WCSX Classic Cuts : You Give Love a Bad Name
WCSX Classic Cuts
Bon Jovi: “You Give Love a Bad Name”
The Hook: Written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora with Desmond Child on the first day the three ever wrote together.
Year: 1986
Album: Slippery When Wet
Writers: Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child
Stats: Topped the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number-9 on the Album Rock Tracks chart
Background: Songwriter Desmond Child had initially written a song that was the basis for “You Give Love a Bad Name” for Bonnie Tyler. It wasn’t a hit. But when he began writing with Bon Jovi he reworked the song with them into what would become their first number-one single. Child explains that they met through another group he was writing with at the time.
Legendary songwriter Desmond Child on how he came to co-write “You Give Love a Bad Name” with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. OC:…not bad, right? :18
“Bon Jovi was the opening act for KISS in Europe, and Jon loved the song that we had written, “Heaven’s on Fire.” And so he got my number from Paul and gave me a call. And I went there and the first day that I got there we wrote ‘You Give Love a Bad Name.’ Then two weeks later we wrote ‘Livin’ on a Prayer.’ Not bad, right?”
