Summer of '69

Last updated

"Summer of '69"
Bryan Adams - Summer of '69.jpg
Single by Bryan Adams
from the album Reckless
B-side
  • "The Best Was Yet to Come"
  • "Kids Wanna Rock (Live)"
ReleasedMay 27, 1985 (1985-05-27)
RecordedMarch–April 1984
Studio
Genre
Length3:35
Label A&M
Songwriters
Producers
Bryan Adams singles chronology
"Heaven"
(1985)		"Summer of '69"
(1985)		"One Night Love Affair"
(1985)
Music video
"Summer of '69" on YouTube

"Summer of '69" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams from his fourth studio album, Reckless (1984). The song was written by Adams and his longtime collaborator Jim Vallance, and produced by Adams and Bob Clearmountain. "Summer of '69" is a pop rock and heartland rock track built around a prominent guitar riff. Lyrically, the song reflects on nostalgic summertime and youthful romance, drawing inspiration from cultural events of the 1960s as well as Adams' and Vallance's early experiences playing in bands.

Contents

A&M Records released "Summer of '69" on May 27, 1985, as the fourth single from Reckless. The song received favorable reviews from contemporary critics, who praised its high-energy production while drawing comparisons to Bruce Springsteen. Some critics questioned the authenticity of its nostalgic perspective. Commercially, "Summer of '69" peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top ten in charts in Canada, Norway and New Zealand. It has since received multi-platinum certifications in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

The accompanying music video, directed by Steve Barron, features a narrative interweaving a colorized present-day setting with black-and-white flashbacks. The video received a nomination for Best Male Video at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards. Regarded as one of the most successful songs of Adams' career, "Summer of '69" became a fixture of his live performances, including appearances at major events such as Live Aid and numerous concert tours. The song has been covered by other artists and is frequently cited by publications as one of the greatest Canadian songs or one of the best songs of all time.

Background

Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams began his musical career in the mid-1970s upon joining the band Sweeney Todd. [1] He subsequently released three solo albums: Bryan Adams (1980), You Want It You Got It (1981), and Cuts Like a Knife (1983). [2] Of these, Cuts Like a Knife achieved commercial success, producing hit singles such as "Cuts Like a Knife" and "Straight from the Heart". [3] Following a 13-month promotional tour for Cuts Like a Knife, Adams reunited with his longtime writing partner Jim Vallance in Vancouver to work on his fourth studio album, Reckless . "Summer of '69" was among the songs written and selected for the album. [4] Adams released Reckless on November 5, 1984. [5] The album sold over 250,000 copies in Canada and one million copies in the United States within six weeks of its debut. [6] Prior to the release of "Summer of '69" as the album's fourth single, Adams had released three other singles: "Run to You", "Somebody", and "Heaven", the latter of which became his first number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100. [7] [8]

Writing and composition

"Summer of '69" was written in January 1984 in West Vancouver. [9] Adams stated that it was the most difficult song to write and produce for Reckless, [10] and it underwent more revisions than any other track on the album. [11] Numerous demos failed to capture the desired sound; one version with entirely different lyrics was discarded, and the song was nearly excluded from the final tracklist. [12] Initially, Vallance proposed the title "The Best Days of My Life". However, he and Adams felt "Summer of '69" was a better choice. The phrase originally appeared in early drafts because it rhymed with "Five and Dime". [11] Adams found the title intriguing; [13] although it suggests a specific timeframe, he asserted that the number was a metaphor for coming of age rather than a strictly personal timeline. [14] Adams later revealed that the number 69 was also intended as a sexual double entendre. [11]

Adams and Vallance challenged themselves to write a song nostalgic for a childhood in Canada during the 1960s, akin to the way John Lennon and Paul McCartney reflected on Liverpool in "Penny Lane" (1967) or "Strawberry Fields Forever" (1967). [11] The lyrics were influenced by major cultural events of 1969, such as the Apollo 11 moon landing, the breakup of the Beatles, and the Woodstock festival. [15] In early drafts, the line "Jimmy quit and Jody got married" was originally "Chuck quit and Gordy got married" (or "Whitty quit"), based on Vallance's real-life friends. A lyrical concept about working at the rail yard was discarded because Adams feared it too closely resembled the style of Bruce Springsteen. [9] The final composition of "Summer of '69" is an amalgamation of memories from both writers: Vallance's teenage band experiences in the late 1960s and Adams' garage band years in the early 1970s. [11]

Production and recording

Recording sessions for "Summer of '69" took place in March and April 1984 at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, engineered and produced by Bob Clearmountain. The track was mixed by Clearmountain in September 1984 at the Power Station in New York City. Music production was conducted by Clearmountain and Adams, with Vallance serving as associate producer. The lineup included Adams (rhythm guitar), Keith Scott (lead guitar), Dave Taylor (bass guitar), Pat Steward (drums), and Vallance (percussion). Adams and Vallance were responsible for the arrangement. [9]

In the basement studio, "Summer of '69" was demoed in three or four different ways. An opening riff played on a twelve-string guitar, which is similar to the breakdown section, was replaced by a six-string guitar in the final version. [9] The thick, resonant guitar sound on the original recording was achieved through overdubbing, specifically by recording the same guitar part twice. [16] During the lyrical refinement process, the recurrence of the phrase "best days of my life" was reduced from seven times to three, allowing the title phrase "summer of '69" to appear five times. [9] After extensive editing, Adams included "Summer of '69" on Reckless only when he felt the song had reached his highest standard of perfection. [15] Reflecting on the process, Vallance described "Summer of '69" as a track written for pure enjoyment that showcased the best of his collaboration with Adams. [17]

Music and lyrics

"Summer of '69" is a pop rock [18] and heartland rock song. [19] It opens with a guitar line played over a D5 chord. This progression is maintained throughout the first verse with a combination of D5–A5 chords, shifting to D–A in subsequent verses. The guitar riffs are constructed around the D–A foundation but focus on emphasizing the riff technique on the D chord. The chorus follows a Bm–A–D–G chord progression repeated twice, concluding with Bm–A, while the bridge modulates to a B♭–C–B♭ progression. [20] According to Vallance, the twelve-string guitar break in the breakdown was a tribute to the style of 1960s bands such as the Beatles ("Ticket to Ride"), the Byrds ("Mr. Tambourine Man"), the Searchers ("Needles and Pins"), and We Five ("You Were on My Mind"). [9]

Regarding performance technique, the introduction and first verse primarily utilize palm muting combined with downstrokes. To leave room for increased intensity in the later parts of the song, the guitarist initially plays only the lower two or three strings of the chord. The pre-chorus requires arpeggiation rather than strumming. To recreate the distinctive tone of the recording, the guitarist typically uses a single-coil pickup, relying on direct amp distortion rather than effects pedals, with a slight addition of reverberation. [16] "Summer of '69" centers on memories of summer and youthful romances, [21] recreating Adams' personal, nostalgic world. [22] Adams described the track as a response to one of his favorite songs, Bob Seger's "Night Moves" (1976). [23]

Many details came from Adams's and Vallance's actual memories. 1969 was the year Adams began pursuing music, teaching himself instruments and forming a school band called Baker and Lawyer with dreams of becoming a rock star. [22] The "real six-string" refers to a cherry red sunburst 1960 Fender Stratocaster, one of Adams' first instruments. [16] The character "Jimmy" stemmed from a former teacher's critique of Vallance that he "can't just drum his life away", while "Jody" refers to Jody Perpik, Adams' tour manager and sound engineer. The line "ain't no use in complainin' when you got a job to do" alludes to Adams' time working as a dishwasher in North Vancouver, and "standin' on your mama's porch" was inspired by memories of Vallance's first girlfriend and her brother, who mentored him in music. [9]

Release and commercial performance

According to Adams, music producer Jimmy Iovine advised him to exclude both "Summer of '69" and "Heaven" from Reckless, arguing they were unsuitable. Adams refused to alter the tracklist, as the recording had already been delivered to management. [24] Upon its debut with Reckless in early November 1984, the song received airplay on US radio stations. [25] In a phone call with FMQB magazine, Al Cafaro, chairman of A&M Records, announced the release of "Summer of '69" as a single for Reckless in a 12-inch format around Memorial Day, specifically on May 27, 1985. [26] In the United Kingdom, two single versions were released on August 2, 1985; both featured a live recording of "Kids Wanna Rock" from Live Aid as the B-side, while the 12-inch version added a mix of four Adams songs titled "Bryan Adamix". [27] [28]

In the United States, "Summer of '69" peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the Cash Box Top 100 for the week of August 31, 1985. [29] [30] As of June 2016, the song had sold 1,606,647 units according to Nielsen SoundScan. [31] In Canada, the track reached number 11 on the RPM chart. [32] In Australia, it peaked at number 14 on the Kent Music Report [33] and was certified 8× Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) as of 2022. [34] It reached number seven on the New Zealand Singles Chart, [35] receiving a 7× Platinum certification from Recorded Music NZ. [36] In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number 42 on the UK Singles Chart. [37] Adams later attributed the song's modest initial performance in the UK to BBC Radio 1's refusal to play any tracks from Reckless other than "Run to You". [38] As of 2024, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has certified "Summer of '69" 5× Platinum. [39]

In 1985, "Summer of '69" received a Citation of Achievement from Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) for US radio airplay. It was awarded a ProCan Award by the Performing Rights Organization of Canada in 1986 for Canadian airplay. In 2000, the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) honored the song with a SOCAN Classic Award after it surpassed 100,000 radio plays in Canada. [9]

Critical reception

"Summer of '69" received generally favorable reviews from contemporary music critics. Many writers drew comparisons between Adams' vocals and the song's arrangement to the work of Bruce Springsteen. [a] Frank Edmonds of the Bury Free Press , James Belsey of the Bristol Evening Post , and Dave Sholin of Gavin Report all praised the song's high energy. [44] [45] [46] Edmonds gave the track a 9/10, [44] Belsey selected it as "single of the week" and described it as a "beefcake" rock 'n' roll track, [45] and John Gorman of WMMS (Cleveland) called it a "masterpiece". [47] Sholin remarked that Adams successfully recreated the nostalgic atmosphere of Woodstock, [46] while Evelyn Erskine of the Ottawa Citizen assessed that Adams effectively embodied the rocker persona and naturally explored street-level themes. [40]

In less favorable reviews, Mike Gardner of Record Mirror noted that while "Summer of '69" lacked stylistic innovation, Adams delivered the material with "convincing spirit". [18] The Highland News acknowledged the song's catchy production but found overall quality weak. [48] Several critics felt that choosing "'69" as a symbol of youthful nostalgia lacked authenticity, noting that Adams would have been only nine years old at the time. [b] Writing for the Edmonton Journal , Helen Metella called "Summer of '69" a "low rent" version of "Hollywood Nights" (1978) without a "clever" chorus. [53] Peter Anderson of the Torquay Herald Express dismissed the opening line about the six-string guitar as "clichéd". [54] Both Ken Tucker of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Tom Matthews of the Kingsport Times-News criticized the song's concept of "moving reminiscence", arguing it "fails" due to a lack of vivid detail regarding the specific year Adams chose as his subject. [55] [56]

In retrospective reviews, Tom Breihan of Stereogum gave "Summer of '69" a 9/10, viewing it as a "totemic" single of Reckless. [8] Tom Moon of Blender remarked that Adams could be likened to a "soldier in the three-chord army", [57] while Dave Everley of Classic Rock called the song a "glorious hosanna" of pop rock. [58]

Music video

The music video for "Summer of '69" was directed by Steve Barron and produced by Simon Fields. [59] It was released on December 1, 1984, on the Reckless home video album. [60] [61] The video debuted on MTV on June 9, 1985, [62] and aired in Canada on MuchMusic during the week of June 21, 1985. [63] It received a nomination for Best Male Video at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards. [64] Greg Burliuk of The Kingston Whig-Standard noted that the video captured a "restless" energy that made Adams' song more "attractive". [63] Lydia Kolb of The Paducah Sun found the video easy to follow and engaging, asserting it was one of Adams' "better conceptual" videos. [65]

The music video intersperses a present-day setting with black-and-white flashbacks to 1969. [63] In the past sequences, Adams is depicted living in a cramped trailer. He and his band have no space to play other than a dilapidated, cluttered garage surrounded by trash. [66] Jody Perpik and his real-life wife appear in the video in a car with a "Just Married" sign, corresponding to the lyric "Jimmy quit and Jody got married". [9] Contrasting the monochrome scenes is the colorized present day, where Adams lies relaxed on a hammock, recounting his life to a journalist taking notes. [67] Adams then displays his mischievous side and his days working part-time jobs to make a living. [65]

In the segment corresponding to the line "I knew that it was now or never", Adams turns his back on a female character and walks toward the camera, leaving her standing motionless. This action marks the moment the character decides to leave the past behind and return to the present. [68] In the following scene, Adams runs along train tracks in Gastown, Vancouver. [59] He then catches a guitar from mid-air and walks straight past a "No Admittance" sign to return to the summer space of his youth in the old garage where he once performed. The video concludes with a distant, blurred, and slightly shaky shot simulating the perspective of the female character watching the band through a car window. When her new boyfriend asks about the band performing, she feigns ignorance. The video ends with the couple appearing to argue, [69] and their story continues in the music video for "Somebody". [61]

Live performance and usage

Bryan Adams during a performance in 2009. "Summer of '69" was featured on many of his tours after 1984. Flickr Bryan Adams in Peterborough 2009 (09).jpg
Bryan Adams during a performance in 2009. "Summer of '69" was featured on many of his tours after 1984.

Adams performed "Summer of '69" at the Live Aid fundraising concert on July 13, 1985. [70] He selected the song as the opening number for his performance at the opening gala of Expo 86 in Vancouver, an event attended by Prince Charles, Diana, Princess of Wales, and former Canadian Prime Minister John Turner. [71] In June 1986, Adams performed "Summer of '69" during the A Conspiracy of Hope short tour organized by Amnesty International. [72] The song has been performed on numerous tours headlined by Adams since 1984, including the Reckless Tour (1984–1985), [73] Into the Fire Tour (1987–1988), [74] Waking Up the World Tour (1991–1993), [75] So Far So Good Tour (1993–1994), [76] and The Best of Me Tour (1999–2001). [77]

"Summer of '69" has been covered by various artists, such as Taylor Swift on her Speak Now World Tour (2011), [78] Ryan Adams (2015), [79] the Foo Fighters (2015), [80] and Canadian rock band Nickelback at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (2022). [81] Artists such as Bowling for Soup, Austrian musician DJ Ötzi, Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers, MxPx, and singer-songwriter Catherine Porter have recorded and released their own versions of the song. [9] The track was also featured in the video game Lego Rock Band (2009). [82]

Legacy

"Summer of '69" has become one of Adams' most successful singles and is recognizable by its opening riff. [21] Sorelle Saidman, author of an Adams biography, noted that the single's success helped Reckless finally reach number one on the Billboard 200 after 37 weeks on the chart. [83] According to Neil Crossley of MusicRadar , "Summer of '69" is a "classic" song centered on a "gargantuan" sound and a "killer" chorus; it defined an era and became a "rite of passage" for generations of guitarists. He wrote that the track helped affirm Adams' status as a best-selling artist by conveying the spirit of youth, freedom, and nostalgia, while retaining vitality and relevance decades after its release. [84]

"Summer of '69" appears on many of Adams' subsequent compilation and live albums. [9] Due to a dispute over master recording ownership with Universal Music Group, Adams re-recorded the song with the suffix "Classic Version" and released it on the album Classic (2022). [85] [86] Chart Attack magazine included "Summer of '69" in their lists of the best Canadian works, ranking it 24th in 1996, [87] fourth in 2000, [88] and fifth in 2005. [89] In 2014, CBC Radio ranked the song twelfth on its list of the "100 best Canadian songs ever". [90] Music journalist Chuck Eddy placed "Summer of '69" at number 50 on his list of the best singles of the 1980s. [91] Blender ranked the track at number 70 on its list of the "500 greatest songs since you were born", [92] while music critic Dave Marsh placed the single at number 635 in his list of the "1001 greatest singles ever made". [93]

Track listing and formats

Personnel

Charts

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [34] 8× Platinum560,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [126] 3× Platinum270,000‡
Germany (BVMI) [127] 2× Platinum1,200,000‡
Italy (FIMI) [128] Platinum100,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [36] 7× Platinum210,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [39] 5× Platinum3,000,000‡
United States—1,606,647 [31]

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ↑ Attributed to reviews by Evelyn Erskine for Ottawa Citizen , [40] Jerry Smith for Music Week , [41] Cash Box , [42] and Mike Daly for The Age . [43]
  2. ↑ Attributed to reviews by Chris Willman for Los Angeles Times , [49] Wilfred Langmaid for The Daily Gleaner , [50] Cheryl Wenner for The Morning Call , [51] and Peter Edwards for Regina Leader-Post . [52]

References

  1. ↑ Saidman 1994, p. 25.
  2. ↑ Saidman 1994, p. 223.
  3. ↑ Saidman 1994, p. 94.
  4. ↑ Wenner, Cheryl (June 22, 1985). "Things Have Happened Fast For Bryan Adams Entertainment". The Morning Call . p. W.90. ProQuest   391987676.
  5. ↑ Saidman 1994, p. 118.
  6. ↑ Saidman 1994, p. 120.
  7. ↑ Saidman 1994, p. 225.
  8. 1 2 Breihan, Tom (October 9, 2020). "The Number Ones: Bryan Adams' "Heaven"". Stereogum . Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Summer of '69". jimvallance.com . Archived from the original on November 17, 2025. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  10. ↑ Saidman 1994, p. 113.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Brown 2012, p. 195.
  12. ↑ Brown 2012, p. 201.
  13. ↑ Hann, Michael (March 9, 2022). "Bryan Adams: 'It took 10 years for Summer of '69 to become well known'". The Independent . Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  14. ↑ Saidman 1994, p. 108; Brown 2012, p. 202.
  15. 1 2 Saidman 1994, p. 108.
  16. 1 2 3 Adams & Bennett 2002, p. 20.
  17. ↑ Brown 2012, p. 194.
  18. 1 2 Gardner, Mike (August 3, 1985). "Singles". Record Mirror . p. 16. ISSN   0144-5804.
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