In 1984, Canadian rocker Bryan Adams released “Summer of 69,” an instantly timeless up-tempo tale of longing with a dubious, potentially R-rated meaning. The song reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained Canada’s most-streamed tune among songs originally released before the start of the digital download era 20 years after its release. Several artists have put their own spin on “Summer of 69” in the four decades since its release. However, Adams himself says that only one cover has ever come close to the original—and it’s Taylor’s Version.
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Bryan Adams Once Joined This Pop Star Onstage For a Duet of His Signature Song
“The only person I can think of who did a version of ‘Summer of ’69,’ and did such justice was Taylor Swift,” Bryan Adams told Guitar World in a recent interview.
Perhaps the Grammy winner is a bit biased, however. In the version he’s referring to, Adams joined the reigning queen of pop onstage during her August 2018 Reputation tour stop in Toronto.
For the 65-year-old Ontario native, his duet with Swift perfectly captured a key, often-overlooked aspect of the song.
“Well, I think Taylor’s version— no pun intended—was when she invited me to sing with her,” Adams said. “She sang the lead vocal, I sang the harmony, and that was really fun for me because I’ve always thought that the harmony in that song is very subliminal on the record—but it’s there.”
[RELATED: Bryan Adams Finally Reveals the Truth Behind the Lyrics of “Summer Of ‘69”]
Making the performance all the more impressive, Adams said he and Swift had only practiced together once before he joined her onstage in Toronto.
“That harmony is one of the key things that most people don’t get when they hear the song; they don’t realize how important it is,” he said. “But when I sang it with her, we nailed it. And then, we only had one rehearsal, so she knows that song really well. And yeah… it’s fantastic.”
How Taylor Swift Inspired Him
While Taylor Swift shared the tremendous impact that Bryan Adams has had on her career, the “Run to You” crooner also revealed how she has returned the favor.
In 2022, Adams released a pair of albums, Classic and Classic Part II, which contained re-recordings of his earlier hits. The Academy Award-nominated said that Swift’s endeavor to re-record her older material inspired him to take on a similar project when his former record label refused to return his original masters.
“Taylor Swift, I’m quite grateful to her because I rerecorded my masters after hearing she did it,” Adams said in a November 2023 interview with USA Today. “She was my inspiration. Now, my productivity has been so high… You realize you’re worth a little more.”
Featured image by Medios y Media/Getty Images
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