Bryan Adams is one of those iconic 80's and 90's songwriters whose music creates instant nostalgia. His voice, coupled with song writing sensibility, is unmistakably his. That being said, his songs do have a tendency to blend together, all having that signature sound, which is reminiscent of others (Rod Stewart?). A New York Times article from 1994 begins to pin down the ordinary magic of Bryan Adams, a musical quality lacking in the flashy landscape of 2020, for better or worse. [1]
When I think Bryan Adams, I think of "Summer of 69" and today's subject, "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You." I had pretty good recall of this one prior to the analysis and remember the video from my childhood, complete with scenes from "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves" (though that video appears to have been deleted from YouTube. There is, however, a live video featuring the album length version).
Bryan Adams is one of those guys that you are more familiar with than you may realize. He has logged 25 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, 11 of which cracked the top 10 and 4 that hit no.1 . [2] After analyzing this song, it turns out I am a fan of his song writing. He shared some insights into his process in this Songwriter Universe interview from 2006. [3] Today's melody may be one of the more iconic entries this project has come across. I am reminded of Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting (1989)" in style, but Adams presents an overall more developed and sophisticated presentation.
July 27th - September 7th 1991: "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams goes 7 weeks at no.1!
This song uses classic song structure. We hear two rounds of verse-chorus, followed by a bridge, concluded with a final chorus. There isn't any wasted time between sections and even in the intro, we are getting teased with bite sized chunks of the melodic content to come.
The tune is also filled with space. The chorus melody ends more than a measure before we hear the next section, leaving the instruments to settle in on huge chords. This also happens out of the vocal bridge (B1) and again at the end, leaving you to well up tears with a few beats of silence after the vocal climax of the tune, "I'd die for you....."
The outro is a simple statement of the hook, completing the chorus we missed a few bars earlier. The album version actually includes additional solos and vocal musings after the single version ends. Today we will be basing the discussion off the shorter, single version.
Chord Progressions
The opening piano intro provides us with a harmonic and melodic preview of the song to come.
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| Piano intro |
Note the chord sequence, each preceded by a 16th note grouping that compliments the melody:
Db / Ab/Db / Gb/Db / Dbsus2
I / V / IV / I
The verse basically uses this pattern, replacing the Dbsus2 with Ab/Db or Absus and Ab. All of this simple movement is familiar, but gets its own flavor with the common Db.
The chorus is broken up into two very different 4 bar phrases. The first half ventures to Eb minor and features the bass passing through chords to give a completely different feel than the verse:
Ebmin Db/F / Ebmin/Gb / Ebmin Db/F / Ebmin/Gb
ii I / ii / ii I / ii
The second time we hear the chorus, there is this additional guitar arpeggio that adds another subtle flavor. This crunchyness foreshadows a few heights the guitar reaches towards the end.
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| Chorus 2 guitar riff |
The final 4 measures play out closer to the verse, once again sticking to I and V in the key, with some added inversion:
Db/Ab / Ab / Db / Db
I / V / I / I
The bridge, also divided in two sections, starts with a temporary modulation down a whole step:
B / E / B / Gb
(bVII) / IV/B / I / V/B (IV/Db)
The Gb chord pivots us back into Db for the final five measures B1:
Db / Ab / Eb / Ab / Ab
I / V /V/V / V / V
The extra measure of Ab provides a breath before the guitar solo in the second half of the bridge. Here, the changes are simpler, alternating between 2 bars of Gb and 2 bars of Db, IV - I.
The master of subtle nuance, Adams isn't done yet. The last chorus keeps the Ebmin chord, but ditches the passing tones in the bass and introduces a syncopated guitar/keys riff with Absus resolving Ab. The climax shifts some chords around and brings us to the Beatlesesque Gbmin, or iv.
As if that wasn't enough, the final measures feature a new harmonic variation on the hook:
Db/Ab / Ab / Gb Ebmin /Db
I / V / IV ii / I
Melody
As I mentioned, this melody is well crafted and iconic. I like how it doesn't waste time getting to the point and uses space to its advantage. Verse one comes in after the 4 measure intro and melodically answers the piano flourishes established in the intro, continuing throughout the verses.
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| Verse 1 |
This 8 bar segment is comprised of two sets of like phrases. The first begins on beat 2, covering 3rd and root. A similar phrases follows on the next beat 2, covering 5th and root of Ab. Then we get an ascending phrase starting on the 3rd of Gb and working up to Eb, the 5th of Ab. So far, lots of chord tones.
The second half of the verse covers the same melodic ground, but flips the rhythm on its head. This time, the phrases start on beat 4 of the preceding measure. The ascending line in measures 7 and 8 is similar, but is slower getting to the ornament over the Ab chord. The use of chord tones, diatonic steps, ornaments and subtle rhythmic displacement make this verse melody an integral part of the song and not just a forgettable verse that comes before the chorus.
The chorus uses less space with a more deliberate pacing than the verse. Combined with the Eb minor chord, this part sounds completely new and fresh when it arrives. We quickly return to familiarity with a return to verse harmonic and melodic conventions:
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| Chorus 1 and 2 |
The hook, using faster notes with lots of space, is very effective at getting stuck in your head. There are more chord tones with repeated leanings on Gb before resolving to chord tones. The big of space after the vocals let the chord ring out and settle in your feels.
Verse 2 and chorus 2 are similar the previous statements. Things take a surprise turn in the first bridge:
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| Bridge 1 |
The rhythmic motives are very different from the verse. Phrases start on beat 4 and finish around beat 2. The last two phrases are longer with basic 8th note syncopation.
The entire melody here gradually gets higher with each phrase. The added harmony starts lower than Bryan for 4 measures and then goes above him for the last 4, really highlighting this arc. Note the melody continues to utilize chord tones that flow stepwise through the chords. Following the last measure above, we get more silence, interrupted by 3 piano notes to lead in the guitar solo:
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| Bridge 2 - Guitar Solo |
This guitar solo immediately sticks out as something different with many alternate note choices. We hear an F over the Gb, the major 4th. The briefly resolves to the 5th, Db, before sustaining an Eb, now the 9th of the Db chord. From there, we get several chord tones and then a sudden jump to Bb, the 3rd of the Gb chord. It finishes with a quick pentatonic line and some bluesy bends to bring it home for the last chorus.
In the last chorus, we get the most dramatic moment of the song. 4 measures of something familiar are interrupted with the emotional and desperate pleas from Adams, reflected in the music.
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| chorus 3 |
The section starts higher than before, moving from Ab to Gb and then down to Eb, once again, primarily chord tones (also note the syncopated Absus - Ab line notated above).
The last 4 measures turn the harmony back on and give us three like phrases that devolve to the climax. A slight ritard add to the drama as does, surprise, surprise - silence.
The last statement of the hook finishes out the song, slightly varied from before:
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| outro |
Wow, what a melody.
Lyrics
The lyrics are uber sentimental, walking a line between undying devotion and 90's cheese.
Search your heart, search your soul
And when you find me there, you'll search no more
Common Threads
What musical elements are present in no.1 hit songs across the decades? That is exactly what I am trying to find out. Picking up where "Bootylicious (2001)" left off, what common threads does this Bryan Adams classic add or subtract from the equation?
- Repetitive Melody - Both the verse and chorus melodies play off the theme set up in the piano intro.
- Stepwise Motion Common in Melody - There is a lot of stepwise motion in the song. It frequently covers the 4th, so I omitted "pentatonic" in this common thread.
- Texture Changes - The frequent silence and rhythm section tacets qualify this category. The guitar solo and slow outro also help the song get out of the same sonic landscape.
- New Material at the End - On two fronts, we hear new material at the end of the song. The last 4 bars of the closing chorus have a new melody and the final statement features a slight melodic variation and an added chord.
- Hook that Uses Title of the Song - No parentheses needed for this one.
(- pentaonic motion common in melody)
Chord Count - 9 - Db, Gb, Gbmin Ab, Absus, Ebmin, Eb, B, E - the only slash chord that feels worthy of it's own chord would be Absus, which is more than an inversion.
I am surprised as to how easy this song checked the common threads boxes. This is my 28th analysis and I'm wondering if I have truly found relevant commonalities or I am reaching a little bit too much to fit these songs into my preconceived slots. The other explanation is that these are valid connections no.1 songs share. Some of these songs fit easier than others and so far in this round, there are many commonalities among musical devices.
Final Takeaways
Despite the cheesy lyrics, I like this song. It is built on simple musical premises that are slightly tweaked to make it seem special and unique. The arrangement enhances the melody, with the call and answer between piano and vocal, and the use of silence builds drama every time it appears. There is no wasted section and the structure does exactly what it needs to: produce an emotional rock ballad in about 4 minutes.
While the rhythm section, on the surface, does that typical 90's soft rock thing, there are some shining moments. The bass, which mostly plays a dotted quarter-eighth feel, accentuates the changes with passing tones to create inversions and rhythmic fills. The drums keep a basic 4/4 beat but shift the texture from rim shots to snare, building intensity. The cymbals also float between 8th and 16th notes, providing just enough rhythmic stability when it's necessary.
I feel this song is somewhat important to the project, thus far. "I Do It For You" may be in the top tier of quality songs, not just because I am most familiar with it, but because it clearly and creatively manipulates base, simple source material into something much more. Bryan Adams sold lots of copies, which is not an easy accomplishment in any decade. Hopefully, as we get deeper into this round, "on the 1's," I can realize why this song holds a special place in my heart.
What do you think of "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You?" Does the nostalgia value keep it in high regard or does it stay well regarded because it's good? Leave me a comment!
Next time, we continue backtracking "on the 1's" to 1981....2 weeks at no.1, August 1st - August 8th, another nostalgic classic: "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield. Get ready for some fun!
[1]https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/08/arts/review-pop-bryan-adams-more-mr-nice-guy.html
[2]https://www.billboard.com/music/bryan-adams/chart-history
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