TOP   APC   PEAK   title   YEAR  
  1   141   22   SUMMER OF '69   1985  
  2   171   26   EVERYTHING I DO I DO IT FOR YOU   1991  
  3   709   176   HEAVEN   1985  
  4   948   484   HAVE YOU EVER REALLY LOVED A WOMAN   1995  
  5   1100   443   PLEASE FORGIVE ME   1993  
  6   1134   383   RUN TO YOU   1985  
  7   3468   1667   ALL FOR LOVE   1994  
  8   5376   2176   CAN'T STOP THIS THING WE STARTED   1991  
  9   5584   2283   WHEN YOU'RE GONE   1998  
  10   7014   2785   I FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE   1997  
  11   8804   3531   IT'S ONLY LOVE   1985  
  12   10780   5104   HERE I AM   2002  
  13   12427   6118   18 TILL I DIE   1996  
  14   12436   6124   I'M READY   1998  
  15   13336   6010   SOMEBODY   1985  
  16   15864   8053   CLOUD #9   1999  
  17   15904   8074   BACK TO YOU   1997  
  18   16439   8365   LET'S MAKE A NIGHT TO REMEMBER   1996  
  19   17442   8909   STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART   1983  
  20   17524   5591   HEAT OF THE NIGHT   1987  
  21   18954   14615   AFTER ALL   2013  
  22   19435   9881   DON'T GIVE UP   2000  
  23       11088   OPEN ROAD   2004  
  24       8191   DO I HAVE TO SAY THE WORDS?   1992  
  25       14193   CHRISTMAS TIME   1985  
  26       9240   THE ONLY THING THAT LOOKS GOOD ON ME IS YOU   1996  
  27       6835   THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER TONIGHT   1991  
  28       12667   THOUGHT I'D DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN   1992  
  29       17169  
I THOUGHT I'D SEEN EVERYTHING
  2008  
  30       8956   ONE NIGHT LOVE AFFAIR   1985  
                     
                     
  Bryan Guy Adams was born on November 5, 1959, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. As the son of a diplomat, he spent his youth in various parts of Europe and the Middle East. That international environment, combined with a solid dose of Canadian down-to-earthness, laid the foundation for a musical journey that would touch millions of hearts for decades. At a young age, he became inspired by rock and pop music. At ten, he started playing the guitar, and by the time he was fifteen, he had spent his savings on a Fender Stratocaster—a hint of the raw, melodic guitar work that would later become his trademark.

In 1978, at the age of nineteen, Adams signed his first record deal with A&M Records. His debut album, simply titled Bryan Adams, was released in 1980 and remained relatively under the radar. But the follow-up, You Want It You Got It from 1981, put him on the map with energetic tracks like “Lonely Nights” and “Coming Home.” His true breakthrough, however, came with Cuts Like a Knife in 1983. This album marked the beginning of his international success and yielded hits such as “Straight from the Heart,” “This Time,” and the powerful title track “Cuts Like a Knife.” His gritty voice and sincere lyrics struck a chord with a broad audience.

In 1984, he firmly established himself on the world stage with the album Reckless. With hits like “Run to You,” “Heaven,” “Somebody,” “It’s Only Love” (a fiery collaboration with Tina Turner), and of course “Summer of '69,” Adams delivered a classic that would still be the soundtrack for endless summers years later. “Summer of '69” became iconic—a nostalgic ode to youth, freedom, and the power of music. The album brought him to the biggest stages worldwide and proved he was not just a Canadian rocker, but a global superstar in the making.

The second half of the 1980s brought further success. With “Heat of the Night,” the atmospheric “Into the Fire” (from the 1987 album of the same name), and “Hearts on Fire,” Adams demonstrated that he wasn’t just a hitmaker but also capable of thematic depth. His lyrics increasingly tackled social issues and personal reflection, without losing the melodic strength of his music.

But the absolute peak of his commercial career came in the early 1990s. In 1991, he co-wrote the song “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” with Michael Kamen and Robert John “Mutt” Lange for the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The ballad became an instant classic and topped the UK charts for no less than sixteen weeks—a record that remains impressive to this day. The success of the hit thrust him into the global spotlight and solidified his superstar status.

That same year, the album Waking Up the Neighbours was released, which, besides “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,” also featured powerhouses like “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started,” “Do I Have to Say the Words?” and “There Will Never Be Another Tonight.” His tours became larger, his fanbase grew, and his influence on pop and rock music became increasingly tangible. Adams was seen not only as a singer and performer but also as a gifted songwriter.

Throughout the 1990s, he continued to release albums that found their way into fans’ hearts. So Far So Good, a 1993 compilation album, brought together old favorites with a new track, “Please Forgive Me,” a melancholic power ballad that once again scored high in the charts. This was followed by 18 til I Die in 1996, on which he experimented with a more modern sound without losing his distinctive style. The singles “The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You,” “Let’s Make a Night to Remember,” and “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” (written for Don Juan DeMarco) showed that Adams had not lost his romantic touch.

In addition to his solo work, Adams increasingly sought out collaborations. His duet “I Finally Found Someone” with Barbra Streisand was nominated for an Oscar, while “When You’re Gone” with Melanie C in 1998 brought a breath of fresh air and was surprisingly well received by a younger audience. He continued writing music for films, including “Here I Am” for Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, showcasing his versatility as a composer.

By the early 2000s, Adams remained active as a performer, composer, and by then also photographer—a passion he began to pursue more seriously. His photographic work was exhibited in galleries around the world, including in Berlin, London, and New York. Musically, he stayed productive with albums like Room Service (2004), featuring tracks such as “Open Road,” “Flying,” and the nostalgic “East Side Story.”

After 2005, Bryan Adams entered a period of reinvention—while preserving his familiar musical identity. While many artists from the 1980s faded into the background, Adams effortlessly adapted to changing times without compromising his soul. His first studio album in this new chapter was 11, released in 2008. Recorded largely while on tour—in hotel rooms and on locations around the world—the album captured an intimate, lived-in atmosphere. The single “I Thought I’d Seen Everything” was well received, and “She’s Got a Way” showed his melodic instincts remained razor-sharp. But it was especially “She Knows Me,” released in 2014 on the album Tracks of My Years, that resonated deeply with fans. This record partly featured covers of songs that had influenced him, such as “Any Time at All” and “C’mon Everybody,” through which Adams honored his musical roots.

In 2015, he gave his sound a jolt of energy with Get Up, a collaboration with Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra. The album breathed retro pop-rock with a modern flair, and songs like “You Belong to Me,” “Brand New Day,” and “Don’t Even Try” presented a reborn Adams. The partnership with Lynne was like a breath of fresh air: his voice sounded familiar yet gleaming with new polish, and the album was met with enthusiasm from critics and longtime fans who had missed him in the mainstream.

Alongside his studio work, Adams remained a tireless performer. He toured worldwide, often in acoustic settings where he stood on stage with just his guitar and voice. These stripped-down shows added a new dimension to classics like “Heaven,” “Cuts Like a Knife,” and “Run to You,” and showed just how much power his songs retained in their purest form. His concerts continued to sell out, from London to Buenos Aires and from Tokyo to Berlin.

In 2019, he returned with an album that felt both familiar and refreshing: Shine a Light. The title track, co-written with Ed Sheeran, became a modest hit and gave a modern spin to his classic style. A surprising collaboration on the album was “That’s How Strong Our Love Is,” a duet with Jennifer Lopez in which romance and pop energy combined. It reaffirmed that Adams remained open to new influences and artistically far from stagnant.

At the same time, Adams expanded his creative territory. His passion for photography took on an increasingly prominent role. He photographed stars like Amy Winehouse, Mick Jagger, and even Queen Elizabeth II, with his images featured in leading magazines such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Esquire. His photobooks, including Exposed and Wounded: The Legacy of War, combined artistic craftsmanship with a keen eye for social issues. The latter, portraying wounded British war veterans, received widespread praise for its powerful imagery and emotional depth.

In 2022, he released So Happy It Hurts—an album born during the pandemic, in which Adams, like many, was confronted with the fragility of life. The title track radiated optimism at a time when many needed it most. With songs like “Kick Ass” (featuring an introduction by none other than John Cleese) and “Never Gonna Rain,” he struck a balance between energetic rock and comforting ballads. His voice had lost none of its strength, and the lyrics were rich with life experience and introspection. The album earned a Grammy nomination and proved Adams was still a force on the global stage.

He also embraced a new artistic challenge: composing the music for Pretty Woman: The Musical, alongside his longtime writing partner Jim Vallance. Based on the famed 1990 film, the musical premiered on Broadway and earned praise for its original songs, which aligned beautifully with both the story and its era. Tracks like “You and I,” “Freedom,” and “I Can’t Go Back” sounded unmistakably like Bryan Adams—this time in theatrical form.

In recent years, Adams has released deluxe editions and reissues of earlier albums, including Reckless and So Far So Good, featuring bonus material and live recordings that gave fans a glimpse behind the curtain of his creative process. He also unveiled unique collaborations, such as “What If There Were No Sides at All,” an anthem for peace and unity.

More than four decades after signing his first record deal, Bryan Adams remains an impressive and relevant artist. Where others faded, he kept going—with sincerity, energy, and an unbreakable love for music. His performances are still charged with emotion, his albums continue to attract new fans, and his photo exhibitions draw audiences from around the world. He is not only a survivor of the music industry but an icon who continues to evolve, innovate, and inspire. Bryan Adams is—and remains—a voice that moves us, from “Summer of ’69” to So Happy It Hurts, and everything in between.