Richie Sambora Reveals What Inspired the Lyrics of Bon Jovi's Hit 'Livin' on a Prayer': 'It's a Lot of People's Story'

It’s the ultimate singalong – and now we know some of the backstory.

In the episode of November 12 Howie Mandel does all sorts of things podcast, former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora reflected on the creation of the group’s biggest hit: “Livin’ on a Prayer”.

“A good song is a good song,” said Sambora, 65. And although the band knew they liked “Livin’ on a Prayer” when they recorded it, when it was released in late 1986 and topped the charts in the US , Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, they really knew they had something special. It was the group’s second consecutive No. 1, following “You Give Love a Bad Name.”

“It was the first time we used characters in the lyrics,” the musician told Mandela, 68, before quoting some of the lyrics. In the song, Tommy is a portly dock worker barely making ends meet, and his partner Gina is a tired restaurant waitress.

Richie Sambora (left) and Jon Bon Jovi in ​​Los Angeles in September 1988.

Vinnie Zuffante/Getty

“Tommy was actually my uncle Sal, who got laid off and worked on the docks,” Sambora said. “And my dad was laid off at the same time in New Jersey. So it kind of turned into a story about economic times.” Although the initial inspiration for the song — written by Sambora, Jon Bon Jovi and Desmond Child — was Sambora and Bon Jovi’s real life “lower middle class,” Sambora thought it was ultimately a universal struggle,” he said.

Mandel noted that the song remains a popular karaoke anthem. “It’s everybody’s song,” Sambora said. “Everybody’s been in that position where you’re at a crossroads where … a confluence of little life tragedies can happen at the same time … Too many things aren’t going well and you have each other and your partner.”

Living on prayer — and big hair! 16 absolutely epic photos of Bon Jovi on tour in the 1980s that will take you back

Sambora was a member of Bon Jovi from 1983 to 2013. He left the group mid-tour; he said in the 2024 documentary Thank you, good night: The story of Bon Jovi“I don’t regret leaving the situation, but I do regret doing it, so now I want to fully apologize to the fans, especially, and also to the boys because my legs and my spirit just wouldn’t let me walk through the door.”

In a Q&A about the documentary earlier this year, Bon Jovi himself said that “there was never a fight” that led to Sambora’s departure.

“There was substance abuse, there was anxiety, there was being a single parent, there were a lot of personal issues that he was going through. But never until today, none of us, me or him or David [Bryan] or Tico [Torres]ever fight,” he added of their bandmates.

“He had some issues that he just couldn’t think about and he wanted to be at home more than on the road, but you have to show up for work,” the 62-year-old continued. “So there is no hostility. An integral part of my story in three of the four chapters was my right-hand man, invited to join my band and lucky enough to meet him. But life went on.”

Richie Sambora in Louisville in May 2024.

Daniel Boczarski/Getty

Richie Sambora reveals he would ‘without question’ return to Bon Jovi — on one condition

Sambora reunited with his bandmates in 2018, when the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Reflecting on his time with the group in 2023, he told PEOPLE, “I think we wrote a lot of songs that changed a lot of people’s lives just by letting them have a good time. I know that’s what music did to me… it kept me company. And I hope I can reflect that in what I do.” He added that a reunion tour “could definitely happen.”

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“It’s just a question of when everyone will be ready to do it. It will be a big, massive undertaking,” he said. “Still, it’s time to do it. It’s our 40th anniversary, but I feel younger than ever. I’m having fun.

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Source: HIS Education