Do I Have To Say The Words?

Album: Waking Up The Neighbors (1991)
Charted: 30 11
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This Bryan Adams, Mutt Lange and Jim Vallance penned song was released as the fifth single from the singer's Waking Up the Neighbours album. It peaked at #11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #2 in Adams' native Canada.
  • This began as a completely different song written by Adams and Vallance: a mid-tempo U2-inspired track titled "Rescue Me." Vallance recalled on his website: "Mutt Lange worked his magic, turned our chorus into a verse, slowed the tempo to ballad-speed, added a new chorus, and the song became 'Do I Have To Say The Words?'"
  • The song's music video was directed by the Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn and partly filmed in Iceland with the female character. The main bulk of it was shot at Istanbul in Turkey.

Comments: 1

  • Eliseu Carvalho from Canoas, Rs, BrazilI wonder who's the girl on the video.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

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.

P.F. Sloan

P.F. SloanSongwriter Interviews

P.F. was a teenager writing hits and playing on tracks for Jan & Dean when he wrote a #1 hit that got him blackballed.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

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.