left-overs

Oh dear. I wish this little "controversy" would just go away!

In 2005 an article appeared in Rolling Stone magazine, followed by a similar piece in the Vancouver Province newspaper (see right and below). The articles were prompted by the fact that, about five years ago, Bryan started introducing the song "Summer Of '69" in concert by saying, "This song has absolutely nothing to do with the year 1969".

The audience reaction was predictable, and Bryan has continued using the new song intro at his concerts.

In addition, Bryan has done several interviews which have further contributed to the mini maelstrom, including this chat with Sarah D'Esti Miller in 2001:

Miller: As long as we're on the subject of Summer of 69, just how autobiographical is the song?

Adams: Some parts are autobiographical, but the title comes from the idea of 69 as a metaphor for sex. Most people thought it was about the year 1969.

I disagree.

To start with, the song wasn't even called "Summer Of '69" untila month or two after the lyric was substantially completed. For the firsttwo or three "rough drafts" our working title was "Best Days OfMy Life" ... and in fact, the lyric "summer of '69" only appeared once inthe entire song, right after "played it 'til my fingers bled" ... justanother line of lyric buried in the middle of the first verse. Nothing special.

At some point we realized that "Summer Of '69" was a better title than "BestDays Of My Life" ... so, for the final draft we literally "shoe-horned" thatphrase into a few more places in the song.

At no time during the weeks and months we spent writing and re-writing "SummerOf '69" do I recall discussing sexual innuendo with Bryan … withone exception. When we recorded the final "shoe-horn" demo in my basement,Bryan sang a little naughty bit towards the end of the song: "Me and mybaby in a '69". The two of us had a laugh about it at the time, and Bryandecided to keep it in when he recorded the final version of the song at LittleMountain Sound in the spring of 1984.

For nearly 20 years no-one seemed to notice or care until Bryan started introducingthe song that way, which usddenly cast the lyric in a different light.

Sorry to disappoint, but the song really is about guitars, drive-ins,and "standing on your mama's porch". That's it!

Bryan Adams is a great writer, a great singer, and a great friend. He's entitledto his recollections as to what inspired "Summer Of '69".

Mine just happen to be different than his.


	Thai Choir Try saying that three times, really fast. Torri Anderson, an American teacher working in Thailand, taught her class of young girls to sing "Summer Of '69".	click to view video


	Tattoo A rabidly avid Adams devotee goes under the needle to make the ultimate fan statement.	click for larger image


	Summer Of '69 Beer! I'm still trying to track down the correct information, but it appears there are two breweries marketing a "Summer Of '69" beer ... one in Australia and one in the UK. I beleive the UK complnay is "Wye Valley Brewery" in Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire. The Australian brewery is Tooheys.


	Jack Black / Tenacious D As a side-line, actor/comedian Jack Black sings in the band "Tenacious D". For better or for worse, "Summer Of '69" is often inlcuded in their set, which is a mix of music and comedy (the line is often blurred). Click below to have a iisten. This was recorded "live" in San Francisco, February 21, 2002.	click for larger image


	Adams Interview Dale Kawashima / www.songwriteruniverse.com Dale: Of your hit songs, which ones are your favorites and why? Bryan: A song like “Summer of ‘69” is of course one of my faves, but it was the most difficult song to record and the biggest example of a song that didn’t go to number one, but is known around the world. It was recorded in its entirety three or four times including demos, but it wasn’t until I recorded it with a drummer [from a] quasi-punk ska band that the song took on the naive innocence that was required to convey the sexual energy of the song. While we are on the topic, lets clear up a misconception about that song, and that is it has nothing to do with the year 1969 - it’s about making love and looking back on growin’ up.


	Summer of ... Oh dear. I wish this little "controversy" would just go away! In 2005 an article appeared in Rolling Stone magazine, followed by a similar piece in the Vancouver Province newspaper (see right and below). The articles were prompted by the fact that, about five years ago, Bryan started introducing the song "Summer Of '69" in concert by saying, "This song has absolutely nothing to do with the year 1969". The audience reaction was predictable, and Bryan has continued using the new song intro at his concerts. In addition, Bryan has done several interviews which have further contributed to the mini maelstrom, including this chat with Sarah D'Esti Miller in 2001: Miller: As long as we're on the subject of Summer of 69, just how autobiographical is the song? Adams: Some parts are autobiographical, but the title comes from the idea of 69 as a metaphor for sex. Most people thought it was about the year 1969. I disagree. To start with, the song wasn't even called "Summer Of '69" untila month or two after the lyric was substantially completed. For the firsttwo or three "rough drafts" our working title was "Best Days OfMy Life" ... and in fact, the lyric "summer of '69" only appeared once inthe entire song, right after "played it 'til my fingers bled" ... justanother line of lyric buried in the middle of the first verse. Nothing special. At some point we realized that "Summer Of '69" was a better title than "BestDays Of My Life" ... so, for the final draft we literally "shoe-horned" thatphrase into a few more places in the song. At no time during the weeks and months we spent writing and re-writing "SummerOf '69" do I recall discussing sexual innuendo with Bryan … withone exception. When we recorded the final "shoe-horn" demo in my basement,Bryan sang a little naughty bit towards the end of the song: "Me and mybaby in a '69". The two of us had a laugh about it at the time, and Bryandecided to keep it in when he recorded the final version of the song at LittleMountain Sound in the spring of 1984. For nearly 20 years no-one seemed to notice or care until Bryan started introducingthe song that way, which usddenly cast the lyric in a different light. Sorry to disappoint, but the song really is about guitars, drive-ins,and "standing on your mama's porch". That's it! Bryan Adams is a great writer, a great singer, and a great friend. He's entitledto his recollections as to what inspired "Summer Of '69". Mine just happen to be different than his.