Bad Medicine (song)
| "Bad Medicine" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bon Jovi | ||||
| from the album New Jersey | ||||
| B-side | "99 in the Shade" | |||
| Released | September 3, 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Genre | Glam metal | |||
| Length |
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| Label | Mercury | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Bruce Fairbairn | |||
| Bon Jovi singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Bad Medicine" on YouTube | ||||
"Bad Medicine" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child, and was released on September 3, 1988, as the lead single from the band's fourth album New Jersey. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, Bon Jovi's third single to do so, and became a top-ten hit in Australia, Canada, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
Cash Box said that "producer Bruce Fairbairn and Jon Bon Jovi fashion gang harmonies around a typically monumental guitar sound."
Music video
There are two videos for the song, one with the band live in concert, and a more well-known live video which begins with a crowd of young people waiting in line to get into the video shoot. Before being let in, one of the security guards asks if there are any questions, and Sam Kinison asks if the video will "be the same of video slop that we get from these glam rock pretty boys". When the answers "yes", Kinison rallies the crowd to hijack the cameras and "make a better Bon Jovi video than these guys can." The members of the crowd are given hand-held cameras and invited onstage to help shoot the video.
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1988–1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | 4 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) | 31 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM) | 5 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) | 50 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) | 7 |
| France (SNEP) | 98 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 10 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) | 10 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 10 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | 2 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio) | 23 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) | 20 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) | 14 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 17 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard) | 3 |
| West Germany (Official German Charts) | 54 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1988) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM) | 67 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | 35 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 41 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
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