The single remained on the country's chart for four consecutive weeks from August to September 1985, before falling out of the top 100. "Summer of '69" debuted at number fifty-nine, and managed to climb up the chart, and two weeks later reached its peak position 42, on August 24, 1985, on the UK Singles Chart. Like the previous single released from Reckless, "Heaven", "Summer of '69" was a commercial success worldwide. "Summer of '69" was released as a single internationally in June 1985 and charted on the Billboard Hot 100 where it peaked at 5. It was voted the fifth best-song ever on Radio 2, a Belgian radio station, in 2008. In 2008, the song was voted the 87th best-song of all-time by radio listeners in Norway, becoming the second highest Adams song ranked, the highest being "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" from 1991.
The song was ranked #17 on CBC Radio's 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version. In another poll, this time by now defunct Canadian magazine Chart, "Summer of '69" was voted the fourth best song of all-time in 2000, four years earlier it had been voted the twenty-fourth best song of all-time. In 2010, the song was voted the "hottest summer song" in Germany. The song topped the survey with both sexes, and with French and English-speaking Canadians. In a poll conducted by Decima Research in 2006, "Summer of '69" was voted the best driving song among Canadians who sing in their cars. In 1985 the song won the BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) Citation of Achievement for US radio airplay, the following year 1986 - Procan Award (Performing Rights Organization of Canada) for Canadian radio airplay and in 2000 it won a Socan Classics Award for more than 100,000 Canadian radio performances. I think songs can have a life of their own regardless of the promotion." It didn't chart anywhere in Europe until at least 10 years after it was released. A lot of songs, like that one, hit big in America but really not anywhere else. Nada Lakovski of Chart magazine described it as "A most wonderful, straightforward and unpretentious rock 'n' roll pop song".Īdams, later in an interview, when talking of the song's success said: "That song is 25 years old now so it's had that many years to incubate. This he felt was proven on the album 18 til I Die, but also "Summer of '69". His conclusion was that since Adams knew his place in the world, something he felt many other artists didn't, he made it easier for himself to write good songs. The New York Daily News writer Jim Farber wrote: "Of course, we're talking Bryan Adams here the only person on Earth who could write a song titled 'Summer of '69' that has nothing to do with political protests or social upheaval, but instead simply recalls a fun day Adams spent throwing dirtballs at his friends. An unnamed writer of The Miami Herald felt the song reminded him/her of the musical talents of John Mellencamp and Bob Seger. He wrote: "After all, the silliness of the single is what gives it the desired naïve charm, relating to the cliché 'age of innocence'." It was described as an "anthemic rocker" by The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Barry Webber from All Music was favourable towards the song, even when he admitted that the lyrics contained many clichés, but it was these clichés as he put it that made Adams famous. "Summer of '69" received favourable reviews from music critics.
The song was released with two B-side tracks "Kids Wanna Rock" and "The Best Was Yet to Come". According to Adams, the number 69 is used in reference to sex, and not the year 1969 his co-writer Jim Vallance disagrees, however, claiming that it has nothing to do with the sex position.
As with most Adams songs, "Summer of '69" is an up-tempo rock song.
It was released in June 1985 under A&M Records as the fourth single from Reckless. "Summer of '69" was produced by Adams and Bob Clearmountain. The song was written by Adams and Jim Vallance, a long-time writing partner of Adams. "Summer of '69" is a song recorded by Canadian recording artist Bryan Adams, from his fourth studio album, Reckless (1984). Sometimes when I play that old six-string I guess nothin' can last forever - forever, no