The first two went all the way to the top, while "Wanted Dead or Alive" became another enormous rock and MTV favorite.
That combination was extraordinary.
The album essentially offered something for everyone:
Hard rock: "Let It Rock," "Social Disease"
Arena-rock anthems: "You Give Love a Bad Name," "Raise Your Hands"
Power ballad: "Never Say Goodbye"
Storytelling rock: "Wanted Dead or Alive"
Massive pop-rock crossover: "Livin' on a Prayer"
Bon Jovi had figured out how to make hard rock accessible without completely sanding off its edges.
That formula would become enormously influential.
The Album Took Over 1987
Slippery When Wet reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and spent eight weeks at the top. It was also the best-selling album in the United States during 1987.
The record became a monster.
And it didn't stop being a monster after its initial run.
According to the RIAA, Slippery When Wet was certified 15-times Platinum in the United States in July 2024, representing 15 million certified units.
Bon Jovi's own retrospective places worldwide sales at approximately 28 million copies.
That's not just a successful rock album.
That's a cultural phenomenon.
The Secret Weapon: Hooks
One reason Slippery When Wet has survived while so many other 1980s hair-metal albums became time capsules is simple:
The songs were ridiculously catchy.
The production was huge. The guitars were loud. Jon Bon Jovi looked like a rock star. MTV was on fire.
But underneath all of it were songs that were incredibly easy to remember.
You didn't have to be a metal fan to sing along to "Livin' on a Prayer."
You didn't have to own a leather jacket to know the chorus of "You Give Love a Bad Name."
And you didn't have to be a Bon Jovi fan to recognize the opening guitar and talk box of "Wanted Dead or Alive."
That's the difference between an album that sells a lot of copies and an album that becomes part of popular culture.
The Track List
The original album contained ten songs:
- Let It Rock
- You Give Love a Bad Name
- Livin' on a Prayer
- Social Disease
- Wanted Dead or Alive
- Raise Your Hands
- Without Love
- I'd Die for You
- Never Say Goodbye
- Wild in the Streets
Interestingly, despite having three enormous hits, the album isn't simply a collection of singles.
Songs such as "Raise Your Hands," "I'd Die for You" and "Wild in the Streets" helped establish the band's arena-rock identity, while "Never Say Goodbye" demonstrated that Bon Jovi could deliver a softer, emotional side without abandoning its rock audience.
The "Slippery" Legacy
The success of Slippery When Wet changed Bon Jovi's career permanently.
The band followed it with 1988's New Jersey, which produced five Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 singles — an almost absurd achievement in itself.
But New Jersey wouldn't have been possible without the explosion of Slippery When Wet.
The album helped establish Bon Jovi as one of the biggest acts of the era and eventually became part of the band's larger legacy that led to its 2018 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
More importantly, it helped redefine what a successful hard-rock band could be.
Bon Jovi could play arenas with metal bands, dominate pop radio, live on MTV and appeal to people who might never have considered themselves rock fans.
That's a pretty powerful trick.