This morning in the shower, the perfect song came into my head to play tonight … but … as often happens, it left my head before I sat down to do my music post some 14 hours later.  Ah well … at a certain point in the life cycle, the brain becomes as a sieve, and nothing stays for very long.  At any rate, I still found a good song for tonight, and I hope you’ll like it.

I’ve been familiar with the music of Bryan Adams for decades, but never realized that he is so much more than just a singer … he is a guitarist, singer, composer, record producer, photographer, and philanthropist.  Who knew?  I also didn’t realize … or if I once did, I’ve long since forgotten … that he is a Canadian.

Adams was the most played artist on Canadian radio in the 2010s and he has had 25 Top 15 singles in Canada, and a dozen or more in the US, UK and Australia.  Most of Adams’ philanthropic activity is through The Bryan Adams Foundation, which “aims to improve the quality of people’s lives around the world by providing financial grants to support specific projects that are committed to bettering the lives of other people”. The foundation is mostly funded by Adams himself.  He has far too many charitable performances to enumerate here, but he has been part of numerous charitable and humanitarian causes, as well as being an animal rights activist.

Adams tells of the song’s creation …

“We needed a song for the greatest hits album, which was entitled So Far So Good. Mutt Lange came up with the idea for the song and we wrote it while working in France in 1993. It was the first time we had recorded with a whole band in the studio, some of the musicians I’d never worked with before like David Paich on piano. Before this band session, we had recorded the album Waking Up The Neighbours instrument by instrument. It was good to be back with a band.

It was one of the first songs I agreed to use a modulation in as I never liked modulations in songs unless you were modulating from verse to chorus like I did on ‘One Night Love Affair.’ I don’t do the modulation in ‘Please Forgive Me’ when I sing it live.”

Released in 1993, the song reached #7 in the U.S., #1 in Canada, and #2 in the UK.

Please Forgive Me
Bryan Adams

It still feels like our first night together
Feels like the first kiss
It’s getting better baby
No one can better this
Still holding on
You’re still the one
First time our eyes met
Same feeling I get
Only feels much stronger
I want to love you longer
Do you still turn the fire on?

So if you’re feeling lonely, don’t
You’re the only one I’ll ever want
I only want to make it good
So if I love you, a little more than I should

Please forgive me, I know not what I do
Please forgive me, I can’t stop loving you
Don’t deny me, this pain I’m going through
Please forgive me, if I need you like I do
Please believe me, every word I say is true
Please forgive me, I can’t stop loving you

Still feels like our best times are together
Feels like the first touch
We’re still getting closer baby
Can’t get closer enough
Still holding on
You’re still number one
I remember the smell of your skin
I remember everything
I remember all your moves
I remember you yeah
I remember the nights, you know I still do

So if you’re feeling lonely, don’t
You’re the only one I’ll ever want
I only want to make it good
So if I love you a little more than I should

Please forgive me, I know not what I do
Please forgive me, I can’t stop loving you
Don’t deny me, this pain I’m going through
Please forgive me, if I need you like I do
Please believe me, every word I say is true
Please forgive me, I can’t stop loving you

The one thing I’m sure of
Is the way we make love
The one thing I depend on
Is for us to stay strong
With every word and every breath I’m praying
That’s why I’m saying,

Please forgive me, I know not what I do
Please forgive me, I can’t stop loving you
Don’t deny me, this pain I’m going through
Please forgive me, if I need you like I do
Babe believe it, every word I say is true
Please forgive me, if I can’t stop loving you
No, believe me, I don’t know what I do
Please forgive me, I can’t stop loving you
I can’t stop, loving you

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Bryan Adams / Robert Lange
Please Forgive Me lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group