Bryan Adams reveals there is a crude meaning behind 'Summer of 69'

You may not remember the summer of ‘69, but you'll sure as hell know the iconic Bryan Adams song about it.

Nearly 40 years on from its release in 1985, the classic rock banger is still leaving some listeners perplexed.

Well, never fear, because Bryan Adams himself recently explained the true meaning behind the song.

“I got my first real six-string / Bought it at the five and dime / Played it 'til my fingers bled / Was the summer of '69…”

Some might interpret this as an innocent ode to a glorious summer when young Bryan learned to play the guitar.

But in a recent interview, the singer made clear that wasn’t what he was getting at when he wrote the song.

Pointing to a more explicit meaning of the song, he told The Sunday Times: “I was going to call the song 'Best Days of My Life; but mentioning ‘69’ felt a bit more provocative.:

And when it got to what “69” really refers to, he said: “Isn’t this talk a bit sexy for breakfast time?”

The lyrics continue: “Man, we were killin' time / We were young and restless / We needed to unwind / I guess nothing can last forever.”

Sounds like Adams had a pretty great summer.

The message has been a little muddled in the past, to be fair to the more innocent minded listeners. Co-writer Jim Vallance previously said it was altogether more wholesome.

In an interview, Vallance said: "We each had our version of our favourite summer from our teen years and incorporated those memories and those thoughts into the lyric."

However, Adams has been unequivocal on multiple occasions, saying in a 2008 interview: “A lot of people think it's about the year… It's more about making love in the summertime. It's used the ‘69’ as a sexual reference.”

And if you’re still in any doubt about the relevance of that particular number… Well, we’ll leave you to Google it.

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