Years ago, Kevin Bacon and Jimmy Fallon joined forces to put their own spin on classic rock songs for a Tonight Show segment called “First Drafts of Rock.” They’ve tackled the Rolling Stones, The Clash, and Tears For Fears. During a recent segment, Kevin Bacon gave us his best Bryan Adams impersonation for a revamped version of “Summer of ’69.”
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Kevin Bacon, Jimmy Fallon Rewrite Bryan Adams
Penned by Adams and frequent collaborator Jim Vallance, “Summer of ’69” captures the narrator’s dilemma between pursuing the rock-and-roll lifestyle or settling down. The song begins when said narrator purchases his “first real six-string” guitar at the Five and Dime.
For “First Drafts of Rock,” Kevin Bacon and Jimmy Fallon built an alternative narrative around this Five and Dime six-string. In the revised version, Bacon’s Adams snags the last six-string on the shelf, only for another customer to enter the store. He said he was looking for a six-string / I said he couldn’t have mine, Bacon sings.
Next, the pair bond over their love for six-strings—but there’s a problem. I said, we should start a band / Maybe we could both play six strings, Bacon sings. But this was the only six string left.
That’s where Fallon comes in, suggesting they buy a 12-string and “have it sawed in two.” That way we’d have two six strings / And I could jam with you, yeah, sings the late-night host.
[RELATED: Kevin Bacon, Jimmy Fallon Put Their Own Spin on Tears for Fears]
It’s honestly eerie how much Bacon sounds like Adams. Are we sure these weren’t the final lyrics?
Remember When Bryan Adams Performed The Song With Taylor Swift?
Years before Kevin Bacon ever donned a Bryan Adams wig to sing “Summer of 69,” the British-Canadian singer-songwriter joined pop star Taylor Swift for a cover of the 1985 hit.
It was August 2018, and Swift had made a stop along her Reputation tour in Toronto. Introducing Adams, she said, “It’s just one of my favorite songs ever written,” quickly adding, “It’s not one of mine.”
Jamming on her guitar, Swift sings, I got my first real six string / Bought it at the five and dime / Played it ‘ til my fingers bled / It was the summer of ’69.
At that point, Adams appeared onstage to take the next verse.
Featured image by Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images
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