10 Hard Rock Bands That Went Pop
7. Bon Jovi
In the grand scheme of hair metal, Bon Jovi deserves to be up there with the kings of the genre. Compared to the other hair metal acts of the day, Bon Jovi always had a certain quality control to their songwriting that made them stick out amongst the acts focusing on partying all the time. You wouldn't know any of that though if you've only heard what they sound like these days.
Like most hair metal acts, Bon Jovi went their separate ways when the grunge sound of the '90s came creeping in. It may have looked like the band was done for a while, but they were able to sidestep the hair metal label almost entirely by going in a different direction on later albums. Starting with records like These Days, the band started going into more rootsy material, but the real peak was just on the horizon.
When the band hooked up with producers like Max Martin, songs like "It's My Life" made them relevant to a whole new audience. Even when they dip their toes into genres like country music, Jon and the boys have always found a way to translate their signature songwriting in a real natural way. Rockers may feel a bit jilted, but Bon Jovi's sound was never meant to stay in the hair metal '80s.