For decades, fans have belted out Bryan Adams’ iconic hit “Summer of ’69”, thinking it was a nostalgic ode to the year of love, music, and carefree days.
But the Canadian rock legend has pulled back the curtain on the song’s true, slightly cheeky meaning — and it’s a little more… adult.
Youth and freedom
You know a song has truly stood the test of time when it hits you with a wave of nostalgia you never even lived. To me, “Summer of ’69” hasn’t been just about a year. It’s about that feeling of youth, freedom, and first love that everyone carries in their own way.
Whether your “summer of ’69” happened in 1969, 1982, or even 1995, the memories, the excitement, the heartbreak – they’re all the same.
But after reading the artist’s own explanation of the song, I might think about it a little differently from now on…
Released on his 1984 album Reckless and later as a single in 1985, “Summer of ’69” has long been celebrated for lines like, “I got my first real six-string / Bought it at the five and dime / Played it ’til my fingers bled…” and “Those were the best days of my life.” The music video shows Adams and his band hanging out in a garage, strumming guitars and reliving those teenage memories.
Isn’t about a year at all
But as Adams told CBS News in 2008, the “69” isn’t about a year at all.
“A lot of people think it’s about the year… It’s more about making love in the summertime. It’s using the ‘69’ as a sexual reference,” he said, prompting a few blushes among fans who’d been singing along innocently for decades.
He later joked with The Sunday Times: “I was going to call the song ‘Best Days of My Life,’ but mentioning ‘69’ felt a bit more provocative. Isn’t this talk a bit sexy for breakfast time?”
Co-writer Jim Vallance has offered a slightly different take, saying the lyrics also reflect the summers of their youth: “We each had our version of our favorite summer from our teen years and incorporated those memories and thoughts into the lyric.”
”When I wrote that song I was trying hard to..”
Regardless of interpretation, Adams, now 65, says he’s living the “best days” right now.
“The best days are now, always now,” he told The Sunday Times. “When I wrote that song I was trying hard to imagine or fantasize what life would hold, but I’m there now and, you know, it’s great.”
And even decades later, Adams still brings the energy to the stage. During a July 2023 concert in Salt Lake City, an unruly fan hopped on stage mid-performance of “Summer of ’69.” Security quickly intervened, but Adams didn’t miss a beat, nailing the iconic line, “Was the summer of ’69.”
He later shared the hilarious moment on Instagram with the caption: “Sometimes you just gotta laugh… #stagecrasher #summerof69.”
What memories do you have of “Summer of ’69”? Did you know the meaning behind the song? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!