Once Upon A Time … Not So Long Ago …

Exactly 25 years ago yesterday, Valentine’s Day was greeted, appropriately enough, with a new number 1 song on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart that would tell the story of Tommy and Gina, who were “down on [their] luck” but were ready to “hold on to what [they] got” because they had “each other and that’s a lot for love.”  That song, of course, was “Livin’ On A Prayer” by New Jersey-based rock band Bon Jovi.

The song was the second consecutive number 1 hit for Bon Jovi from their Slippery When Wet album, following “You Give Love A Bad Name.”  While “Bad Medicine” and “I’ll Be There For You” would also hit number 1 a couple years later, the four weeks that “Livin’ On A Prayer” spent on top made it the biggest hit of the band’s career.