Bryan Adams – Cuts Like A Knife

About The Song

Cuts Like a Knife is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams. Released on 18 January 1983 by A&M Records, the album was a huge commercial success in the United States and Canada. Three singles were released worldwide from the album: “Straight from the Heart”, the title track and “This Time”; the three were responsible for launching Adams into mainstream popularity.

Co-produced by Adams and Bob Clearmountain, Cuts Like a Knife was recorded from August 13 to October 20, 1982 at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with Clearmountain mixing the album at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec and Power Station in New York City between October 14 to 20, 1982.

“Straight from the Heart” is a ballad and one of Adams’ most recognizable and popular songs. It was written by Eric Kagna, a Vancouver singer/songwriter, and the instrumental bridge was contributed by Adams. The official songwriter credit is shared equally between Adams and Kagna. This track was the last recorded for the album, but the first single, released in December 1982, one month prior to the album’s release. The song was later recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler in 1983; it appears on her album Faster Than the Speed of Night. Adams version reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 32 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song has appeared on all of Adams’ compilation albums with the exception of The Best of Me.

“Cuts Like a Knife” was released in 1983 and became one of the most successful songs from Cuts Like a Knife on the American rock charts and one of Adams’ most recognizable and popular songs from the 1980s. “Cuts Like a Knife” was released worldwide in March 1984.  The song reached the top ten on the Mainstream Rock Tracks at six; “Cuts Like a Knife” would also chart on the Billboard Hot 100 at 15. “Cuts Like a Knife” was Adams’ first top 20 hit on the Canadian singles chart and remained in the top 20 for six weeks. “Cuts Like a Knife” was released the following month in Europe but didn’t chart.

“Don’t Leave Me Lonely” was co-written with Kiss drummer Eric Carr, intended to be included on the Kiss album Creatures of the Night, but left off the final release.

“This Time” by Adams and co-writer Jim Vallance was the third single released from the album. Adams initially didn’t care for the song and didn’t want to record it, but eventually agreed to after the insistence of co-producer Bob Clearmountain. The song peaked at 21 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and at 24 on the Billboard Hot 100.”This Time” was Adams’ first single to chart in Europe, where it charted after being re-released in the United Kingdom.

The final track on the album, “The Best Was Yet to Come”, which was later covered by Laura Branigan for her 1990 self-titled album, is currently one of three songs written about Dorothy Stratten.[citation needed]

Two additional singles from the album were released in specific territories.

Video

Lyrics

Drivin’ home this evening
I coulda sworn we had it all worked out
You had this boy believin’
Way beyond the shadow of a doubt

I heard it on the street
I heard you mighta found somebody new
Well who is he baby – who is he
And tell me what he means to you

I took it all for granted
But how was I to know
That you’d be letting go

Now it cuts like a knife
But it feels so right
It cuts like a knife
But it feels so right

There’s times I’ve ‘bin mistaken
There’s times I thought I’d ‘bin misunderstood
So wait a minute darlin’
Can’t you see we did the best we could

This would be the first time
Things have gone astray
Now you’ve thrown it all away

Now it cuts like a knife
But it feels so right
It cuts like a knife
But it feels so right