By the time he was 23 in 1983, Bryan Adams had written songs that had been recorded by BTO, Prism, Ian Lloyd, Loverboy, and Kiss; he had also toured in support of two solo albums, opening for the likes of the Kinks and Foreigner. After recording Cuts Like a Knife with Bob Clearmountain, his potential for being “the next big thing” resulted in this lengthy interview with Dean Hill, taped in Vancouver before Bryan spent the rest of the year on tour.

The making of Cuts Like a Knife is the centerpiece here, with Part 2 of the interview containing a track-by-track dialogue of every song on the new album. In Part 1, he also discusses in depth what it was like to work with Bob Clearmountain, the new band, making videos, and the possibility of the album flopping. There is also a wealth of material that provides insight into his songwriting process.

Throughout the interview, there is a thematic element of what it is like to be on the brink of international fame at such a young age. Bryan is confident and seemingly proud of his work, including some of the clichéd writing that would eventually be fodder for some of his harsher criticisms. At the same time, his sincere and unapologetic drive to rock his fans is extremely endearing.

Part 1 00:00 – Origins of “Cuts Like A Knife” 01:19 – Recording in Vancouver, Montreal, and New York 02:18 – What he looks for in a studio 02:50 – Working with Bob Clearmountain / Bryan’s favorite work from Bob 06:21 – Picking up Mickey Curry from Hall & Oates 08:30 – Working with Lou Gramm from Foreigner 11:43 – Writing with Jim Vallance / overall teamwork 15:27 – Measuring the value of a song through live music 15:53 – Writing for other artists: Loverboy, Prism, Pat Benatar 17:56 – Writing from fantasy vs. direct experience 18:47 – Favorite songs from the first three albums 20:57 – Movie videos / achieving a high profile 26:15 – Upcoming tours (with Hall & Oates, Journey) / possibility of burning out 28:02 – Concern for predictability with one’s sound 29:31 – Being young (23 years old) 30:38 – Possibility of flopping / other jobs 31:59 – Forced into singing / getting comfortable with a mic / meaning what you sing

Part 2 00:00 – Joking around 00:22 – “The Only One” 01:34 – “Take Me Back” 02:27 – “This Time” 03:18 – “Straight from the Heart” 04:37 – “Cuts Like a Knife” 05:52 – “I’m Ready” 07:24 – Conducting the band / finally having a great band / Mickey Curry 09:22 – “What’s It Gonna Be” 10:07 – Never gets stage fright / just having to rock a town / opening vs. headlining 16:41 – “Don’t Leave Me Lonely” / romantic unrest 18:09 – “Let Him Know” / sequel to “Don’t Let Him Know” / winning a motorcycle 21:40 – “Straight from the Heart” / co-written by Bryan’s lawyer / good titles 23:14 – Back to “Let Him Know” 25:57 – “The Best Was Yet to Come” / Dorothy Stratten

Part 3 00:00 – The gift and the challenge of songwriting 01:48 – Summary of the album 02:34 – The future of his writing / freedom to do what he wants 04:09 – Meeting Burt Bacharach 04:49 – Staying in Vancouver / writing in other places 06:48 – Not growing up too fast 08:46 – OUTTAKE: “Cuts Like a Knife” / title of the album / personal experience