Livin' on a Prayer
| "Livin' on a Prayer" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Wild in the Streets"/"Edge of a Broken Heart" |
"Livin' on a Prayer" is Bon Jovi's second single from their Slippery When Wet album. It is one of their classic songs, and has always been a fan favorite song.
Ironically, Jon Bon Jovi did not like the original recording of this song, which can be found as a hidden track on 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong. Richie Sambora convinced him the song was good, and they reworked it and included it on their Slippery When Wet album. It became their signature song, spending four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987. It also hit number four on the UK singles chart. For a comerical about the Arena Football League that Bon Jovi did with John Elway he asks the qoaurterback who is suiting up to go into the fictional game. "What are you living in the past. to which Elway says "Better then living on a prayer."
Lyrical interpretation
The song is about a fictional working class couple, Tommy and Gina, who struggle to make ends meet and maintain their relationship. However, the names Tommy and Gina were actually the names of Jon Bon Jovi's niece and nephew, Tommy and Gina.
The first verse of the song appears to be about their younger days; Tommy "used to work on the docks" but the "union's been on strike, he's down on his luck". Gina works at a diner, "'workin' for her man".
The second verse appears to be set much later. Gina "dreams of running away" implying that they have once again fallen on hard times.
Some have interpreted the lyrics to be anti-labor-union, as the striking union seems to be the catalyst for the troubled chain of events for Tommy and Gina. However, others have pointed out that the song does not clarify the circumstances behind the strike, and that the rest of the song does not appear to have a political message.
"I wrote that song during the Reagan era and the trickle-down economics are really inspirational to writing songs..." - Jon Bon Jovi
http://top40-charts.com/news.php?nid=4226&string=George
Since Jon performed the song at rallies for Al Gore in the 2000 presidential campaign, and given that proponents of Reaganomics would not likely use the term trickle-down economics, it seems highly unlikely that the song is anti-labor union.
The video for the song featured shots of the band rehearsing, then playing in front of a crowd. It was partly in black and white, and partly in colour.
References in Other Songs
Bon Jovi made several references to lyrics in "Livin' on a Prayer" in subsequent songs.
- In the 1988 song "99 in the Shade" from New Jersey, Jon Bon Jovi sings "Somebody even tells me Tommy's comin' down tonight, if Gina says it's alright," referring to the characters of "Livin' on a Prayer"
- In the 1992 song "Fear" from Keep the Faith, Jon Bon Jovi sings "take my hand, I know we'll make it", similar to the line from "Livin' on a Prayer", "take my hand, we'll make it, I swear."
- Jon Bon Jovi has said that the 1995 Bon Jovi song "Lie to Me" from These Days is about the characters Tommy and Gina, although they are not mentioned explicitly in the song [citation needed]
- In the 2000 hit single "It's My Life" from Crush is the line "this is for the ones who stood their ground, for Tommy and Gina, who never backed down", again referring to the fictional characters. Additionally, in the music video, it is revealed the lead male character is named "Tommy" when his mother calls on him to take out the trash.
- In the 2005 song "Novocaine" from Have a Nice Day, "Livin on a Prayer" is referenced in the line "there's a different kind of meaning now to livin' on a prayer."
Some other bands referenced Tommy and Gina in their songs, too.
- Bowling For Soup's catchy Punk Rock 101 includes the lyric "Like Tommy and Gina/They're livin' on a prayer".
- Stellar Kart has covered this song also.