Thursday, October 2, 2014



            Playing in a band in high school and “making it” as an artist are completely different things; one is just for fun and the other leaves you with fame and fortune.  However, the simplicity of making music with some friends is often much preferable to the baggage that comes with being a rock star.  In the “Summer of ‘69” music video, Bryan Adams compares these two worlds using color in some scenes and black and white in others.  The video exemplifies the lack of complication in his teenage years by using a black and white filter during the parts of the video that show the best days of his life.  The video starts off with Adams sneaking in a few beers and clutching his six-string guitar, gearing up to hang out with the boys and play some music.  Consequently, this scene is in black and white.  After about 30 seconds of jamming out, Bryan Adams is suddenly shown chilling in a hammock; however the video is now in color, and in the present.  He is swinging back and forth absentmindedly answering an overly attentive reporter’s questions, while in his mind he was reminiscing about the summer of ’69.  Adams looks back on his earlier, simpler life when he would just make music for fun, fervently wishing he could go back.  And suddenly the music takes him back.  More of his reveries appear on the screen when the video turns black and white again.  Adams exaggerates his former laid-back lifestyle by falling asleep while working at the drive-in, which is a direct contrast to his complicated job, and life, as an adult.  His adolescence seems care-free when he and his friends throw apples at each other, trash a building, and trip some cops while making a narrow escape.  In the midst of running away from the police Adams finds himself back in the color, while also back at the garage he used to play at.  He performs with his new band on his old stage pretending and desiring that he was back in his stress-free teenage years. 
            This music video was released 30 years ago; however, it portrays an age-old tale that relates to every generation.  The “Summer of ‘69” video retells the familiar story of how people long for the “good ol’ days.”  Coming from a rock star who misses his freedom, this particular account represents the struggle between fame and anonymity, reiterating how it is human nature to yearn for life as it was before.

1 comment:

  1. Shannon, thanks. This is another very strong post. You are very good at this type of writing. You write well, and include enough detail and substance to engage your audience. Great. I really don't have much to add. There was only one part of your post that I questioned. You write, "He performs with his new band on his old stage pretending and desiring that he was back in his stress-free teenage years." When I watched this part of the video, I was left with a slightly different idea. I thought this final scene represented some content feeling that Bryan Adams had when he was playing with his band. I didn't think he was so much "pretending and desiring" the past as much as he was content in the present, because he was playing with his band. The music allowed him to capture those past feelings. Of course, this is just an issue of interpretation. My question shouldn't detract from this great post. Thanks.

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