo had -- and all of which were No. 6 hits, the others being 1973's "Diamond Girl" and 1976's "Get Closer."

No. 8 Clair--Gilbert O'Sullivan (No. 28 pop): While Irishman Gilbert O'Sullivan was off and running with his follow-up to the No. 1 hit "Alone Again (Naturally)" on the pop chart, moving up eight places from No. 36 to No. 28, he was already on his way to his second and last No. 1 EL song with his ode to baby-sitting his niece, "Clair," which jumped up seven places to land at No. 8.

No. 9 Funny Face--Donna Fargo (No. 25 pop): The second hit for teacher-turned-singer Donna Fargo was off and flying up the pop chart from No. 31 to No. 25 on this week, but was already in the Top 10 at No. 9 on the EL chart and would peak at No. 5 ... just like it would on the pop chart, becoming the North Carolina native's biggest hit there.

No. 13 It's A Matter Of Time (the "B" side of "Burning Love")--Elvis Presley (No. 19 pop): Radio stations always could find a good nugget on the other side of a 45 rpm record. And they usually found quite a few nuggets on the back of an Elvis Presley "A" side. "It's A Matter Of Time" was another example of The King's appeal as the sizzling "Burning Love" dropped down to No. 19 on the pop chart after peaking at No. 2, his last Top 10 pop hit while he was alive.

No. 17 Sweet Surrender--Bread (No. 40 pop): The latest release by David Gates and his group Bread was climbing the EL chart and on its way to hitting No. 1 by the end of 1972, the band's fourth No. 1 hit on that chart after "If," "Baby I'm-A Want You" and "The Guitar Man." On this very week, Bread debuted in the Top 40 at No. 40 with "Sweet Surrender."

No. 20 Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)--Jim Croce (No. 22 pop): Another former teacher-turned-singer, Philadelphia native Jim Croce was back with his follow-up to his Top 10 pop hit "You Don't Mess Around With Jim," with a softer side of him in "Operator," a song about trying to find a phone number of someone he once loved and winding up in a great conversation with the phone operator at the other end. On the EL chart, Croce missed the Top 10, peaking at No. 11, while on the pop chart, he would take it to No. 17.

No. 21 Garden Party--Rick Nelson (No. 12 pop): Nelson scored his first Top 10 pop hit in eight years with his tale of a bad night at a rock 'n roll revival show he was a part of at New York's Madison Square Garden, henceforth the title, "Garden Party." It peaked at No. 6, but Nelson took "Garden Party" to No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart and was on his way down that chart as well. It was Nelson's second and last No. 1 EL hit after 1964's "For You" hit the top for the former teen idol.

No. 23 Ben--Michael Jackson (No. 35 pop): The No. 1 pop hit about a rat from the movie of the same name earned songwriters Don Black and Walter Scharf an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. It also earned the 14-year-old Jackson his first No. 1 pop hit as a solo star. "Ben" would peak at No. 3 on the EL chart as the song was dropping on both charts.

No. 25 Ventura Highway--America (No. 18 pop): The hot new sensation of 1972, America, was climbing the pop and EL charts with the acoustic "Ventura Highway," which continued the band's success after previous hits "A Horse With No Name" and "I Need You." "Ventura Highway" peaked at No. 6 on the pop chart and No. 3 on the Easy Listening chart.

No. 26 Something's Wrong With Me--Austin Roberts (No. 29 pop): George Austin Robertson Jr. shortened his last name by two letters and went with his middle name as the first name. He came right out of the box with his self-examination single, "Something's Wrong With Me," and it would peak at No. 12 on the pop chart. Danny Janssen and Bobby Hart of Boyce & Hart fame from the 1960s, co-wrote the song.

No. 29 I'm Stone In Love With You--The Stylistics (No. 20 pop): With Russell Tompkins Jr.'s falsetto voice leading the way, the Stylistics were already up to No. 20 in their second week in the Top 40 with "I'm Stone In Love With You," up from the No. 25 debut the week before. The Philadelphia-based trio would take "Stone" to No. 10, while only getting to No. 27 on the EL chart.

No. 30 American City Suite--Cashman & West (No. 27 pop): The duo of Terry Cashman and Tommy West were busy in 1972, helping introduce Jim Croce to the world as the singer's producers. And on the pop chart, they were an act moving up one notch up the pop chart from No. 28 to No. 27 with the three-part, nearly five-minute long "American City Suite," an ode to various scenarios in everyday life. As Cashman & West, it would be their lone Top 40 pop hit.

No. 33 You Ought To Be With Me--Al Green (No. 15 pop): Not only was this man from Forest City, Ark., becoming a superstar on the pop and soul chart, he knew how to croon a good easy listening hit as well. While it went to No. 3 on the pop chart and No. 1 on the R&B chart, "You Ought To Be With Me" would muster getting to No. 28 on the Easy Listening survey.

No. 35 I'll Be Around--The Spinners (No. 3 pop): After spending five weeks at No. 1 on the R&B chart, the Spinners, newly minted at Atlantic Records after leaving Motown, were flying up to their peak position of No. 3 on the pop chart with "I'll Be Around," while they were also taking off on the Easy Listening chart at No. 35, ultimately peaking at No. 31. It was the group's first Top 40 EL chart hit.

No. 37 Nights In White Satin--The Moody Blues (No. 5 pop): All five songs in the Top 5 of the pop chart held a spot on the Easy Listening Top 40 chart as well with the 1967 recording of "Nights In White Satin" by the Moody Blues at No. 37 on the Easy Listening chart and down two notches from No. 3 to No. 5 on the pop chart after getting to No. 2, the group's biggest hit on that chart.

Interestingly, the only song not from the Top 10 Easy Listening chart to be in the Top 40 pop chart was the No. 10 song of the week, a remake of Paul Stookey's "The Wedding Song (There Is Love)," done by British singer Petula Clark. It was at No. 65 on the Hot 100 that week and would peak at No. 61 the next week.

Not since the days before the Beatles and the rest of the British Invasion acts arrived in 1964 had the Easy Listening and Top 40 pop charts been as hand in hand as they were. And maybe it just reflected the mellow mood of the time ... after all, Watergate wasn't going to break out until the next year and the Vietnam War was going to heat up one last time before a peace accord was signed in 1973 and the troops came home in 1975.

November 1972 proved to be a mellow time. The simultaneous Top 40 pop and Easy Listening charts very much reflected that peaceful, easy feeling. And none of it involved songs you hear going up and down in elevators.