Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
I got my first real six-string
Bought it at the five-and-dime
Played it 'til my fingers bled
Was the summer of '69
Me and some guys from school
Had a band and we tried real hard
Jimmy quit, Jody got married
I should've known we'd never get far
Oh, when I look back now
That summer seemed to last forever
And if I had the choice
Yeah, I'd always wanna be there
Those were the best days of my life
Ain't no use in complainin'
When you've got a job to do
Spent my evenings down at the drive-in
And that's when I met you, yeah
Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me that you'd wait forever
Oh, and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life
Oh, yeah
Back in the summer of '69, oh
Man we were killin' time
We were young and restless
We needed to unwind
I guess nothin' can last forever, forever, no
Yeah
And now the times are changin'
Look at everything that's come and gone
Sometimes when I play that old six-string
I think about you, wonder what went wrong
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
Oh, yeah
Back in the summer of '69, oh
It was the summer of '69, oh, yeah
Me and my baby in '69, oh
It was the summer
The summer, the summer of '69, yeah
Bought it at the five-and-dime
Played it 'til my fingers bled
Was the summer of '69
Me and some guys from school
Had a band and we tried real hard
Jimmy quit, Jody got married
I should've known we'd never get far
Oh, when I look back now
That summer seemed to last forever
And if I had the choice
Yeah, I'd always wanna be there
Those were the best days of my life
Ain't no use in complainin'
When you've got a job to do
Spent my evenings down at the drive-in
And that's when I met you, yeah
Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me that you'd wait forever
Oh, and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life
Oh, yeah
Back in the summer of '69, oh
Man we were killin' time
We were young and restless
We needed to unwind
I guess nothin' can last forever, forever, no
Yeah
And now the times are changin'
Look at everything that's come and gone
Sometimes when I play that old six-string
I think about you, wonder what went wrong
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
Oh, yeah
Back in the summer of '69, oh
It was the summer of '69, oh, yeah
Me and my baby in '69, oh
It was the summer
The summer, the summer of '69, yeah
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
The Spy
Doors, The
Doors, The
Grand Theft Auto
Insane Ian
Insane Ian
The way this song speaks to me🥺🥺when I sing it I feel like I relate
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
It actually is a reference to the ol' 69er. There's a snip-it in a Rolling Stone magazine a couple of months ago with Bryan Adams admiting it and saying that he couldn't believe no one got it. But it still sounds better being the year 69 in my opinion. Adams' best song... cheese, yet still blissfully great.
@SimpleKindOfBoy In 1969 Brian Adams was 10 years old, so yeah, I got it. I tried to explain it to a few people over the years whenever the song comes on but they always got defensive. It's supposed to be funny. Oh well...
I think it means about how he wishes he could be in the summer of 69 forever and how it was so great. Remember, nothing lasts forever, so dont just sit there all day. Get up and do something fun because the time is limited. This summer, I will be sure to do everything I want to when I want to.
great song, reminds me of a summer i had with great friends and a great g/f i had.. good memories i wish they would of lasted hehe
first guitar, first band, job, and fallin in love over a summer...great song
Here's where Jim Vallance explains the full meaning of the song (from his perspective) -
jimvallance.com/01-music-folder/songs-folder-may-27/pg-song-adams-summer-of-69.html
this song makes me think of how i'm going to remember my summers. I hope i can look back 50 years from now and smile at the memories i've made. this song is so inspirational. i love it.
LOL... never heard oral sex described as "inspirational," but I suppose it's a fun way of looking at it ;) Hate the song for personal reasons and in all honesty I don't really care for the artist's voice (in any song). And, yes, Adams did state he wrote the song about all the "love" from his past summers...although "love" is obviously USED LOOSELY. (two interesting words:)
funny thing-- adams was nine years old in the summer of 69 :-p
that is funny. But great song, embodies the best summer everyone ever had while they were in highschool just hanging out with their friends. Damn reality bites we should all be able to jus stay in that summer forever.
this song always kind of reminds me of those american high school films and the great summers they have before heading off to college..... talks about the one ideal summer everyone seems to have in their teens..when everything is so great....''those were the days...''
The song takes place in 1969. It's not necessarily told from Bryan Adams personal experience. Remember, singers are storytellers.