The single, released in late 1986, was well received at both rock and pop radio and its music video was given heavy rotation at MTV, giving the band their first No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and their second consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks - in which New Jersey was the second-hardest hit state after New York City, suffering hundreds of casualties among both WTC workers and first responders - the band performed an acoustic version of this song for New York. Bon Jovi performed a similar version as part of the special America: A Tribute to Heroes.
The song is the band's signature song, topping fan-voted lists and re-charting around the world decades after its release.
The original 45-RPM single release sold 800,000 copies in the United States, and in 2013 was certified Triple Platinum for over 3 million digital downloads.
The official music video has over 470 million views on YouTube as of August 2018.