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Bon Jovi’s Breakthrough Album Turns 39—Never-Before-Seen Cover Art originally appeared on Parade.

Bon Jovi is celebrating the 39th anniversary of their breakthrough album Slippery When Wet by sharing some never-before-seen cover art with fans.

The New Jersey rockers hit the top of the charts with their third album in 1986. The breakthrough LP came two years after the band’s first eponymous album and its second, 7800 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Slippery When Wet cemented the group’s place in music history. It spawned two number one hits, “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and a top 10 single, “Wanted Dead or Alive.”

The album would become a watershed moment in the band’s history, taking them from an opening act to headliners in quick succession. However, before making chart history, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Alec Jon Such, David Bryan, and Tico Torres first had to figure out the type of album cover they wanted.

A series of album art was created, as featured by the band in an Instagram post celebrating the anniversary of its release. Three of those covers, including the one the band ultimately chose, were in the slideshow.

The first image showed the group in what appeared to be a warehouse. The second—and most iconic—featured a young woman in a form-fitting, cut-off t-shirt with the album’s name across her chest. The record company rejected it, worried that retailers would refuse to display the provocative photo.

The third image, and the one ultimately used, was the album’s name written on a wet black garbage bag. Photographer Mark Weiss said of the shoot, “Jon came to my studio in New York shortly after the news that we had to come up with a new cover. He just said to me, ‘Garbage bag. Spray bottle.’”

“I propped up the bag and sprayed it, then Jon wrote the words Slippery When Wet. He said, ‘That’s it, there’s the cover.’ He didn’t even wait to see the Polaroid.”

Fans celebrated the album’s anniversary in the comments section of the band’s Instagram post. “What an epic and timeless album, one of the best rock albums ever,” penned one follower.

A second called the LP, “The masterpiece of 1986.” “The Greatest Album of Rock History all times, always my fave, Happy 39th SWW,” wrote a third social media user.

Bon Jovi continues to make music. Their latest album, Forever, debuted in June 2024.

Bon Jovi’s Breakthrough Album Turns 39—Never-Before-Seen Cover Art first appeared on Parade on Aug 19, 2025

This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 19, 2025, where it first appeared.