Bryan Adams laughs when he says he’s been doing a “bit of a Taylor Swift.” But it’s true. In the last year alone, the Canadian legend has dropped four albums — So Happy It Hurts, his self-recorded version of Pretty Woman: The Musical, and two new compilations titled Classics I and Classics II. The latter two are, as he puts it, “for rights purposes,” a polite way of saying: he wanted control of his own music. “In the same way Taylor wanted her control,” he says. “It’s about rights.”
But Adams isn’t just re-recording — he’s recreating. The Classics albums sound nearly identical to the originals, down to the tone of his 1980s Les Paul guitar. “I tried to remember what amp I used in New York when I first recorded ‘Summer of ’69,’” he says. “Then it hit me — I only had one guitar in the studio at that time. I plugged it in, and within one second I went, there it is.”
If his re-recordings are an act of reclamation, So Happy It Hurts is an act of endurance. It’s upbeat, stripped-down, and yes, happy — something he credits to playing every instrument himself. “Because I couldn’t put my band together, I just started laying everything down,” he says. “Guitar, drums, whatever. That’s probably why the album has such an up feel.”
It’s also a record built on lessons from Broadway. Adams co-wrote Pretty Woman: The Musical with longtime collaborator Jim Vallance, calling it “a master class in songwriting.” Every tune went through a gauntlet of producers and directors. “You couldn’t get precious,” he says. “You’d write something you loved, and then the committee would come back with notes. So you learn to keep an open mind — that’s the magical thing about making music.”
Not every song survived that process. “I’ve Been Looking for You was written for the musical,” Adams says. “It didn’t get accepted, so I recorded it for So Happy It Hurts instead. I never give up on a song.” The result is a rockabilly-leaning track that bounces like early Elvis. Another cut, “Just About Gone,” co-written with Gretchen Peters, is a heartbreaker that sounds vintage Adams: melodic, earnest, and stadium-ready. “That song had been kicking around for years,” he says. “I stripped it back and started again. Instant classic — that no one’s heard yet,” he laughs.
Then there’s “Kick Ass,” the album’s most gleefully absurd moment, which opens with a sermon from none other than John Cleese. “I’d done the intro myself, but it didn’t seem right,” Adams recalls. “Then I’m having lunch with John and thought, he’d be perfect. So I ask, and he says, ‘Of course!’ He comes to the studio, listens to it, and says, ‘Actually, you’re right — God should be British.’”
It’s a perfect pairing — the man behind “Cuts Like a Knife” teaming up with the man behind “The Ministry of Silly Walks.” Both trade in sincerity delivered with a wink.
Adams’ sense of craft extends far beyond music. He’s also a celebrated photographer, having shot everyone from Iggy Pop to St. Vincent. “At the end of the day, you have to take your musician hat off,” he says. “No matter how much camaraderie there is, you still have to deliver.”
He’s also known for his clean, white-backdrop album covers — a motif that’s become a visual signature. “I like contrast and simplicity,” he says. “If you can make an image work in simple black and white, it’ll be more memorable than if it’s busy. I take my lead from people like Avedon — just a subject and a blank space.”
As for whether he’d ever do another MTV Unplugged-style project, Adams hesitates. “If there was a vehicle to do it, yeah,” he says. “What was great about MTV back then was the freedom — they gave you complete license to do whatever you wanted. Eric Clapton, Nirvana, all those albums came from that series. It was a brilliant platform.”
That 1997 Unplugged remains one of the most underrated in the series — half hits, half deep cuts, all reinvented. “Pat Leonard co-produced it,” Adams recalls. “He did an amazing job.”
The man’s modest, but it’s hard to argue with results. After four decades, four albums in a single year, and a career that refuses to slow down, Bryan Adams still sounds like someone having the time of his life. “The year’s young,” he laughs. “What’s stopping me from four more?”
Maybe nothing. But for now, So Happy It Hurts does the job just fine.
Watch the interview above and then check out the video below.
