Call it hair metal, pop-metal, or hard rock-light, few purveyors of the stuff were more successful throughout the '80s than the Ne Jersey band Bon Jovi led by their namesake Jon Bon Jovi. Bon Jovi (then using his real name Bongiovi) was working as a janitor at his cousin Tony Bongiovi's famed Power Station Studio when a demo he had cut there became a hit on New Jersey radio.

That song was "Runaway." Following a frenzy to sign the artist, Bongiovi changed his name, put together a full band, and signed with Polygram. In April 1984, their self-titled debut album was released, preceded by the issue of the single "Runaway." With an insistent keyboard riff and driven by straight-ahead rock guitar, the song slowly climbed the pop singles chart, duplicating its previous regional success on a national scale.

"Runaway" finally popped into the US Top 40 for a single week at #39 in late April. Although not a major hit, the song helped Bon Jovi's debut album to gold-selling status and helped pave the way for the explosion of hair metal on pop radio during the rest of the decade. Bon Jovi would have to wait nearly two and a half years before having another Top 40 single, but it would be worth the wait as their next appearance would be their first #1 single, "You Give Love A Bad Name."

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