Born on 5th November 1959, the Canadian singer/songwriter Bryan Guy Adams is best known for the 80s hit songs "
Run To You", "
Summer of '69" and "
It's Only Love" (with Tina Turner), and, of course, his massive 90's hit "
(Everything I Do) I Do It For You", which spent a record-breaking 16 consecutive weeks at No.1 in the UK!
Throughout the 1980s, Bryan Adams received numerous award nominations and accolades for his music, including Grammy nominations and Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys).
Bryan Adams toured extensively during the 1980s, building a strong fan base around the world.
There is no doubt that the eighties wasa pivotal decade for Bryan Adams, establishing him as a major figure in the world of rock and pop music. His songs from this era remain popular and continue to be enjoyed by fans of all ages.
Bryan Adams released his self-titled debut album in 1980, which included the single "Hidin' from Love" While the album didn't achieve massive success (it only charted in Canada, reaching #69), it marked the beginning of a long recording career.
Released in 1981, Adams' first Top 30 hit was "Fits Ya Good", which reached No.30 on the Canadian RPM chart and No.15 on the Billboard rock chart in the U.S. It was the only charting single from his second studio album You Want It You Got It, which reached No.50 in Canada and No.78 in the UK.
You Want It, You Got It (1981)
Bryan Adams' second studio album was slightly more successful, and reached the lower end of the charts in the UK (#78) and U.S. (#118). In his home country of Canada, the album reached #50, achieving a Gold certificate from Music Canada. This was the first album to contain Adams' signature sound, and is a good starting point for any new fans who want to discover some of his older work.
Even greater success came with Bryan Adams' breakthrough third studio album Cuts Like A Knife, which provided him with three consecutive hit singles in both Canada and the U.S., and his first chart hit in the UK. The album reached No.8 in both Canada and the U.S., and No.21 in the UK during 1983. It achieved platinum sales in the U.S. and 3 x platinum in Canada.
The majority of tracks were penned by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance. However, the track "Don't Leave Me Lonely" was co-written by Eric Carr, the drummer from rock band Kiss. It was intended for the band's album Creatures Of The Night. However, it was left off the album as it didn't really fit in with the rest of the material.
The lead single "Straight From The Heart" reached No.20 in Canada, No.10 in the U.S. and No.51 in the UK. It was first recorded by the American musician Ian Lloyd for his album Third Wave Civilization. It was the only track on the album not to be co-written by Jim Vallance, and was originally written by Eric Kagna. The B-side featured "One Good Reason", which was the second track on Adam's second album You Want It You Got It.
The title track was released as the second single and reached No.12 in Canada and No.15 in the U.S. The video featured the Penthouse magazine model Raquel Rena, and she was chosen by Director Steve Barron because he wanted someone with "very long legs".
Third single "This Time" reached No.32 in Canada, No.24 in the U.S. and No.41 in the UK.
Bryan Adams released his fourth studio album, Reckless, on November 5th 1984, and it went on to become the best-selling album of the 80s, achieving a diamond sales certificate in Canada (issued by Music Canada), 5 x platinum in the U.S. (RIAA), and 3 x platinum in the UK (BPI). The album topped the charts in both Canada and the U.S., and reached no.7 here in the UK.
This is arguably the musician's most iconic album of the 80s, and the singles are still staples on classic rock radio.
Lead single "Run To You" topped the Top Rocks Chart in the U.S. and reached No.6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It became a big hit in many countries and was released three weeks before the album.
Follow-up single "Somebody" was released in 1985 and was less successful. However, it still reached a respectable No.11 in the U.S. and also topped the U.S. rock chart. The song reached No.13 in Canada, but could only manage No.35 in the UK. The B-side featured "Long Gone".
Two videos were made for the song, one of which showed footage of Adams and his band performing live at the Albany James H. Gray Civic Center in Georgia, U.S. on May 7th 1987.
Third single "Heaven" became a chart-topper on the Billboard Hot 100, and also reached No.11 in Canada and No.38 in the UK. The vinyl 12" also included an unreleased track "Diana" on the A-side. The B-side included a live version of "Heaven" and "Fits Ya Good", which was first released on the album You Want It You Got It.
"Summer Of 69" was released as the fourth single from the Canadian artist's fourth studio album, and was released in June '85. This is My personal favourite from that great album, although it only managed #42 in the UK, unbelievably!
The B-side included two previously released album tracks; Kids Wanna Rock and The Best Was Yet To Come. It would have been nice to have had some new tracks, but I'll let Mr. Adams off as the A-side is so amazing!
Fifth single "One Night Love Affair" was a moderate hit, reaching No.13 in the U.S., where it also reached No.7 on the Top Rock Tracks Chart and No.19 in Canada. It did not chart in the UK.
The final single to be released from Reckless was a duet with Tina Turner. "It's Only Love", reaching No.15 in the U.S., No.14 in Canada and No.29 in the UK. Adams was a huge fan of Turner, and used to go and watch her in the clubs before she became famous. The B-side on the UK single featured "The Best Is Yest To Come".
Above is an official clip of the duo performing at the NEC in Birmingham, (England) in 1985, and what a stunning performance it is, too! This was the final single from the multi-Platinum Reckless album, reaching #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #29 in the UK.
Bryan Adams performed at the historic Live Aid charity concert on Saturday 13th July, 1985, at the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, further solidifying his status as a rock star. He performed four songs; Kids Wanna Rock", "Summer Of '69", "Cuts Like A Knife" and "Tears Are Not Enough".
Adams' fifth studio album was released on 5th March 1987. It reached No.2 in Canada (achieving 3 x platinum). No.7 in the U.S. (achieving platinum) and No.10 in the UK (gaining gold).
Lead single "Heat Of The Night" reached No.6 on the Billboard Hot 100, No.2 on the U.S. Top Rock Tracks Chart, No.7 in Canada and No.50 in the UK. Further singles failed to reach the top 20 in any country, and no singles from the album reached the UK Top 40. These were "Hearts On Fire", "Victim Of Love" and "Only The Strong Survive".
"EVERYThING I DO, I DO IT FOR YOU" (1991)
Okay, so this isn't an 80s tune, but this power ballad from the summer of 1991 was, by far, Bryan Adams' biggest hit, topping the charts across the globe. In the UK the song spent an incredible sixteen weeks at No.1 - the longest run in the history of the charts. By the end of its run, though, many people were absolutely sick of hearing it!
The ballad featured on the soundtrack to the movie Robin Hood; Prince Of Thieves and was also released as the lead single from Adams' very successful studio album Waking Up The Neighbours.
As I write, the video has received over 284 million hits on Youtube, so I guess many people never seem to tire of this tune!
