It’s impossible for me to put together a summer playlist that does not include Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69.” It’s simply impossible. As I’ve been curating my playlist for summer 2025, I’ve found myself returning to the songs of summers past — “Summer of ’69” chief among them, along with Empire of the Sun’s “Walking On A Dream,” Joy Oladokun’s “Out on the Weekend” and Alabama Shakes’ “I Found You.” These songs are wildly different, from sound all the way to mood, but the one thing they have in common is that they fill me with that sense of summer. Shoving the thought of my looming finals aside for a moment, I decided to treat myself to a bit of summer just a tad early and jump into the album that houses “Summer of ’69,” Reckless.
Reckless starts out with “One Night Love Affair.” Perhaps the most technically fulfilling song on this record, “One Night Love Affair” has that classic ’80s sound, Adams’ signature rasp and some very sick guitar from Keith Scott. Adams sings about a one night stand that both participants want more from, but don’t pursue. It’s followed by “She’s Only Happy When She’s Dancin’,” a fun, upbeat track with an opening guitar riff that makes my head spin. Adams sings, “When Friday rolls around / She grabs a taxi and she heads uptown / Goes to a place they call ‘The Ball and Chain’ / Nothin’ matters until Monday so she goes insane.” These lyrics may sound a little familiar to some of you; sometimes, a girl just needs to let loose over the weekend, and why shouldn’t she?
“Run To You” was the first of a slew of successful singles off Reckless. Scott’s guitar is the highlight, yet again. I can’t support the lyrics, in which Adams attempts to justify cheating on his partner, but I know a catchy song when I hear it, so I’ll hand him that. Next is “Heaven” — my favorite song not only on this record, but on Adams’ entire discography. Inspired by Journey’s “Faithfully,” it’s Reckless’s sole power ballad, and powerful it is. It’s so easy to get sucked into the chorus, as Adams serenades, “And baby you’re all that I want / When you’re lyin’ here in my arms / I’m finding it hard to believe / We’re in heaven / Yeah, love is all that I need / And I found it there in your heart / It isn’t too hard to see / We’re in heaven, yeah.” His voice, the instrumentals, the lyrics — it’s all perfect, and it’s another song that I can’t help but associate with summer due to its shimmery feeling.
“Somebody” may have an irresistible hook, but otherwise, it’s just good. It feels a bit too predictable to me, but I still have no doubt that it makes the ideal stadium song. This is where “Summer of ’69” comes in. It’s so singable and iconic — the definition of a summer anthem. Adams’ voice is full of texture as he sings “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.” Discussing “Summer of ’69,” Adams said, “The song is deep and reminiscing, it’s reminiscing about love and sex. Finding out what love is, finding out what sex is. It’s the idea of looking back on summer when you were figuring it out.”
“Kids Wanna Rock” begins with an absolutely electric instrumental opening and lets you know exactly why Bryan Adams flourished in the ’80s rock scene. He has nothing short of a rockstar voice, and he puts that on full display here. “It’s Only Love” features Tina Turner, and the way their voices complement each other is so unexpected but amazing to listen to. In this very rare case, their voices match each other in intensity — no one’s outshining anyone else. When Adams opened for Turner during the Private Dancer tour, they performed the song together, earning them the award for Best Stage Performance at the third ever MTV Video Music Awards.
“Long Gone” is about a bad divorce (because I guess we can always use more songs about that?) and takes Reckless for a bit of a bluesy turn. It’s a little more of a gritty and biting track than we’ve seen, and it’s brilliant. I’d also be remiss not to mention that impeccable bridge: “She took the Frigidaire / She got my favorite chair / You could say she got the best of me / It’s like a legal crime / But in a matter of time / She’ll be back for the rest of me.” “Ain’t Gonna Cry” is fast-paced and sees Tommy Mandel playing the organ, which works surprisingly well. It has a fun, spontaneous conclusion, and may even reflect how you’re viewing this semester: “I ain’t gonna cry over you / You’re history, history / I ain’t gonna cry over you / You’re a misery, baby / I ain’t gonna cry over you / You’re history, yeah.”
Well, that was a fun break. It’s back to work for now — but at least for the moment, I ain’t gonna cry over it.
Test Spins is a fortnightly throwback column reviewing and recommending classic and underrated albums from the past. It runs every other Friday.
Sydney Levinton is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at slevinton@cornellsun.com.
