Editing Slippery When Wet (section)

==Writing and composition==
Much of the album was written by [[Jon Bon Jovi]] and [[Richie Sambora]], whereas "[[You Give Love a Bad Name]]", "[[Livin' on a Prayer]]", "Without Love", and "I'd Die For You" were co-written with Desmond Child, and "Wild in the Streets" was by Bon Jovi alone. This was the first time Child worked with Jon and Richie. He came to New Jersey, where they worked on the four songs in Sambora's mother's basement.

Jon Bon Jovi explained, "I liked what [[It's Only Love (Bryan Adams song)|Bryan Adams had done with Tina Turner]] so I suggested we do something similar: I write a song for someone like her, and then we do the song together. But that got changed, and our [[Artists and repertoire|A&R]] [[Derek Shulman|guy]] came up with Desmond's name&nbsp;... He hasn't tried to change what we are, but to refine it slightly; to suggest extra ways that we could wring a bit more out of what we had."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Dome |first=Malcolm |author-link=Malcolm Dome |date=July 2006 |title=We'll make it, I swear... |magazine=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]] #94 |page=44}}</ref>

Bon Jovi was initially reluctant to include "Livin' on a Prayer", believing it was not good enough. Sambora convinced him it was a hit in the making, and so the band rerecorded it, releasing the second version on the album. It is Bon Jovi's [[List of signature songs|signature song]].{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} The first version of "Livin' on a Prayer" that was recorded was included as a hidden track at the end of one of the CDs in the box set ''[[100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong]]''.

One of the songs written during the making of the album, "[[Edge of a Broken Heart (Bon Jovi song)|Edge of a Broken Heart]]", is not on the final release. Bon Jovi has since said it should have been included. In the booklet that came with ''100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong'', Jon Bon Jovi said, "It was absolutely appropriate for the ''Slippery'' record—coulda, shoulda, woulda been on ''Slippery'' had cooler minds prevailed. Here's my formal apology." Featured on the soundtrack to the 1987 movie ''[[Disorderlies]]'', it has since been released as the B-side for the ''Livin' on a Prayer'' single album, on the 2-CD edition of ''[[Cross Road (album)|Cross Road]]'', and on ''100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong''. The song has never been performed live by the band, though a fan favorite.

In 1986, Bon Jovi said "There's a song called 'Love Is A Social Disease' that [[Aerosmith]] were keen to get hold of. It would be ideal for them, but they're not having it, because it's even better for us."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Dome |first=Malcolm |author-link=Malcolm Dome |date=July 2006 |title=We'll make it, I swear... |magazine=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]] #94 |page=47}}</ref>