Wanted Dead or Alive

Bon Jovi, 1987. Solo by Richie Sambora.

An acoustic intro and a soaring electric solo.

Richie Sambora's playing is the spine of this track. The opening riff is played on an Ovation acoustic, while the heavier middle section and the solo were cut on a Fender Stratocaster. The solo is a bluesy, vocal electric break with bends and fast runs that climaxes the song before the band drops back to the acoustic outro. Live, Sambora used a double-neck acoustic to move between parts. Listen for the contrast between the ringing acoustic riff and the electric solo; the switch from open, earthy tones to a crying electric lead gives the song its dramatic arc.

Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi is ranked #95 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Richie Sambora and the song was released in 1987. It appears on 6 lists, placing as high as #16 (Magazyn Gitarzysta).

The story of Wanted Dead or Alive

Jon Bon Jovi has said the idea struck him on a tour bus in the small hours when he could not sleep. He openly credited Bob Seger's road song 'Turn the Page' as a major influence, and built the lyric around a comparison between touring rock musicians and the outlaws of the Old West, a gang of young thieves drifting from town to town. The band has also recalled working the song up in Richie Sambora's mother's basement.

Unlike several Slippery When Wet tracks co-written with Desmond Child, this one was a straight Jon Bon Jovi and Sambora collaboration. It was recorded in 1986 at Little Mountain Sound in Vancouver with producer Bruce Fairbairn. The arrangement opens with a howling wind effect and a mournful acoustic figure meant to evoke a western film, then builds into a full electric band before settling back down for the closing lines.

Mercury released it as the album's third single on March 2, 1987. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Slippery When Wet the first glam metal album to produce three US top-ten hits. Wayne Isham directed a black-and-white video assembled from tour footage shot at arenas in Rochester, Chicago, Denver and elsewhere, stressing the fatigue and grind of life on the road.

The song has kept resurfacing. A 1989 acoustic performance at the MTV Video Music Awards is credited with nudging MTV Unplugged toward booking arena acts, a live version from One Wild Night appeared as a single in 2001, and the band recut it for This Left Feels Right in 2003. It is also the long-running theme of the Discovery series Deadliest Catch.

The solo

Richie Sambora's playing is the spine of the track. The opening riff is played on an Ovation acoustic, according to MusicRadar, while the heavier middle section and the solo were cut on a Fender Stratocaster; Sambora noted that Strats were a new direction for him on this album. The solo itself is a bluesy, vocal-sounding electric break with bends and fast runs that climaxes the song before the band drops back to the acoustic outro. Live, the song forced him to switch between six-string and twelve-string acoustics and an electric, so he pressed Ovation for a double-neck acoustic and later a triple-neck with six-string, twelve-string and mandolin necks, each reportedly costing about 50,000 dollars to build. In acoustic performances he plays the solo on the twelve-string neck.

Legacy

Beyond its top-ten peak, the song has sold enormously over time, reaching six-times platinum status from the RIAA. The New York Times put its video fifth among essential hair-metal clips, and its placement in films, television and the Deadliest Catch opening credits keeps it in wide circulation. Not everyone is a fan: Les Claypool and Jeff Tweedy have both publicly disparaged it. Still, the 1989 acoustic VMA duet with Sambora became a template for stripped-down arena rock, and his multi-neck Ovation is one of the era's best-known guitars.

Top 10 facts about Wanted Dead or Alive

Jon Bon Jovi has said Bob Seger's 'Turn the Page' was a direct influence on the song.
Wikipedia
It was the third single from Slippery When Wet, making it the first glam metal album with three Billboard top-ten hits.
Wikipedia
The acoustic intro was played on an Ovation, while the electric sections and solo were recorded on a Fender Stratocaster.
MusicRadar
Sambora told Ovation he had a hit on his hands and would go to a rival maker if they did not build him a double-neck acoustic.
MusicRadar
His later triple-neck had six-string, twelve-string and mandolin necks and cost roughly 50,000 dollars each to make.
MusicRadar
Wayne Isham's video was built from tour footage filmed at venues including the UIC Pavilion in Chicago and McNichols Arena in Denver.
Wikipedia
The acoustic duet at the 1989 MTV VMAs is credited with steering MTV Unplugged toward stadium-level acts.
Wikipedia
The song serves as the theme for Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch.
Wikipedia
It has been certified six-times platinum by the RIAA.
Wikipedia
Shinedown's Brent Smith and Zach Myers released an acoustic cover in 2014 after fans voted for it.
Ultimate Classic Rock

Live versions

Slippery When Wet Tour (music video footage) (1987) The official video was cut together from concert and backstage footage filmed on this tour.
MTV Video Music Awards acoustic duet (1989) Jon and Richie played it unplugged; credited with shaping MTV Unplugged's direction.
One Wild Night Live 1985-2001 (2001) Live recording from the album was issued as a single.

Notable covers

Smith & Myers (Shinedown) (2014) Faithful acoustic take on Acoustic Sessions Part 2, chosen by fan vote.
Chris Daughtry Rock-leaning version by the former American Idol finalist, catalogued by WhoSampled.
Bon Jovi (re-recording) (2003) The band reworked the song for This Left Feels Right, with its own promotional video.

In our lists

The Most-Taught Solos — #25
The 25 Greatest Hard Rock Guitar Solos — #21
The 1980s — #19

Sources

Who played the guitar solo on Wanted Dead or Alive?

Richie Sambora played the solo on Bon Jovi's Wanted Dead or Alive (1987).

Where does Wanted Dead or Alive rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#95 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 6 of them.

Who wrote Wanted Dead or Alive?

Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora wrote it together, without outside co-writers.

What guitar did Richie Sambora use on Wanted Dead or Alive?

An Ovation acoustic for the intro and a Fender Stratocaster for the electric parts and solo; live he used double- and triple-neck Ovations.

What album is Wanted Dead or Alive on?

Slippery When Wet (1986); it was released as a single in March 1987.

What is Wanted Dead or Alive about?

It compares a touring rock band's life to that of Old West outlaws, always moving and always wanted.

Is Wanted Dead or Alive the Deadliest Catch theme?

Yes, the Discovery Channel series uses it as its theme.