Bryan Adams shares explicit meaning of hit song 'Summer of '69'

‘Summer of '69’ singer says song was about sexual position, not calendar year

Bryan Adams was interrupted by a fan while performing 'Summer of '69'

Bryan Adams had an unruly fan jump up on stage and grab the microphone while he was performing in Salt Lake City in July. (@.aliciajoe / POP NATION / TMX)

If you thought the classic rock hit "Summer of ‘69" was just about memories from the summer of 1969, think again. Singer Bryan Adams, who released the record in 1984, said in a new interview that the song actually has a much more suggestive message.

"I was going to call the song Best Days of My Life but mentioning ‘69’ felt a bit more provocative," he told The Sunday Times. "Isn’t this talk a bit sexy for breakfast time?"

The Canadian musician has previously discussed how his song was referencing the sexual position, revealing on television in 2008, "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." 

BRYAN ADAMS AMBUSHED ON STAGE BY UNRULY FAN WHO GETS TOSSED BY SECURITY

Bryan Adams in a black shirt and dark pants points out to the audience while playing on stage

Bryan Adams says his famous song, "Summer of 69" is not actually about the calendar year. (Satyabrata Tripathy/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

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Adams' co-writer on the song, Jim Vallance, has suggested a different narrative. Vallance says the song was actually a representation of the men's summers as teenage boys. "We each had our version of our favorite summer from our teen years and incorporated those memories and those thoughts into the lyric," he said on the web series "Music Night At The Majestic."

Nowadays, Adams, 64, says his best times are the ones he's creating now. "The best days are now, always now," he told The Sunday Times. "When I wrote that song I was trying hard to imagine or fantasize what life would hold, but I’m there now and, you know, it’s great."

WATCH: BRYAN ADAMS INTERRUPTED BY A FAN WHILE PERFORMING ‘SUMMER OF ’69'

Bryan Adams was interrupted by a fan while performing 'Summer of '69'

This past July, Adams' summer of 2023 got a little crazy. While performing "Summer of '69" at his Salt Lake City concert, an unruly concertgoer hopped on stage and took the concert by storm. Adams quickly moved away from the microphone.

"Bought it at the five and dime," a man sang commandingly into the microphone, much to Adams' bemusement. The crasher got to sing a few more lyrics before security in red shirts rushed on stage and grabbed him on both sides. The man was escorted off-stage, and without missing a beat, Adams was able to hit his cue for the iconic line, "Was the summer of '69."

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Bryan Adams side profile shot playing the guitar on stage

Canadian singer Byan Adams continues touring and playing his music. (Dave Simpson/WireImage/Getty Images)

Adams posted the ordeal to his Instagram – making fun of the bizarre nature of the act. "Sometimes you just gotta laugh…#stagecrasher #summerof69," he wrote in his caption.

He is currently touring internationally.

Caroline Thayer is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Follow Caroline Thayer on Twitter at @carolinejthayer. Story tips can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Authored by Caroline Thayer via FoxNews December 11th 2023