Music Review: Bon Jovi "You Give Love A Bad Name"

Bon Jovi

You Give Love A Bad Name

Album: Slippery When Wet

Year: 1986

          Jon Bon Jovi chastises his ex-girlfriend’s version of love in the accusatory    “You Give Love A Bad Name.”

           In the intro, Bon Jovi says he really liked her and she doesn’t know a thing about love. (“Shot to the heart and you're to blame/Darling you give love a bad name.”) A condemning guitar solo follows, holding her responsible.

            She put on the demure act, full of innonence and light. She told him their relationship would be equal and she would be considerate of his needs. After they slept together a couple times and she knew she had him, she gradually began to change. First, she started saying they weren’t doing anything she wanted to do. He thought that he had taken advantage of her kindness first and let her decide where they would go. Not too long after that, his opinion was dismissed. If he expressed anything different from her ways of thinking, it was met with a temper tantrum. He doesn’t know how to get out of the relationship. He’s already made the mistake of being too trusting. (“An angel's smile is what you sell/You promise me heaven, then put me through hell/Chains of love, got a hold on me/When passion's a prison, you can't break free/Whoa!/You're a loaded gun/Yeah, whoa/There's nowhere to run/No one can save me/The damage is done.”)

            In the chorus, he walks on eggshells around her while she’s the doting girlfriend around their friends and family. She turns love into a power trip. (“Shot through the heart/And you're to blame/You give love a bad name/I play my part and you play your game/You give love a bad name/ Shot through the heart/And you're to blame/You give love a bad name/I play my part and you play your game/You give love a bad name.”)

. . The perfect circle of rose on her cheeks and lips.. No outlandish colors. Her preferred color is red, which takes gives another impression once her true personality is known. Underneath her nails is the blood she received while sucking her out her lover’s souls.  (“Paint your smile on your lips/Blood red nails on your fingertips/A school boy's dream, you act so shy/You very first kiss was your first kiss goodbye/Whoa!/You're a loaded gun/Whoa/There's nowhere to run/No one can save me/The damage is done.”)

               The chorus is sung again.

           In the bridge, Bon Jovi says “you give love” and a riled guitar solo follows.

 
               The  chorus is sung again to end the single.
 
           Bon Jovi’s inflamed vocals smart from being manipulated by his ex. He wants her to pay for what she did to him. He feels incredibly foolish to be taken in by her pretty face. She played upon his emotions and everyone has to know what she’s really about.
             
   The stung “You Give Love A Bad Name” is a big old ham but there is no better way for it to be.