CanTunes Tuesday (Flashback): "Somebody" - Bryan Adams (1985)

It's been 30 years since Bryan Adams released his hit album Reckless. Showcasing a harder rock version of the singer (well, as hard rock as he can get) and spawning 6 singles, it became a staple in Canadian rock history. So let's take a look back at one of his singles, "Somebody". Because we all need somebody. You need me, I need you. Seriously, I need you. Please keep coming back. Uh... anyway, here's "Somebody".

So this was the second single released on the album after "Run to You". Now "Run to You" was a blistering, power-driven song that could only really be compared to "Take Me Back" in terms of how raw and full of pure rock energy it was. I mean, this is still Bryan Adams, we're not getting into like, Iron Maiden or anything. But still, for Bryan Adams this was a pretty hard-rock song. So to follow it up, he released "Somebody", which is damn good on its own, serving as a bridge between the hard rock anthem and the feel-good ballad soon to come. It's clear that Adams has gotten more rockin' at this point (again, to an extent), but his songs from Reckless don't alienate. Hell, this one in particular is just begging you to sing along with its big, slow chorus.

I need somebody (somebody like you!)
Everybody needs somebody

That's a crowd-pleasing statement. Yeah, everybody does need somebody. And Bryan Adams needs all those somebodies to sing in unison so that the crowd can seem enthused during his concert tapes!

But the song does pump. It's got a pretty good, thumping riff going for it, couple short solos here and there to spice things up, and of course the big sing-along chorus to tie it all together. As far as songs off of Reckless go, I'd probably rank a few higher, but this one definitely has its merits. Probably the song that most lends itself to audience participation at concerts. It's good to have a song like that. Get them involved. Oh yeah!

There's a reason Bryan Adams has stuck around: despite his grandiose songs, he's never seemed unapproachable in his music. He's either heartfelt or fun. And while I can't say that I enjoy all his songs (for example, somebody please explain to me what the hell this is), I've come to accept Bryan Adams as a solid offering over the border from us jolly citizens of Canada. Good job, Bryan. We all need somebody like you.