The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You

Album: 18 til I Die (1996)
Charted: 6 52
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The lead single from 18 til I Die, Adams wrote and produced the song with Mutt Lange, who produced Adams' 1991 hit "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You."
  • In this song, Adams gets his swagger on, telling a girl, "The only think that looks good on me is you." It's a cheesy line, but he sells it. The lyric is filled with fashion references: Armani, Gucci and Versace all get mentions.
  • The video was directed by Matthew Rolston and stars various fashion models, including Ana Cristina de Oliveira. In a Songfacts interview, Adams said: "Probably my favorite music video was 'The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You.' When I watch my old videos on YouTube I sometimes think that the film doesn't match the music, and that was when videos mattered! I once worked with a director who said to me, 'if it's not unusual why do it?' nowadays, I think the best videos are the live ones, as they truly showed what was going on with the artist and the song." (Check out our interview with Bryan Adams.)

Comments: 1

  • Ang from Columbus, Oh
    The produces of the 1996 VH1 Fashion Adwards show asked Adams to drop a couple lines from the song, since he was slated to preform the same time the models would be showing off clothing by Versace.

    When Adams preformed the song, some of the models clearly tensed up when he belted out the lines: "I'm not satisfied with Versace style/Put those patent leather pants - in the circular file"
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)Song Writing

How a gym teacher, a janitor, and a junkie became part of some very famous band names.

Don Felder

Don FelderSongwriter Interviews

Don breaks down "Hotel California" and other songs he wrote as a member of the Eagles. Now we know where the "warm smell of colitas" came from.

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"They're Playing My Song

Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.

Does Jimmy Page Worship The Devil? A Look at Satanism in Rock

Does Jimmy Page Worship The Devil? A Look at Satanism in RockSong Writing

We ring the Hell's Bells to see what songs and rockers are sincere in their Satanism, and how much of it is an act.

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.