Philly-born session vet Hugh McDonald was at New York's Power Station one early '80s evening when he was asked to lay down a bass part for a demo by Jon Bon Jovi, who was working as a janitor at the studio, owned by his cousin, Tony Bongiovi.
The song, Runaway, became a hit on local radio and earned Bon Jovi a record deal. He promptly formed his namesake band with neighbourhood friends Tico Torres, David Bryan, Richie Sambora, and Alec John Such, and hit the road.
But McDonald's vinyl-embedded groove had made its impression, and beginning with Slippery When Wet (and including New Jersey, Keep the Faith, and Cross Road), he became the band's uncredited recording bassist, while Such handled bass duties on tour.
In 1995, when Such parted ways with Bon Jovi, McDonald at last received proper recognition as well as the band's bass guitar chair for all live performances.
Regarding Livin’ on a Prayer, the tale of “Tommy and Gina” rocketed to No.1 in the summer of 1986 and was soon on its way to earning permanent status as a working-class anthem, forging a place in rock & roll history for the Jersey quintet.
“The band had done an 8-track demo that had a bassline similar to Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch, or Black Is Black,” McDonald recalled in the October 2015 issue of Bass Player. “When producer Bruce Fairburn came in to work with us and tighten up the songs, we both agreed that we had to come up with a better bassline.
“I tried some different things, with everyone pitching in ideas and variations, and when I came upon the part you hear on the track, everybody went, ‘That's it!’”
The band cut the rhythm track live, with a scratch vocal from Bon Jovi. McDonald used two fingers to pluck his '63 Fender Precision (strung with La Bella roundwounds), which was recorded direct.
The track begins with synth pads, followed by McDonald's E minor sub-hook; note how he alternates between E octaves on beat one and two low E's on beat three. Four bars in, Torres's drums enter, and Sambora doubles the bass on his guitar through a talkbox (a part he overdubbed).
Chord changes arrive at 00:31, with the bassline serving as an ostinato pedal. This continues through the first verse, with McDonald breaking up the part via fill variations at 01:01 and 01:17 (the latter serving as a lead-in to the next section).
For the pre-chorus, McDonald goes to straight eighth-notes, with a cool push on the D chord, which he says “occurred naturally”.
Equally on-the-spot but very effective are the first three notes at 01:24, which double the vocal melody. “My inspiration for this bassline, and for pretty much anything I play, is equal parts Paul McCartney, James Jamerson, and Chuck Rainey – sort of rock with an R&B sensibility. The melody doubling, which I’ve used before, is a bit of my McCartney side showing.”
Arriving at the first chorus, McDonald kicks the part into high gear by using chord tones and chromatic passing tones, plus the ear-grabbing, descending G triad at 01:37 and 01:45.
For the second verse, pre-chorus, and chorus, subtle differences include the fill at 02:08, the R&B-minded ghosted 16th-note at 02:47, and the slides at 02:57 and 02:59. “The slides were to add excitement – heck, I was excited!”
In the guitar solo over the chorus changes, Richie Sambora turns the tables on McDonald by doubling his G triad bassline at 03:03 and 03:11 as part of his screaming, upper-register solo.
The abbreviated third pre-chorus (including the three beats at 03:23, which was on the original demo) gives way to the final chorus up a minor 3rd. Here, McDonald lets loose via the Jamerson-esque gallop feel at 03:38 and descending chromatic passing tone at 03:43.
“My instinct at the end of a track is to try not to add notes, but rather to choose different notes and add rhythmic motion.”
“Make the part swing; it's not supposed to be stiff and robotic. Evenness of attack is important, as is being aware of the meter. Tico's kick drum is fairly sparse and open, so embrace the sub-hook role and have fun with it. After all these years, it's still one of my favorite songs to play.”
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