"I got my first real 6 string" isn't just a line from a song. For anyone who grew up in the eighties, or anyone who’s ever stepped into a dive bar with a jukebox, those seven words are an instant trigger. You hear the palm-muted power chords of Bryan Adams’ "Summer of '69," and suddenly you’re thinking about five-and-dime stores and the best days of your life.
But here’s the thing. Most people actually get the story wrong.
It’s easy to assume the song is a nostalgic diary entry about 1969. It feels like it, right? The imagery is thick—standing on a porch, starting a band, the bittersweet reality of friends quitting or getting married. Yet, if you look at the math, Bryan Adams was born in late 1959. That would make him nine or ten years old during that "summer." While some kids are prodigies, it’s a stretch to say a ten-year-old was having a life-altering summer of romance and rock-and-roll rebellion.
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The "6 string" wasn't just a guitar. It was a metaphor. And honestly, it was a bit of a double entendre that the songwriters have been teasing fans about for decades.
The Five-and-Dime Mystery
Let’s talk about that guitar. In the lyrics, Adams sings about buying it at the "five-and-dime." For those too young to remember, these were the precursors to modern dollar stores—places like Woolworth’s or Kresge’s. You could get popcorn, sewing needles, and apparently, a cheap acoustic guitar.
Jim Vallance, the legendary songwriter who co-wrote the track with Adams, has been very vocal about the origins of these lines. He’s clarified that the song was originally titled "Best Days of My Life." The "Summer of '69" title didn’t even appear in the lyrics initially.
The "6 string" in question was basically a cheap, plywood instrument. If you’ve ever played a guitar from a department store, you know the action is so high it feels like you're trying to press down cheese wires. It hurts. It makes your fingers bleed, just like the song says.
But wait. There’s a catch.
Bryan Adams has famously claimed in interviews—most notably with CBS and various music magazines—that the song isn’t about the year 1969 at all. He’s hinted, quite cheekily, that it’s about the sexual position. Vallance, on the other hand, usually sticks to the "it’s about nostalgia" story. This tension between the two creators is what makes the track so enduring. It’s either a sweet memory of a first guitar or a dirty joke hidden in plain sight.
You decide.
Why the "First Real 6 String" Resonates
There is a specific kind of magic in your first real instrument. Not a toy. Not a hand-me-down with three strings missing. A "real" one.
When you get that first guitar, the world changes. You aren't just a kid anymore; you’re a musician in training. You spend hours in a basement or a garage. You play until your fingers develop those thick, waxy calluses that make you feel like a pro.
- The smell of the wood.
- The tension of the tuning pegs.
- The way the chord sounds when you finally stop buzzing the fret.
That’s what Adams captured. It’s that universal transition from dreaming about being something to actually doing it. Even if the band "played 'til my fingers bled," and even if they "didn't get far," that period of time represents the peak of potential.
The Gear Behind the Sound
If you’re a gear head, you might want to know what the "real" guitar used on the recording was. It certainly wasn't a five-and-dime acoustic.
Recording "Summer of '69" required a very specific grit. To get that iconic opening, Adams and his producer, Bob Clearmountain, used a 1950s-era Fender Stratocaster. They plugged it into a Vox AC30 or a Marshall amp—the accounts vary slightly depending on which studio session you track—but the result was that bright, jangly, yet aggressive tone.
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The irony? The song celebrates a cheap 6-string, but it was built on the back of some of the most expensive and sought-after vintage gear in the world.
The Composition Struggle
It wasn't an instant hit. Believe it or not, the song went through multiple iterations. They recorded it. They hated it. They scrapped the demo.
The original version was much more "demo-like" and lacked the driving energy we hear today. It took Jim Vallance and Bryan Adams several tries to find that driving tempo. They needed it to feel like a car driving down a highway with the windows down.
When they finally nailed the arrangement, they knew they had something. But even then, the record label wasn't convinced it would be the standout track of the Reckless album. They were leaning more toward ballads like "Heaven."
Debunking the 1969 Myth
We have to look at the cultural context. 1969 was a heavy year. Woodstock. The Moon Landing. The end of the hippie era.
By writing a song with that year in the title, Adams tapped into a collective consciousness. Even if he was only ten, the idea of 1969 carries weight. It represents a loss of innocence for the world.
However, many music critics point out that the song feels more like the mid-seventies. The vibe of "standing on your mama's porch" and "the choice of getting married" sounds like a young man in his late teens or early twenties. This would place the "real" timeline around 1978 or 1979 for Adams.
So why call it '69?
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Because "Summer of '78" doesn't rhyme with much. And it doesn't have that "cultural click." Sometimes, songwriting is about the feeling, not the calendar.
Actionable Insights for Aspiring Guitarists
If you just got your "first real 6 string" and you’re trying to channel your inner rock star, don’t make the same mistakes most beginners do.
Get a Professional Setup
Don't fight your gear. If you bought a guitar at a thrift store or a "five-and-dime" equivalent, take it to a local shop. Ask them to "set it up." They will adjust the string height (action) and the intonation. It will save your fingers from bleeding, despite what the song recommends.
Focus on the Power Chord
The backbone of "Summer of '69" is the power chord. It’s just two or three notes. It’s the easiest way to sound like a rock god in under ten minutes. Learn the D-Major and A-Major shapes first.
Don't Quit When the Band Breaks Up
The song is a warning. Jimmy quit, Jody got married. People will drop out of your creative life. The secret to "the best days of your life" is that you can keep making them as long as you keep the guitar.
Record Your Progress
We live in an age where your phone is a better recording studio than what Adams had in the early eighties. Record your practice sessions. You’ll cringe at first, but it’s the only way to hear where you’re actually slipping up.
The legacy of the "first real 6 string" is about the start of a journey. Whether you're playing for 50,000 people or just your cat, that first instrument is the bridge between who you are and who you want to be. Keep playing. Don't let the "best days" stay in the past.