May 2012 / Sturgeon Falls, Canada

Shine A Light

Album version - 2019

Bryan Adams - vocal
Jim Vallance - guitar, backing vocals
Lyle Workman - guitar
Keith Scott - guitar
Jamie Edwards - piano, keyboards
Josh Freese - drums
Paul Bushnell - bass
Josh Freese - drums

Produced by Bob Rock and Bryan Adams. Recorded and mixed at The Warehouse Studio, Vancouver, Canada. Recorded by Eric Helmkamp. Assisted by Adam Greenholtz, Matt Harvey and Ryan Enockson. Mixed by Bob Rock and Adam Greenholtz. Assisted by Dominick Civiero. Editing by Jorge Vivo. Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine.

Film version - 2012

Bryan Adams - vocal
Jim Vallance - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, drums, piano, organ, backing vocal

Produced by Jim Vallance and Bryan Adams. Recorded in Jim's home studio, Sturgeon Falls, Canada. Mixed by Bob Clearmountain at Mix This, Los Angeles.

Courtney Cox asked Bob Clearmountain to ask Bryan if we could write a song for Courtney's debut as a director: the made-for-TV film "Tall Hot Blond", the true story of a love triangle that ended in murder.

Courtney's request arrived on a Monday (May 21, 2012) and she needed the song -- written, recorded and mixed -- by Friday! To quote Samuel Johnson, "When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.”

According to Courtney, there was zero budget for music, so I recorded the song in my home studio (see Audio-2 above). Bryan emailed his vocal from London on May 24, which I added to the track. The song, mixed by Clearmountain in Los Angeles the following day, was finished on schedule and edited into the film.

Several years later Bryan recorded a second version of the song for inclusion on his "Shine A Light" album (see Audio-1 above).