Written by Dick & Don Addrisi

 

“Never My Love” was an American pop standard co-written by Don and Dick Addrisi of the popular duo, The Addrisi Brothers. The brothers had a few hits under their names during the Sixties and Seventies. The Addrisi’s biggest success as songwriters, “Never My Love,” was performed by The Association out of California. The Association’s rendition brought “Never My Love” to #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1967 and eventually sold over a million copies of the single. 

That hit was produced by noted hitmaker, Bones Howe, who enlisted the legendary musicians of the Wrecking Crew to play on the track. “Never My Love” had its share of covers that included The Fifth Dimension and Swedish rock band, Blue Swede.Their covers were also hits on Billboard’s Hot 100. The Fifth Dimension’s and Blue Swede’s covers reached #12 and #7 respectively.

The sweet and dreamy appeal of this song caught the attention of a very young Bryan Adams. The Canadian singer/songwriter rocker hits included “(Everthing I Do) I Do It For You,” “Cuts Like A Knife, “Summer Of ’69” and “Run To You,” just to name a few. Adams decided many years later to record a new version of “Never My Love” for his 2014 covers cd, Tracks of My Years. Mostly produced by Adams with his friend and compatriot, David Foster, Tracks Of My Years was a collection of pop and rock classics from the Sixties and Seventies. Adams wasn’t totally convinced about a covers project, but his record label and Foster pushed him into it. We’re glad they did and Adams accepted the idea. The result was utter ear candy from start to finish.

“Never My Love” had a reworked arrangement with a stronger rock feel and great guitar work by Michael Thompson. Adams’ trademark raspy tone balanced nicely with the sweetness of the tune’s laid-back melody. Foster handled the beautiful production in Adams’ rock territory and the auditory result was his usual top-notch affair.

You can enjoy the phenomenal result of a Foster/Adams pairing by listening to Tracks Of My Years. Not only will you hear some Foster greatness, but experience songs that influenced the amazing talent of Bryan Adams.

Enjoy!

• Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Bass: Bryan Adams
• Drums: Mickey Curry
• Keyboards: David Foster
• Organ: Gary Bret

• Produced by David Foster & Bryan Adams

Lyrics

You ask me if there’ll come a time
When I grow tired of you
Never my love
Never my love

You wonder if this heart of mine
Will lose its desire for you
Never my love
Never my love

What makes you think love will end
When you know that my whole life depends
On you

Never my love
Never my love

You say you fear I’ll change my mind
And I won’t require you
Never my love
Never my love

How can you think love will end
When I’ve asked you to spend your whole life

Never my love
Never my love

You ask me if there’ll come a time
When I grow tired of you

Never my love
Never, never, never my love

You wonder if this heart of mine
Will lose its desire for you

Never my love
Never my love

Never my love
Never, never, never my love

“Sunny” is an evergreen written by the late American r&b singer/songwriter Bobby Hebb (1938-2010). The song was written in 1963 right after Hebb suffered the loss of his older brother, Harold, who was stabbed to death the same day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. “Sunny,” with its optimistic lyrics, came as a reaction to those sad events. Hebb recorded the song in 1966 and that single skyrocketed to the top of Billboard’s Pop and R&B charts reaching #2 and #3 respectively. “Sunny” has had hundreds of cover versions to this day.

Among those renditions was a very successful cover by German disco act Boney M in 1976 and others by legends including Stevie Wonder, Johnny Mathis, the late James Brown (1933-2006) and the late Frank Sinatra (1915-1998).

In recent years, David Foster crafted a very special cover of “Sunny” for Bryan Adams’ 2014 Tracks Of My Years cd. That project saw the Canadian rocker performing some of his favorite pop songs ever. Adams beautifully delivered the songs with the Hitman’s impeccable studio help. On Tracks Of My Years, “Sunny” receives a delicious pop reworking with a minimal backing track that leaves the spotlight on the legendary singer’s raspy voice. On this song, as on every track of this cd, Adams makes the material his own and the listening experience is total ear candy thanks to the spectacular instrumental arrangements and sounds cooked by Foster and his team.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Sunny-Bryan-Adams.mp3|titles=Sunny|artists=Bryan Adams]

Lead Vocals & Acoustic Guitar: Bryan Adams
Keyboards: David Foster
Drums: Mickey Curry
Electric Bass: Keith Scott

Produced by David Foster & Bryan Adams

Lyrics

Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain
The dark days are gone, and the bright days are here,
My Sunny one shines so sincere
Sunny one so true, I love you

Sunny, thank you for the sunshine bouquet
Sunny, thank you for the love you brought my way
You gave to me your all and all
Now I feel ten feet tall
Sunny one so true, I love you

Sunny, thank you for the truth you let me see
Sunny, thank you for the facts from A to C
My life was torn like a windblown sand,
And the rock was formed when you held my hand
Sunny one so true, I love you

Sunny
Sunny, thank you for the smile upon your face
Sunny, thank you for the gleam that shows its grace
You’re my spark of nature’s fire,
You’re my sweet complete desire
Sunny one so true, I love you

Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain
The dark days are gone, and the bright days are here,
My Sunny one shines so sincere
Sunny one so true, I love you

I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you

written by Brian Wilson & Tony Asher

In 1985, David Foster and Bryan Adams first collaborated on the famous charity song, “Tears Are Not Enough.” These two Canadian treasures would later touch base when Adams sang on Foster’s 1991 ” River Of Love ” cd and when Adams and Barbra Streisand sang together on the 1996 “I Finally Found Someone,” a duet produced by Foster. Fast forward to a couple of years ago. Foster approached the legendary rocker with a project he thought would be perfect for his friend. The idea was to record a bunch of covers of hits from the sixties and the seventies, songs that Adams loved back in his teenage years.

The initially reluctant superstar eventually agreed and their work on “Tracks Of My Years” started. It took three months of sessions spread over two years to give life to the “Tracks Of My Years” cd. The tunes were released on Foster’s Verve Records label just a few weeks ago. After a careful listen, we can’t help but agree with Foster’s concept. Adams is in exceptional vocal form, his voice shining throughout the material that includes hits by The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Smokey Robinson and many more. The arrangements are stripped down to cleverly leave the focus on Adams ‘ trademark rocking voice. Similarly, Foster produced the effort with an unusual restrained hand that works extremely well with the classic pop/rock material included here. “Tracks Of My Years” is split between catchy rockers and effective ballads that are all perfectly crafted by Foster, Adams, Bob Rock and their team. The instrumental parts are mostly performed by the singer and his band with Foster guesting on piano and keys and session ace Michael Thompson playing on guitar.

Among the many gems on “Tracks Of My Years,” we have picked “God Only Knows” as the Song of the Week. The feel-good Beach Boys masterpiece is reinvented by Adams and Foster as an intimate piano/voice ballad, very emotional with some beautiful guitar licks from Thompson. Adams ‘ intense vocal performance is nothing short of sublime while being backed up by the Hitman’s tender piano playing. Adams stated that Foster wasn’t really into covering this song, but he quickly changed Foster’s mind when the rocker suggested a rework that was inspired by the milestone Tony Bennett/Bill Evans collaboration. The late Evans, a giant of jazz piano, was one of Foster’s main influence and Evans’ inspiration was probably the key element to achieve this gorgeous rendition of “God Only Knows.”

“Tracks Of My Years” zoomed to #1 on the Canadian charts and debuted at #11 in the UK . Strangely enough, it was met with lukewarm reception in the US , yet its superior quality should eventually make it gain momentum and improve sales. Let’s add that this cd is the best showcase of Foster’s rock side since those classic Tubes albums in the eighties. Do yourself a favor. Buy “Tracks Of My Years.” It’s chock-full of legendary hits that are given a different twist. This cd has fantastic vocal and instrumental work and priceless musical value.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/god_only_knows.mp3|titles=God Only Knows|artists=Bryan Adams]

Lead Vocals: Bryan Adams

Piano: David Foster
Electric Guitars: Michael Thompson
Programming: Jochem van der Saag
Produced by David Foster & Bryan Adams

Lyrics

I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I’ll make you so sure about it

God only knows what I’d be without you

If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me

God only knows what I’d be without you

God only knows what I’d be without you

If you should ever leave me
Well life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me

God only knows what I’d be without you
God only knows what I’d be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I’d be without you
God only knows what I’d be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I’d be without you
God only knows what I’d be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I’d be without you
God only knows what I’d be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I’d be without you
God only knows what I’d be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I’d be without you
God only knows what I’d be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I’d be without you

David Foster got a call in February of 1985 from his friend and mentor, Quincy Jones. Jones had just completed recording “We Are The World” for famine relief in Ethiopia. He asked Foster to quickly prepare an all-Canadian song to be included on the same project. Foster was working at the time with The Payolas. Bob Rock and Paul Hyde of the group provided him with the title, “Tears Are Not Enough.” Foster eventually wrote the music, a sweet ballad in his typical style. He got in touch with Jim Vallance to work on the arrangement and moving lyrics plus recruited Bryan Adams and Vallance’s wife, Rachel Paiement, to add their ideas to the lyrics. On February 10, after recording the basic track, the all-star recording took place in Toronto. The most important names in Canadian music and showbiz showed up for the milestone event. Neil Young, Brian Adams, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray, Oscar Peterson, Catherine O’Hara, Paul Shaffer, John Candy, Corey Hart, Geddy Lee of Rush, Burton Cummings of The Guess Who, Mike Reno of Loverboy and many, many others lent their voices under Foster’s expert guidance to help the cause. The result was a beautiful and poignant composition that went straight to #1 on the Canadian chart and remained there for four weeks. “Tears Are Not Enough” was also included on the “We Are The World” album, raising more than $3.2 million for the African cause.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/tears_are_not_enough.mp3|titles=Tears are not enough|artists=]

Vocals: Northern Lights (Bryan Adams, John Candy, Bruce Cockburn, Burton Cummings, Dalbello, Corey Hart, Ronnie Hawkins, Dan Hill, Paul Hyde, Marc Jordan, Geddy Lee, Gordon Lightfoot, Richard Manuel, Joni Mitchell, Anne Murray, Oscar Peterson, Mike Reno, Paul Shaffer, Jane Siberry, Neil Young, etc.)
Keyboards: David Foster
Drums: Jim Vallance
Guitar: Paul Dean
Acoustic Guitar: David Sinclair
French Horn: Steven Denroche
Synthesizer: Doug Johnson
Produced by David Foster
Associate Producer: Jim Vallance

Lyrics

As every day goes by, how can we close our eyes
Until we open up our hearts
We can learn to share and show how much we care
Right from the moment that we start

It seems like overnight we see a world in a different light
Somehow our innocence is lost
How can we look away ’cause every single day
We’ve got to help at any cost

We can bridge the distance
Only we can make the difference
Don’t you know that
Tears are not enough

If we can pull together
We can change the world forever
Heaven knows that tears are not enough

It’s up to me and you
To make the dream come true
It’s time to take our message everywhere

C’est l’amour qui nous rassemble
D’ici a l’autre bout du monde
Let’s show them Canada still cares
Oh, you know that we’ll be there

We can bridge the distance
Only we can make the difference
Don’t you know that
Tears are not enough

If we can pull together
We can change the world forever
Heaven knows that tears are not enough

And if we should try together, you and I
Maybe we could understand the reasons why

If we take a stand,
Every woman, child, and man
We could make it work
For God’s sake, lend a hand

We can bridge the distance
Only we can make the difference
Don’t you know that
Tears are not enough

If we can pull together
We can change the world forever
Heaven knows that tears are not enough

“I Finally Found Someone” is just one episode in the long professional partnership between Ms. Steisand and David Foster. The seventies found the super-producer first playing keyboards and arranging music on her records like “Lazy Afternoon,” “Superman,” “Songbird,” and “Wet.” In 1985, Foster produced the hit song “Somewhere” from her #1 “Broadway Album,” bringing him back to the Grammy podium for his inspired arrangement of the song. Many other productions followed including the 1993 #1 record, “Back To Broadway,” to this beautiful ballad co-written by Streisand and legendary composer Marvin Hamlisch (“The Way We Were”), pop/rock producer/songwriter John “Mutt” Lange (Shania Twain, AC/DC, Def Leppard), and Bryan Adams, another old friend of Foster’s who duets with Barbra. The Canadian superstar does a magnificent job matching Streisand’s voice with his gritty vocals and the result is smooth as silk. Foster arranged the song with help from co-writers Adams and Lange. The arrangement is classic enough for the faithful Streisand fans, but Adams’ voice and the catchy refrain give the song a contemporary twist perfect for A.C./pop radio. This soundtrack includes another track produced by Foster, “All Of My Life,” that’s good but not as interesting. Another Foster song, his beautiful rendition of “Carol Of The Bells,” was actually used in the movie but does not appear on the soundtrack.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/i_finally_found_someone.mp3|titles=I finally found someone|artists=Barbra Streisand & Bryan Adams]

Lead Vocals: Barbra Streisand & Bryan Adams
String Arrangements by Jack Hayes
Arranged by David Foster, Bryan Adams & “Mutt” Lange
Produced by David Foster

Lyrics

I finally found someone
Who knocks me off my feet
I finally found the one
Who makes me feel complete

It started over coffee
We started off as friends
It’s funny how from simple things
The best things begin

This time it’s different,
It’s all because of you
It’s better than it’s ever been
Cause we can talk it through

My favorite line was
‘Can I call you sometime’
Its all u had to say
To take my breath away

This is it
Oh I finally found someone
Someone to share my life
I finally found the one
to be with every night
Cuz whatever I do
It’s just got to be you
My life has just begun
I finally found someone
Oooh someone
I finally found somone

Did I keep u waiting? (I didnt mind)
I apologize (baby that’s fine)
I will wait forever
Just to know you were mine
(Ooh) You know I love your hair
( Sure it looks right?)
I love what you wear
(Isn’t it too tight?)
You’re exceptional
I can’t wait for the rest of my life

This is it
Oh I finally found someone
Someone to share my life
I finally found the one
To be with every night
Cuz whatever I do
It’s just got to be you

Ohh my life has just begun
I’ve finally found someone
And whatever I do
It’s just got to be you
Ohh my life has just begun
I’ve finally found someone…