Bryan Adams may be better known as the powerhouse singer-songwriter behind enduring mega-hits like Summer of ’69, Cuts Like a Knife, and Heaven than as a guitarist – however, he admits that while he's no virtuoso, his playing style has widespread appeal.
So much so, in fact, that one of the reigning queens of pop, a.k.a. Taylor Swift, even once paid homage to his catalog.
“I wouldn’t change anything,” he tells Guitar World when asked if he would change anything in his classic songs – like Summer of ’69, or Cuts Like a Knife – to make them more accessible to the rest of the world.
“It’s as far as I could take it. And you know, there’s been all kinds of people who have taken the songs and remixed, rearranged, re-recorded, and done their versions, but very seldom has anyone beaten the original.
“The only person I can think of who did a version of Summer of ’69, and did such justice was Taylor Swift.”
Swift teamed up with Adams on a live version of Summer of ’69 during her 2018 Reputation tour stop in Toronto. For the iconic performance – which Adams still looks back on fondly – he brandished a black Strat, while Swift donned a Candy Apple Red Telecaster.
“Well, I think Taylor’s version – no pun intended – was when she invited me to sing with her,” he reminisces. “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.
“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. 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.”
Last year, Gibson revealed the roster of Swift’s go-to guitars during her mammoth Eras tour – and whether a signature Taylor Swift model is even on the cards.
Guitar World's interview with Bryan Adams will be published in the coming weeks.
