You Give Love a Bad Name

You Give Love a Bad Name is a 1986 song by American hard rock band Bon Jovi and is the first single from their third studio album Slippery When Wet. The song went to No. 1 in the United States (US), No. 2 in Canada and the Netherlands, No. 6 in Finland, No. 7 in New Zealand and No. 14 in the United Kingdom (UK).

"You Give Love a Bad Name"
Single by Bon Jovi
from Slippery When Wet"
B-side
  • "Raise Your Hands" (US)
  • "Let It Rock" (UK)
ReleasedJuly 23, 1986
Recorded1986
Genre
Length3:42
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bruce Fairbairn
Bon Jovi singles chronology
""Silent Night"
(1985)
You Give Love a Bad Name ""Livin' on a Prayer"
(1986)

Tracklist

  • 7" single
  1. You Give Love a Bad Name – 3:53
  2. Raise Your Hands – 4:17
  • 12" single
  1. You Give Love a Bad Name – 3:53
  2. Raise Your Hands – 4:17
  3. Borderline – 4:10
  • 7" picture disc single
  1. You Give Love a Bad Name – 3:53
  2. Let It Rock – 5:24
  • CD Video single

Audio

  1. Let It Rock – 5:24
  2. Raise Your Hands – 4:17
  3. Without Live – 3:32
  4. You Give Love a Bad Name – 3:53

Video

  1. You Give Love a Bad Name – 3:53

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1986–1987) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] 32
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)[7] 25
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] 4
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[9] 4
Illegal chart entered Canadatopsingles 2
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[10] 52
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[11] 6
Illegal chart entered Ireland2 21
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[12] 5
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[13] 2
New Zealand (RIANZ)[14] 7
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[15] 15
Spain (Productores de Música de España)[16] 31
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 14
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[18] 14
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 1
Illegal chart entered Billboardmainstreamrock 9
US Cash Box[20] 1
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Illegal chart entered Poland 69

Year-end charts

Chart (1986) Position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[21] 69
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[22] 88
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[23] 75
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] 46
US Billboard Hot 100[25] 30
US Cash Box[26] 30
Chart (1987) Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[27] 55

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[28] 5× Platinum 350,000
Brazil (ABPD)[29] Gold Expression error: Missing operand for *.
Canada (Music Canada)[30] Gold 5,000^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[31] Platinum Expression error: Missing operand for *.
Germany (BVMI)[32] Gold 250,000
Italy (FIMI)[33] Platinum 50,000
New Zealand (RIANZ)[34] 3× Platinum 45,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[35] Platinum 0
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] 2× Platinum 1,200,000
United States (RIAA)[37] 5× Platinum 10,000,000

^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Covers

You Give Love a Bad Name has been covered by various singers since its release. Some of them are independent bands, including the First To Eleven.[38] First To Eleven's cover version of the song has accumulated 1,538,188 views as of April 8, 2025.[38]

References

  1. * Popoff, Martin (2014). The Big Book of Hair Metal: The Illustrated Oral History of Heavy Metal's Debauched Decade. Voyageur Press. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-7603-4546-7.
  2. "Reviews > Singles > Pop > Recommended > Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name (3:53)". Billboard 98 (35): 83. August 30, 1986. ISSN 0006-2510 . https://books.google.com/books?id=GSQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT87. 
  3. Stosuy, Brandon (January 5, 2009). "VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  4. Donkers, Chuck. "Rock the First, Vol. 2 - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  5. "Australian Top 50 (ARIA) Singles Chart: Week ending 29th March, 1987". Retrieved September 18, 2015 – via Imgur.
  6. "Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name Austriancharts.at" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Hung Medien.
  7. "Ultratop.be – Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  8. "Radio2 top 30: 13 december 1986" (in Nederlands). VRT Top 30 Flanders. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  9. "European Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media 3 (38): 13. September 27, 1986. 
  10. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in suomi) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  11. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bon Jovi search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Stichting Nederlandse Top 40.
  12. "Dutchcharts.nl – Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name" (in Dutch). Mega Single Top 100. Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  13. "Charts.org.nz – Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name". Top 40 Singles. Hung Medien.
  14. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (B)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  15. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  16. "Swedishcharts.com – Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name". Singles Top 60. Hung Medien.
  17. "Archive Chart" UK Singles Chart. The Official Charts Company.
  18. "Illegal name entered Bon Jovi/Bon+Jovi/chart?f=379 Bon Jovi Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Bon Jovi. Prometheus Global Media.
  19. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending DECEMBER 6, 1986". Cash Box. http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/19861206.html. Retrieved November 9, 2015. 
  20. "Jaaroverzichten 1986 (Flanders)" (in Nederlands). Ultratop. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  21. "Top 100 Singles of '86". RPM. July 17, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2023 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  22. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1986" (in Nederlands). Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  23. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1986" (in Nederlands). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  24. "Top Pop Singles". Billboard: Y-21. December 27, 1986. https://books.google.com/books?id=tiQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA9. Retrieved October 7, 2012. 
  25. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1986 – TOP 100 POP SINGLES (As published in the December 27, 1986, issue)". Cash Box. http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/1986YESP.html. Retrieved November 11, 2015. 
  26. "Top 100 Singles of '87". RPM. July 17, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2023 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  27. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  28. "Brazilian single certifications – Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  29. "Canadian single certifications – Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name". Music Canada.
  30. "Danish single certifications – Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name". IFPI Denmark.
  31. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bon Jovi; 'You Give Love a Bad Name')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  32. "Italian single certifications – Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name" (PDF) (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  33. THE FIELD id (chart number) MUST BE PROVIDED for NEW ZEALAND CERTIFICATION.
  34. "Spanish single certifications – Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  35. "British single certifications – Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name". British Phonographic Industry. Enter You Give Love a Bad Name in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Click Go
  36. "American single certifications – Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  37. 38.0 38.1 ""You Give Love A Bad Name" - Bon Jovi (Cover by First To Eleven)". YouTube. October 5, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2025.