Does every song mean something ? If you listen to the lyrics of a given song, it usually becomes pretty clear what that song is all about .
Other times, though, the meaning of a song can be ambiguous. In these cases, we need to go to the original songwriter to figure out what they were singing about.
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In the case of Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69”, let’s just say that the song is not about the summer of 1969.
You know “Summer of ’69”, right?
It’s hard to believe now, but the song came out all the way back in 1985 . It was an instant hit on its release and turned Bryan Adams into rock and roll royalty.
It’s (mostly) about the challenge of becoming a rock star.
The wistful song recounts the experience of being young and starting a band, reflecting on these bygone days with the benefit of hindsight. There’s a hint of romance in the song, too.
Is it about 1969?
Bryan Adams turned ten years old in 1969, so it’s unlikely that he was starting up rock bands, going to the drive-in and taking girls on dates at this young age. There’s also the fact that, despite the title and the refrain, the song doesn’t specifically refer to any point in history.
Is there a clue in the verse?
When he sings about his love interest, Adams says, “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.”
It’s time to address the elephant in the room.
We all know that 1969 was a real year, but we also all know that 69 refers to a sexual position. We don’t want to get too graphic here, and you probably know how it works, so we won’t get into the actual mechanics. Is it possible that Bryan Adams was singing about the summer of ’69 (the sex position) and not the summer of ’69 (the year)?
Bryan Adams himself has addressed the topic.
Lots of artists prefer to be ambivalent about the meaning of their songs , but Bryan Adams isn’t most artists. In an interview he did with CBS all the way back in 2008, he confirmed that he was referring to the sex number, not the year number, in “Summer of ’69.”
He gave a straight answer.
Speaking to reporter Maggie Rodriguez, Adams said, “Well, the song, actually … people think it’s about the year, but actually, it’s more about a … it’s more about making love in the summertime. It’s using 69 as a sexual reference.”
There you have it.
Many of us have smirked whenever we hear the song, thinking it’s an innocent story about days gone by that inadvertently uses the sex number a lot…but as it turns out, Bryan Adams was in on the joke right from the start.
Does this change how you view the song?
“Summer of ’69” is a certified banger that has a place on almost any summertime playlist. Did you know about its true meaning or have you been wise to it all along? Let us know what you think in the comments.
