“Wanted Dead or Alive” Single by Bon Jovi from the album Slippery When Wet
B-side: “Never Say Goodbye”/”I’d Die For You”
Released: March 2, 1987
Recorded: 1986
Label: Mercury
Songwriters: Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora
Producers: Bruce Fairbairn
This song uses Old West cowboy imagery to describe the lonely life of a rock star. At the time, starting with their debut album in 1984, Bon Jovi played about 300 shows a year, using the remaining time to work on albums. When it came time to write for their third album, Slippery When Wet, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora wrote this song about what they knew: performing to lots of people who all blended together after a while.
This was the song that kickstarted the “Unplugged” craze. At the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora performed this with just their acoustic guitars, giving the network the idea for the “Unplugged” series.
In 2001 a live version from the album One Wild Night Live 1985–2001 was released as a single featuring a promotional music video. In 2003 a new version was released on the album This Left Feels Right and this version was also released as a single with a promotional video.
Music video by Bon Jovi performing Wanted Dead Or Alive.
(C) 2003 The Island Def Jam Music Group
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