Summer of 69 is one of Bryan Adams' signature tunes, and it's one of my favorite rock songs. As for meaning of the song, it's very straightforward - Bryan is looking back on his teenage years and early days of his high school band.
Analysis:
I got my first real six-string - six-string means a guitar. It says "real six-string" So I'd assume it's a electric guitar as opposed to a simple acoustic one.
Bought it at the five-and-dime - Bryan bought his guitar from a "five-and-dime," which means something like a dollar shop.
Second verse goes into the details of how Bryan put "six-string" into use - by forming a band in high school. They couldn't stay together, however, as band members fell apart, but Bryan never lost his love for music; I mean dude is still active.
Third verse is a reflection of his glory days, the good ole days...
Fourth and fifth verses are about Bryan's summer job - he had a gig at a drive-in, and how he met his girlfriend. Apparently their relationship, just like the band, didn't last long.
Lyrics:
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
Me and some guys from school
Had a band and we tried real hard.
Jimmy quit, Jody got married
I should've known we'd never get far
Oh, when I look back now
That summer seemed to last forever
And if I had the choice
Yeah, I'd always wanna be there
Those were the best days of my life
Ain't no use in complainin'
When you've got a job to do
Spent my evening's down at the drive-in
And that's when I met you, yeah
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
Oh, yeah.
Back in the summer of '69, oh.
Man we were killin' time
We were young and restless
We needed to unwind
I guess nothin' can last forever, forever, no!
And now the times are changin'
Look at everything that's come and gone
Sometimes when I play that old six-string
I think about you, wonder what went wrong
Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me that it'd last forever
Oh, and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life
Oh, yeah.
Back in the summer of '69, oh.
It was the summer of '69, oh, yeah.
Me and my baby in '69, oh.
It was the summer, the summer, the summer of '69, yeah.
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ReplyDeleteIn order to get a better picture of what is more likely going on with this classic double entender, you hafta go back almost 50 years to a seldom mentioned suburb, on the edge of the city too a deserted strip called Shefford Rd. In 1969 Bryan is in Texas & no where near the Queensway Drive-In Theater, The same very same place that a future Tom Cruse lived just up the road at that time. It wasnt till 1970 where Bryan upgrades from a toy too get his first real guitar & this is also the year he moves to Beacon Hill with the drive-in. The only reason I can figure that nobody figured this out is because its a secret. Back then we were base brats (born raised and transferred somewhere) with violent alcoholic military fathers suing for divorce. Thats why Bryan usta like to hide out at the drive-in. Thats also why Bryan was having trouble with the law. Bryans claim of the songs inspiration being about simultaneous oral sex doesn’t seem to hold much water & the song is generally considered about a lost childhood, a reoccurring theme in his work. So where does the 69 come from if its not about sex? Well that might have a little somthing to do with a Nottingham built 1969 Raleigh Chopper the prince of thieves swiped directly in front of said theater in the tall grass of late summer 70 or 71. Now all the pieces fall into place & you see the reason for all the hidden meanings. From his first album Sweeny Todd (theres a clue) “If Wishes Were Horses”, too his latest work where he describes a 69 Buick, theres no reason to think it would be anything other than a super collectible 69 Chopper that I’m sure got his juices flowing & left a lasting impression on him.
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