Kevin Bacon Transformed into Bryan Adams to Sing "Summer of '69" with Jimmy Fallon
The actor donned a blonde wig and performed the 1980s hit like a pro in the latest installment in the Tonight Show series.
Actor and musician Kevin Bacon returned to the The Tonight Show on April 1, and he delivered a brand-new "First Drafts of Rock" alongside Jimmy Fallon. Bacon donned a blonde, feather-haired wig to transform into Bryan Adams to sing his '80s hit "Summer of '69." And he really nailed Adams' raspy voice.
After recreating hits from Tom Petty, The Beach Boys, ZZ Top and more, who knew Bacon had a new dead-on musical impression in him? It's wild that — as he noted during his sit-down with Fallon — he only hosted Saturday Night Live once ("the hardest thing I ever did," he said).
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Kevin Bacon sounds exactly like Bryan Adams in "First Drafts of Rock"
"In the 1980s, rock 'n' roll with a pop edge was dominating the Billboard charts," a narrator says, introducing the segment. "And the music of Canadian artist Bryan Adams was no exception, with the release of his smash hit 'Summer of '69' — a nostalgic, rocking tune that would capture a generation and be revered for decades to come as a quintessential song of the summer. "
"But America never heard its first draft -- until now," the announcer said, cueing a close-up on Bacon in costume as Adams, picking out the iconic intro licks on an electric guitar.
Bacon sounds so much like Adams, perfectly mimicking his distinctive vocals, it takes a moment to realize the lyrics aren't quite what you remembered.
While the opening really does go, "I got my first real six-string / I bought it at the five-and-dime," the "First Drafts of Rock" version takes things in a very different direction.
"Door opened, I heard a little ding-a-ling / Another guy walked in the five-and-dime," Bacon continues as Adams. "Said he was looking for a six-string / I said he couldn't have mine! / Then we kind of hit it off / We both had a love for a six-string / I said, 'We should start a band / Maybe we can both play six-strings'/ But this was the only six-string left."
Fallon — also clad in 1980s gear, as a bandmate — jumps in to sing-suggest an odd deal that involves sawing a 12-string in half, after buying one with store credit from the returned six-string.
"It was the best deal of my life!" Bacon sings. "Oh yeah!"
Who can forget that classic line, "That was the summer we switched the strings"?
Watch Kevin Bacon and Jimmy Fallon's "First Drafts of Rock: Summer of '69" above, and watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon weeknights at 11:35/10:35c on NBC, streaming next-day on Peacock.
