Bryan Adams "Reckless (Japan, A&M Records, UICY-76835)"

Reckless is the fourth studio album by the Canadian musician Bryan Adams. It was released on 5 November 1984 by A&M Records, the album was co-produced by Adams and Bob Clearmountain, and it's arguably Adams' most successful album. The album was a huge international hit, selling over 5 million copies in the United States alone and 12 million copies worldwide. It was the first Canadian album to sell more than one million copies within Canada. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 and reached high positions on album charts worldwide.

Six singles were released from the album: "Run to You", "Somebody", "Heaven", "Summer of '69", "One Night Love Affair", and "It's Only Love". All six singles made the top 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100, which until that time had been accomplished previously only by Michael Jackson's Thriller and Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA. The album was ranked No. 49 on Kerrang!s "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time" in 1989, and 99th Greatest Rock Album of All Time by Classic Rock and was also named the #12 Greatest Canadian Album of All Time by Bob Mersereau in his book The Top 100 Canadian Albums. The album was recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios, Vancouver, Canada. On 12 December 2009 the syndicated radio program In the Studio celebrated the 25th anniversary of the album.

A 30th Anniversary edition of the album, featuring previously unreleased material and a brand new 5.1 surround mix, was released on 10 November 2014 in both four and two-disc editions. The Reckless 30th Anniversary Tour also took place in November 2014, consisting of eleven exclusive arena shows in the United Kingdom.

In March 1984, recording for Reckless began after extensive touring for the support of Cuts Like a Knife. However, unhappy with the recording process, Adams decided to take a month off. In August, Adams headed back to the studio with Tina Turner for the track "It's Only Love"; he also returned with more new songs and started re-recording songs which would lead to the development of such tracks as "Run to You", Summer of '69", and "Heaven".

"Run to You" was recorded after a tour in Asia. The recording for "Run to You" started on 27 March 1984 and went through the summer at Little Mountain Sound Studios, Vancouver. It was mixed in New York by Bob Clearmountain, with mixing of the song completed on 21 September. The recording of "Heaven", co-written by Adams and Jim Vallance, started on 6 June and lasted only two days, ending on 7 June. The song was recorded for the film A Night in Heaven, and was mixed by Bob Clearmountain on 16 June 1984. "Summer of '69" was written on 25 January 1984 with Jim Vallance. The recording took place at Little Mountain Sound Studios where the song was recorded three times over the winter. It was mixed in New York by Bob Clearmountain on 22 November 1984.

"Run to You" was released as the debut single from Reckless on 18 October 1984 in Canada and the U.S. and became one of the most successful songs from the album on the American pop and rock charts; it would become arguably one of Adams' most recognizable and popular songs. The song was Adams' first number one hit on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart, a position it held for four weeks, and reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached the top 20 on the Canadian singles chart and remained in the top 20 for seven weeks, peaking at number 4. With "Run to You", Adams reached the highest Canadian chart position in his career to that time; it was his third top 20 hit single in Canada. "Run to You" was released in November 1984 in Europe where it peaked at the top ten in Ireland at number 8 and reached number 11 on the UK Singles Chart; it was his second single to chart in Europe.

"Somebody" was released as a single in January 1985 and became one of the most successful songs from Reckless on the American rock charts. The song was Adams' second number one hit on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart. It reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was in the top 20 on the Canadian singles chart for six weeks. "Somebody" was Adams' fourth top 20 hit on the Canadian chart. "Somebody" was released the following month in Europe and peaked at the top 20 in Ireland at number 20 and reached the top 40 on the UK Singles Chart at 35; it was his third single to chart in Europe.

"Heaven" was the third single from Reckless. The single topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks in June 1985. The song previously peaked at number nine on the Billboard Top Tracks chart from the A Night in Heaven soundtrack album in February 1984. The song has appeared on all of Adams' compilation albums with the exception of The Best of Me. The single was certified Gold in Canada in 1985.

Upon the release of the album in November 1984, "Summer of '69" received some airplay on album-oriented rock radio stations but was mostly overshadowed by the tracks "Run to You" and "It's Only Love", only managing to reach number 40 on Billboard's Top Rock Tracks chart. After it was released as a single in June 1985, "Summer of '69" reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song was released in Australia, Europe and New Zealand in 1985. "Heaven" reached the UK top 40, while "Summer of '69" peaked at the top 40. "Summer of '69" continued the trend of higher-charting singles when it debuted and peaked at top 20 in most of the European countries it charted. Adams' previous singles had charted much weaker in Europe and "Summer of '69" would be Adams' second single to chart in mainland Europe.

Although "Summer of '69" reached the top ten in Norway and then the top 20 in the Austria, Ireland and Sweden, it was a moderate top 100 success in Germany, where it peaked at 62.

Co-writer Jim Vallance has always gone for the more conventional interpretation of the title being a reference to a year. He notes Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty", which contains references to 1965 and 1969, as his own influence, and recalls that Adams cited the film Summer of '42 as his.

Released as the fifth single from the album in September 1985, "One Night Love Affair" peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 13 and at number 7 on the Top Rock Tracks chart. In Canada, "One Night Love Affair" was officially released to radio in February 1985. The song reached the top 20 on the Canadian Singles Chart and remained in the top twenty for another month. "One Night Love Affair" was the lowest charting single from Reckless.

While never released as a single, "Kids Wanna Rock" received airplay on album-oriented rock stations in Canada and the United States enabling it to chart on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart, where it peaked at number 42. Due to its popularity in concert, it was included on the greatest hits collection "So Far So Good".

In December 1984, Adams and his touring band which consists of Keith Scott, Dave Taylor, Pat Steward and Johnny Blitz played concerts in Chicago, Detroit, New York City and Philadelphia. In early 1985, Adams' started a tour throughout the United States with opening act and Canadian musician Kim Mitchell and later in Japan, Australia, Europe and finally Canada after winning four Juno Awards. Later he headed south towards the American West Coast, culminating with two dates at the Paladium in Los Angeles.

After the tour in the United States Adams traveled to Ethiopia to aid famine relief efforts there. Adams later went to Europe for a fifty-city concert tour with Tina Turner, culminating in April with his return to London to headline three sold-out shows at the Hammersmith Odeon. Adams began the first leg of his tour entitled "World Wide in 85" which started in Oklahoma. The tour ended in October. Adams would later visit Vancouver, and afterwards he returned to the American East Coast to play two sold-out concerts in New York.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance.

1. "One Night Love Affair" 4:32
2. "She's Only Happy When She's Dancin'" 3:14
3. "Run to You" 3:54
4. "Heaven" 4:03
5. "Somebody" 4:44
6. "Summer of '69" 3:36
7. "Kids Wanna Rock" 2:36
8. "It's Only Love" (with Tina Turner) 3:15
9. "Long Gone" 3:57
10. "Ain't Gonna Cry" 4:06

Total length: 37:58

30th Anniversary edition - disc one (Bonus tracks)

1. "Let Me Down Easy" 3:40
2. "Teacher, Teacher" 3:48
3. "The Boys Night Out" 3:53
4. "Draw the Line" 3:26
5. "Play to Win" 3:28
6. "Too Hot to Handle" 4:02
7. "Reckless" 4:01

Total length: 64:11

30th Anniversary edition - disc two: Live in Hammersmith Odeon 1985

1. "Remember" 4:32
2. "The Only One" 4:39
3. "It's Only Love" 3:50
4. "Kids Wanna Rock" 3:16
5. "Long Gone" 6:21
6. "Cuts Like a Knife" 5:40
7. "Lonely Nights" 3:55
8. "Tonight" 6:13
9. "This Time" 3:37
10. "The Best Was Yet to Come" 2:43
11. "Heaven" 4:04
12. "Run to You" 4:30
13. "Somebody" 4:20
14. "Straight from the Heart" 3:17
15. "Summer of '69" 4:40

Total length: 65:24

Bryan Adams – producer

Bob Clearmountain – producer, engineer, mixing

Jim Vallance – associate producer

Mike Fraser – assistant engineer

Michael Sauvage – assistant engineer

Bruce Lampcov – assistant engineer

Bob Ludwig – mastering

Masterdisk (New York, NY) – mastering location

Chuck Beeson – art direction, design

Richard Frankel – art direction

Hiro – front cover photography

Jim O’Mara – inner sleeve photography

Bruce Allen – management

Bruce Springsteen "Human Touch (Single & Video)"

"Human Touch" is a song recorded by the American rock singer Bruce Springsteen. It was the first single from his 1992 album of the same name and was released on March 9, 1992. The song features future American Idol judge Randy Jackson on bass guitar and Toto's Jeff Porcaro on drums. It is sometimes played by Springsteen and the E Street Band in concert despite their having been dismissed at the time of the original recording.

The song reached number one in Denmark, Italy, Norway, and Spain and was a top-10 hit in several other countries, including Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. In the United States, the song reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100—charting as a double A-side with "Better Days"—and topped the Album Rock Tracks chart for three weeks. "Human Touch" was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 1993 Grammy Awards. The music video, directed by Meiert Avis, received an MTV Video Music Awards nomination for Best Male Video.

Track listings:

CD maxi

1. "Human Touch" – 6:28
2. "Souls of the Departed" – 4:16
3. "Long Goodbye" – 3:26

7-inch vinyl

1. "Human Touch" – 6:28
2. "Souls of the Departed" – 4:16

Bruce Springsteen "Brilliant Disguise (Single & Video)"

"Brilliant Disguise" is a song by Bruce Springsteen from his 1987 album Tunnel of Love. It was released as the first single from the album, reaching the No. 5 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart in the United States. The follow-up single, "Tunnel of Love", also reached No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, giving Springsteen two consecutive No. 1's. The single reached the top 10 in four additional countries including Canada and Ireland and the top 20 in Australia, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. "Brilliant Disguise" was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 1988 Grammy Awards.

Like much of the Tunnel of Love album, "Brilliant Disguise" was first recorded by Springsteen at his home studio, called Thrill Hill East, in Rumson, New Jersey. On February 5, 1987, he recorded "Is That You", playing all instruments himself. He finished the song by month's end, retitling it "Brilliant Disguise". Several members of the E Street Band, including Roy Bittan on keyboards (where the 40th Roland D-50 internal patch "Rock Organ" was heard), Danny Federici on organ and Max Weinberg on drums, were recorded during March, and overdubbed to the master by engineer Toby Scott.

The lyrics of "Brilliant Disguise" represent a confession of self-doubt on the part of the singer. The emotions expressed in the song include confusion, jealousy and anxiety about whether the singer's wife has become a stranger to him. The song deals with the masks people wear and the bitterness that can ensue when we realize the darkness that may lie behind those masks. The parallels with Springsteen's personal life at the time are evident: he had recently married then-model and actress Julianne Phillips, and the two would divorce in 1989. The references to marital problems are quite direct, as in the lyrics: "Oh, we stood at the altar / The gypsy swore our future was right / But come the wee wee hours / Well maybe, baby, the gypsy lied."

The song's quiet power builds slowly. The sound is scaled back from the typical E Street Band sound. The singer struggles to do things right, but it doesn't help. He can't trust either himself or his wife. Both he and his wife continue to play their roles – he of a "faithful man", she of a "loving woman", but the singer is nonetheless wracked with self-doubt. A key line towards the end of the song—"I wanna know if it's you I don't trust/Because I damn sure don't trust myself"—sums up the emotions that resonate throughout the song, and indeed the entire second side of the Tunnel of Love album. Cash Box called it "a pleasing sampling of pop/rock."

Springsteen himself wrote about the song "after '85 I'd had enough and turned inward to write about men, women and love, things that have previously been on the periphery of my work."

The song was later released on the compilation album The Essential Bruce Springsteen.

"Brilliant Disguise" has been ranked as the No. 1192 best song of all time, as well as the No. 27 song of 1987 and the #214 song of the 1980s, in an aggregation of critics' lists at acclaimedmusic.net. The song has also been listed as one of the all-time great songs in Toby Creswell's "1001 songs" and as one of the 7500 most important songs from 1944 through 2000 by Bruce Pollock. It was also ranked as the No. 6 single of 1987 by the Village Voice and the No. 51 single of 1987 by the New Musical Express.

The photograph on the original release picture sleeve was taken by Springsteen's sister Pamela Springsteen.

Like several other music videos from the Tunnel of Love album, including "Tunnel of Love", "One Step Up" and "Tougher Than the Rest", the video for "Brilliant Disguise" was directed by Meiert Avis. It was filmed on October 8, 1987 at Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

The video of the song, shot in black and white, effectively reflects its emotions. The setting is the kitchen of a modest home, & the singer sits uncomfortably on the edge of a chair, facing the camera. He plays his guitar as he sings the lyrics about what it means to try to trust someone, looking straight into the camera, never flinching as it slowly pushes in, ending with an extreme close-up. This very personal performance can make it difficult to watch, but it effectively reflects the themes of the song.

Although the studio recording of the music was used in this video, Bruce Springsteen sang the vocal live, a technique used in later Springsteen music videos including "Better Days", "Streets of Philadelphia", and "Lonesome Day". The video was later released on the VHS and DVD Video Anthology / 1978–88.

Despite the personal nature of the song, it has been reasonably popular in live performances. From the Tunnel of Love Express Tour that supported the initial release of the album through July 2005, the song received 184 live performances in concert, although most of these were in solo concerts rather than with the E Street Band.

Bruce Springsteen "Cover Me (Single & Video)"

"Cover Me" is a song written and performed by American rock singer Bruce Springsteen. It was the second single released from his 1984 album Born in the U.S.A.. Springsteen wrote the song for Donna Summer. However, his manager, Jon Landau, decided the song had hit potential, and so he kept it for the upcoming Springsteen album. It has been certified Gold in the US.

The song was first recorded on January 25, 1982 at the Hit Factory in New York City, as a demo version with the E Street Band, during sessions where Springsteen was doing recording for Gary U.S. Bonds' On the Line. Jon Landau's friend David Geffen had asked whether Springsteen could compose a song for Donna Summer (newly signed to Geffen Records), and Springsteen had written "Cover Me". However, Landau felt Springsteen's composition was too good to give away. Although Springsteen did not have a high opinion of the song at the time, he agreed to write and record another demo for Summer, resulting in "Protection". The singer re-recorded "Cover Me" on May 12 at the Power Station, also in New York City, for the version that would later appear on Born in the U.S.A.; he did nine takes. In the couple of years leading up to Born in the U.S.A.'s release, Springsteen recorded about 70 songs as the pool of tracks considered for the album.

The song peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in October 1984. It was the second of a record-tying seven Top 10 hit singles to be released from a single album. No music video was made for the song.

Cash Box called the song "a driving, emotional display of classic Boss."

Bronski Beat "Smalltown Boy (Single & Video)"

Bronski Beat were a British synth-pop band formed in 1983 in London, England. The initial lineup, which recorded the majority of their hits, consisted of Jimmy Somerville (vocals), Steve Bronski (keyboards, percussion) and Larry Steinbachek (keyboards, percussion). Simon Davolls contributed backing vocals to many songs.

Bronski Beat achieved success in the mid-1980s, particularly with the 1984 single "Smalltown Boy", from their debut album, The Age of Consent. "Smalltown Boy" was their only US Billboard Hot 100 single. All members of the band were openly gay and their songs reflected this, often containing political commentary on gay issues.

"Smalltown Boy" is a song by British synth-pop band Bronski Beat, released in May 1984 as the first single from their debut album, The Age of Consent (1984). The song was a big commercial success, reaching number three in the band's native UK. It was also a number one hit in the Netherlands and Belgium, and hit the top 10 in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland and West Germany. The track reached number 48 in the US pop chart and was a number one US dance hit. A remix by Stephen Hague was released as a single on 24 December 1990. The song was released again in December 2013 after featuring in a Christmas advertising campaign for Boots UK. "Smalltown Boy" was also re-recorded by Jimmy Somerville and released as "Smalltown Boy Reprise" (2014) for the 30th anniversary of its initial release.

An official music video made by Bernard Rose was shot and released later in 1984. The narrative video features band member Jimmy Somerville as the boy who has experienced the issues described in the lyrics. Seen on a train, he is contemplating his childhood through flashbacks and the events that have caused him to leave his parents' home.

At a swimming pool, the boy and his friends (played by band members Larry Steinbachek and Steve Bronski) admire another boy in Speedos on the diving board. Seeing them watch, he smiles back. Encouraged, the boy is dared by his friends to approach him, but this results in public rejection. The boy is later attacked in an alley by a homophobic gang, led by the young man he had approached at the swimming pool. A police officer takes him back to his home. It is implied that the boy's parents learn of his sexuality for the first time through this incident and are shocked, but only the father seems unsupportive. The boy is then shown hugging his mother goodbye and getting some travel money from the father. The boy reaches his hand out to shake his father's but his father does not return it. After, the boy catches a train to London, on which he is reunited with his friends.

Spin said the band had, "fashioned a young man's bitter memories of being driven away from home, alienated from his family, and persecuted by his friends, into a sweetly moving pop song."

Time Out ranked "Smalltown Boy" number 12 in their list of The 50 Best Gay Songs to Celebrate Pride All Year Long in 2022. They added,

By incorporating unapologetic LGBTQ themes into their sleek synth-pop hits, Bronski Beat were true pioneers – and this 1984 classic is their most transcendent moment. Frontman Jimmy Somerville, in a sensitive falsetto, sings about a lad who flees hometown bullying — 'Run away, turn away' is the recurring refrain — against a steady, reassuringly numb background of rhythm and synthesiser. This song takes the pain of rejection and makes it danceable.

Same year, Rolling Stone ranked it number 163 in their list of 200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time.

Track listings and formats:

7" single BITE 1

1. "Smalltown Boy" – 3:58
2. "Memories" – 2:55

7" single 820 091-7

1. "Smalltown Boy" – 3:58
2. "Memories" – 3:00

12" single BITEX 1 / 820 996-1 / 9-29 017 / LDSPX 215

1. "Smalltown Boy" – 9:00
2. "Infatuation/Memories" – 7:38

12" single MCA-23521

1. "Smalltown Boy" – 9:00
2. "Infatuation/Memories" – 7:42