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Cover of Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi
Cover: Slippery When Wet

Song · Bon Jovi

“Wanted Dead or Alive” by Bon Jovi

From the album Slippery When Wet (1986)

“Wanted Dead or Alive” by Bon Jovi appears on 95 radio countdowns from 32 stations between 1990 and 2026. It was first released in 1986 on the album Slippery When Wet. Its best result is #5 on the 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,915 alternative song of all time.

95countdowns
32stations
#5best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1990–2026years charted

Watch

Bon Jovi - Wanted Dead Or Alive (Official Music Video)

Video from YouTube (BonJoviVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Wanted Dead or Alive" rode out as the third single from Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet in 1987, a power ballad that trades the album's party-hearty grin for a road-weary outlaw squint. Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora wrote it, and Jon Bon Jovi later said Bob Seger's "Turn the Page" lit the spark. Sambora carries the load on acoustic and electric guitar, guitar synth and talkbox, with Alec John Such, Tico Torres and David Bryan behind him and Bruce Fairbairn producing.

It went to number 7 on the Hot 100, making Slippery When Wet the first glam metal album with 3 top-10 hits there. The pair's acoustic run-through at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards helped nudge MTV Unplugged toward big arena acts, and the song later became the theme for Deadliest Catch.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1990 135 Z-Rock Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) 1000
1991 463 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1994 973 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1997 980 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1999 441 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2002 434 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2004 240 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 500
2004 703 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2005 320 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 500
2006 368 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) 500
2010 114 97.9 The Loop The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) 500
2011 44 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2011 199 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2012 44 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 92 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2012 681 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 413 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 159 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 198 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 256 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 86 KBPI KBPI Top 200 Songs of All Time 200
2013 32 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2014 115 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 534 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 170 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 447 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 83 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 256 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 42 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2016 62 103.5 The Fox The Fox Memorial Day 500 (2016) 299
2016 210 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2016 129 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 138 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2017 39 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2017 89 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2017 123 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2018 119 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2018 73 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 50 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 69 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 50 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 304 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 138 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 36 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2020 76 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 42 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 263 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 68 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 51 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2021 234 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 34 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 61 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 56 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 171 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 174 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 191 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2022 265 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 42 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2022 46 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 19 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 47 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 194 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 260 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2022) 500
2022 442 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 44 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2023 424 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2023) 500
2023 269 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 113 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 261 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 234 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 47 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 253 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 27 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 24 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2024 110 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 162 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 225 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 77 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2024) 400
2024 89 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 144 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 243 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 25 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 241 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2025 177 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2025) 500
2025 242 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 5 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) 400
2025 116 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2025 236 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2025 14 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 180 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2026 351 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s 498
2026 113 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500
2026 48 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2026) 500
2026 94 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500
2026 58 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: Wanted Dead Or Alive; wanted Dead or Alive.

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