Bryan Adams and Tina Turner 'It's Only Love'

Chart Peak: 29

YouTube

Two of 1985's hitmakers have teamed up for one of the most explosive duets ever recorded.

Explosive? Well I guess you could say it bombed chartwise... Actually, that's slightly unfair. Though not a major hit, it did chart higher than 'Summer Of 69', which is probably the most famous song from Adams' breakthrough album Reckless. Believe it or not, that TotP playout was the longest clip from the studio track I could find on any video site, so I had to go back to the vinyl to hear the song. Well, try to hear the song at least - there isn't really much of one there. Adams and Turner do their best to make a big noise but they haven't really got anything much to work with and it can only be a tribute to their respective fanbases that they even got this into the Top 30.

Bryan Adams also appears on: Now 34, 43, 45 (with Chicane)
Tina Turner also appears on: 1, 4, 16, 17, 18, 21, 25, 26, 32, 34, 44
Available on: Reckless

Bryan Adams 'The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You'

Chart Peak: 6

Livevideo.com [no, I'd never heard of it either].

An oddly difficult record to track down: he's only uploaded a live version to his YouTube channel (although there are also some officially-endorsed cover versions) and neither is it on Last.FM. If I didn't know better I'd suspect he was slightly ashamed of it. I certainly wouldn't blame him.

Now, I realise he's an easy target for criticism, but there's a reason: however much one might admire his humanitarian work, this is a truly, deeply awful record by almost any possible measure. It can't even claim the good ol' blue collar appeal of typical Adams work, as it strives to be fashionable, funny and sexy, none of which are moods he's well qualified to portray. The dismissive references to famous fashion brands are awkwardly out of place and the notion that all this is somehow intended as a come-on would be creepy were it not so bizarre. And just to seal the deal, there's also the garish horror of the promo video, which repeatedly shows Adams on the toilet. Blender magazine apparently voted this the 47th worst single ever and if anything, they were a bit on the generous side.

Also appearing on: Now 6 [with Tina Turner], 43, 45 [with Chicane]
Available on: Anthology