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#42 Bad Medicine
| life lessons in Bon Jovi songs

Welcome back, Jovi friends!
Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs continues with Bad Medicine

Bad Medicine was the first single of Bon Jovi’s fourth album New Jersey (1988).
Which was the one released after their biggie, Slippery When Wet.
Bon Jovi were now the biggest rock stars on the planet, and the band had to deliver.
And they did.

Unfamiliar with the song or want to see the official 1988 fan made video (more on that later)?
🎶🎧listen and watch Bad Medicine here

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context: DOUBLE NEW JERSEY

New Jersey would (and definitely “should”!) have been a double album, if it had been up to the band.
The record company blocked it, on grounds that they didn’t think fans would be able to pay for the higher price.
You can listen to all unreleased Bon Jovi outtakes here:
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day
The extra songs from New Jersey start at “Love is War” all the way to Bon Jovi’s secret gem “Let’s Make It Baby”.
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video recorded Friday 23 January 2026

In this video:

A Dutch sunset in 18 minutes flat! 😬
And yes, a new light is on the way, fingers crossed🤓

1. Welcome to another episode 00:00
Of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs.
By naming their album New Jersey, an album title that does not return as a song title, this album fits in the tradition of the albums that came before.
All 80s Bon Jovi albums have titles that are not song titles.

The first single Bad Medicine, is therefore unrelated to the album title.
Making it difficult especially for new fans, to get an idea about which albums and which songs go together.

2. Bad Medicine, (not a) “Bad Name” 02:28
Bad Medicine, the first single from this new album, is similar to the first single from their previous album “You Give Love A Bad Name.”
And in more ways than one, and it seems to have been a strategic choice.
It worked out really well, because the name rung a bell and also because Bad Medicine’s sound was still familiar to the Slippery When Wet album

3. Not my favorite, but a brilliant move.
Personally, I rarely fall for the songs that do best in the charts. So that’s no surprise then.
However, pushing this song as the first single was a brilliant move.

I already mentioned Bad Medicine was musically related to their previous album. It was a smooth transition, it said: “We’re still your Bon Jovi.”
Despite the tone of the rest of the album, being sharper than anything they had done before.

Also worth mentioning is that they worked Bad Medicine into a terrific set closer, for decades to come.

When performed live, they worked multiple cover songs into Bad Medicine, and it also contained a whole theater-like act.
You can check out a performance here, timestamped to start at the twist into the covers:
https://youtu.be/VhscCfN6rPE?si=ep_4JV5uWSSYClGL&t=317

4. Origin of the song 07:13
The first idea was from Richie Sambora and came into being on the set of a Fuji commercial. It was immediately taken on as something they would develop further, and even songwriter Desmond Child added a line, sealing the deal.

5. A History Of Wanting to Hide 07:52
The photo on the album sleeve tells an interesting story, about wanting to hide.
Throughout the 80s, tension between authenticity and needing protection, had been a frequent theme.

6. The perfect bridge 12:20
With its familiar setup Bad Medicine offered a smooth transition for the fans, and also a nice way for the band to introduce their new album, without immediately having to share the more personal songs.

7. The famous video 13:37
Known for its unique process, this single wrote video history because fans shot it.
Mentioned in video:
Jon’s feet, video is time stamped:
https://youtu.be/QvT0tg252v0?si=sn3PfBP6RndX9CeX&t=176

8. Life lesson 16:29
About controlled authenticity.

Next stop:
Born to be my baby!

~Suzanne Beenackers
🇳🇱 Tikkie
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THIS SERIES
All videos, of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs (playlist):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SeCKg4jvR2EoVHBOfXzHm_R

SOURCES for this series:

1. OUTTAKES
Handmade list with rare Bon Jovi songs
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SfkAr0Ll4wz-GlGnZJNZDYh
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day

2. RANKED
My favorite Bon Jovi article and indispensable for this series:
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bon-jovi-songs-ranked/
By Tony Kuzminski.
List also covers any outtakes from the 2004 box set.

3. QUOTES
https://twostorytown.com/new-jersey-quotes
full page of quotes EVERYTHING anybody ever said about the 4th Bon Jovi album

4. BJ TOURS
https://bjtours.jimdofree.com/the-albums/1988-new-jersey/

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