Bryan Adams was already popular in Canada when the release of his third album 'Cuts Like A Knife' in 1983 brought him a large following in the USA. His fourth album, 'Reckless', often referred to as one of the most significant of the 1980s, sold over 4 million copies at the time and continues to sell now. His fifth album 'Into the Fire' went platinum.
'Waking Up The Neighbours', his sixth album in 1991, powered him to international stardom. The single '(Everything I Do) I Do For You' spent 16 weeks at number 1; it broke a UK record that had stood since 1955 and still stands today. Across in the USA it became the second largest selling single to 'We Are The World'. The song was featured in the film 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' (1991) and for this Mr Adams received his first Academy Award nomination. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe.
42 film Directors' have used Adams' music as soundtrack - from A Night In Heaven (1983) to Bobby (2007).
Adams was awarded the C.M. (Member of the Order of Canada) on April 20th 1998 and the C.O. (Officer of the Order of Canada) on May 6th 1988 for his contribution to popular music and his philanthropic work. He was also inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998, and more recently inducted into the Music Hall of Fame at Canada's Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys) in April 2006. Notably, Adams refuses to attend the awards; as his manager, Bruce Allen explains: "they turned their back on the biggest thing to come out of Canada"--in reference to the hit '(Everything I Do) I Do For You'.
Adams has been nominated for three Academy Awards for songwriting, and was recently nominated for his fifth Golden Globe (2007) for his songwriting in the film 'Bobby'.
Some trivia:
Bryan Adams shares the same birthday as Ryan Adams, the late Herman Brood and René Froger.
He attended the same high school as Michael J. Fox in Vancouver.
Of his #1 hits only one ('Please Forgive Me') was not written for a motion picture.
Bryan Adams is part Maltese. He Declared this on Tour in 2007 when he visited Malta.
Bryan Adams is also an acclaimed photographer. His works include his book "Made in Canada" http://www.photography.ca/photographer/adams_bryan.html
Bryan Adams also did a major part of the Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron soundtrack
Summer of '69
Bryan Adams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bought it at the five-and-dime
Played it 'til my fingers bled
Was the summer of '69
Me and some guys from school
Had a band and we tried real hard
Jimmy quit, Jody got married
I should've known we'd never get far
Oh, when I look back now
That summer seemed to last forever
And if I had the choice
Yeah, I'd always wanna be there
Those were the best days of my life
Ain't no use in complainin'
When you've got a job to do
Spent my evenings down at the drive-in
And that's when I met you, yeah
Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me that you'd wait forever
Oh, and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life
Oh, yeah
Back in the summer of '69, oh
Man we were killin' time
We were young and restless
We needed to unwind
I guess nothin' can last forever, forever, no
Yeah
And now the times are changin'
Look at everything that's come and gone
Sometimes when I play that old six-string
I think about you, wonder what went wrong
Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me that it'd last forever
Oh, and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life
Oh, yeah
Back in the summer of '69, oh
It was the summer of '69, oh, yeah
Me and my baby in '69, oh
It was the summer
The summer, the summer of '69, yeah
The song Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams is a nostalgic and reflective ballad about memories of youth, love, and music. The lyrics recall the summer of 1969 when the singer, as a young man, got his first guitar and formed a band with his schoolmates. They struggled to make music, and eventually, the group fell apart when Jimmy quit, and Jody got married. Nonetheless, the singer looks back on that summer with fondness and appreciation, as it reminded him of the carefree and exciting moments of his youth.
In the second verse, the lyrics take a romantic turn, as they describe the singer's encounter with a girl he met at a drive-in theater. They quickly fell in love, and she promised to wait for him forever. However, as the song progresses, the lyrics suggest that this promise didn't come to fruition, and they eventually drifted apart. Nonetheless, the memories of that summer, his bandmates, and his first love resonate with the singer, evoking strong emotions of happiness, longing, and regret.
Line by Line Meaning
I got my first real six-string
I purchased my first real guitar, which had six strings.
Bought it at the five-and-dime
I bought it at a local store that sold inexpensive goods.
Played it 'til my fingers bled
I played the guitar so much that my fingers were bleeding.
Was the summer of '69
This occurred during the summer of 1969.
Me and some guys from school
Some of my fellow male students and I.
Had a band and we tried real hard
We formed a musical group and gave it our all.
Jimmy quit, Jody got married
Two of our band members left for different reasons.
I should've known we'd never get far
I had a feeling that our musical aspirations would not be successful.
Oh, when I look back now
When I reflect upon that time now.
That summer seemed to last forever
The summer of 1969 appeared to last a long time in my memory.
And if I had the choice
If given the option.
Yeah, I'd always wanna be there
I would always want to be present during that time period.
Those were the best days of my life
That was the most enjoyable period of my existence.
Ain't no use in complainin'
There is no gain in expressing dissatisfaction.
When you've got a job to do
When you have a task to complete.
Spent my evenings down at the drive-in
I passed my evenings at a drive-in venue.
And that's when I met you, yeah
During that time, I met you.
Standin' on your mama's porch
Standing on your mother's balcony.
You told me that you'd wait forever
You stated that you would wait for me indefinitely.
Oh, and when you held my hand
When you grasped my hand.
I knew that it was now or never
I recognized that it was the ideal opportunity to pursue our relationship.
Those were the best days of my life
That was the most enjoyable period of my existence.
Man we were killin' time
We were passing time without any particular goal.
We were young and restless
We were full of energy and impatience due to our youthfulness.
We needed to unwind
We needed to release tension and relax.
I guess nothin' can last forever, forever, no
I presume that nothing ever endures eternally, forever, never.
And now the times are changin'
The present epoch is altering.
Look at everything that's come and gone
Consider everything that has been part of my past.
Sometimes when I play that old six-string
Occasionally, when I play that old guitar with six strings.
I think about you, wonder what went wrong
I think about what went wrong in our relationship and ponder about you.
It was the summer of '69, oh, yeah
This event transpired during the summer of 1969.
Me and my baby in '69, oh
My significant other and I during that same summer.
It was the summer
During that particular summer season.
The summer, the summer of '69, yeah
That specific summer season of 1969.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bryan Adams, James Douglas Vallance
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind