Holly: Noted! I've never listened to Bryan Adams' debut album in full before, but on the first go-round "Remember" is the song that hooked me most. Was that a mistake or an act of genius? - Andrea Warner Melody: I am always down for a good guitar solo under the right circumstances. I am here for "Hidin' From Your Love," though! It feels like that raunchy guitar and the new-wave keys are from such different worlds, but it works? Maybe I'm still recovering from "Give me Your Love." And I absolutely agree that it is fit for prom. It's so schmaltzy! And that (thankfully short) guitar solo - I know that was The Thing in the '80s but I'm glad we're 40 years out. Holly: I love the idea that "Hidin' From Your Love" and "Give me Your Love" are a two-part call-and-answer, but if I never have to listen to "Give me Your Love" again, that will be fine. Heck, he probably could have starred in one of those movies, just look at him! It's really a shame that Adams was never featured on the soundtrack of a John Hughes movie.
You're definitely right about "Give me Your Love" and how it taps into a young love, one that asks a partner to give them everything they've got "or nothing at all." It's melodramatic, both lyrically and sonically - that falsetto he hits near the end! - but that's what first loves are sometimes! That song is a teleportation machine that takes you directly to the dance floor of your high school prom. (Interestingly enough, British band Rosetta Stone's cover of "Hidin' From Your Love" did better than the original, charting at number 46 in Canada.) So they weren't commercial blockbusters, but definitely important in establishing Adams as a skilled songwriter. Melody: "Hidin' From Your Love" and "Give me Your Love" were also the first two singles from this album, and reached number 64 and 91, respectively, on Canada's RPM 100 singles chart. I'm talking about "Hidin' From Your Love" and "Give me Your Love," which when juxtaposed maybe form a two-part call-and-answer? Let's give a shout-out to the sax solos. The other is a ballad with a bombastic chorus that's made for first dances, prom, ice skating while holding hands, campfires, and karaoke singalongs. One hits that sweet spot that perfectly encapsulates 1980: earnest, bright, a little sleazy glam rock and a little bit working-class rock. The kind of songs that are hits right away but that also stand the test of time. Two: There are two instant classics on this record. Twenty! And you can already hear how confident he is as a vocalist and as a songwriter. One: Adams was barely 20 years old when he released this record.
But then I saw that this year, 2020, marks the 40th anniversary of his self-titled debut album, Bryan Adams, and it's the perfect excuse! And as I started to dig in, I was kind of blown away by it for a few reasons. This makes sense because I was four when that record came out, but it's kind of a blind spot for an adult, especially one who writes professionally about Canadian music. But I realized recently that I've never much paid attention to anything before Bryan Adams' 1983 breakthrough, Cuts Like a Knife. Are either of you familiar with his 1980 self-titled release?Īndrea: Since I was born in 1979, I've just always lived in a world with Bryan Adams. I discovered his hits later, but I must admit that I've never listened to his debut album so I am happy to be sharing my experience with you. Melody: As a '90s baby (I am not trying to make anyone feel old, I swear!) I was introduced to Bryan Adams in the most '90s way possible: through "When You're Gone," his 1998 collaboration with Spice Girl Melanie C.
My first concrete memory of his music is actually Céline Dion singing " (Everything I Do) I do it for You" with Adams, though now that I Google it I have no idea why that happened! But I've known all the words to "Summer of '69" for as long as I remember music being in my life - I was born in 1983, though, so I probably didn't learn those lyrics when it first came out (I was two). Holly: Montreal did not have as much of a love affair with Bryan Adams as Vancouver did. What were your first introductions to Bryan Adams? Holly, Melody, neither of you are from Vancouver. "Summer of 69" was huge, and then it was the big pop ballads in the early '90s. Globally we know he became a superstar in that decade, of course, but there was a particular kind of ubiquity, I think, for locals. Andrea: Growing up in Vancouver in the '80s, I felt as though Bryan Adams was everywhere.
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