Waking Up the Neighbours

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[11]
Chicago Tribune	[12]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	[13]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[14]
Los Angeles Times	[15]
Rolling Stone	[16]

Waking Up the Neighbours was co-produced by Adams and Mutt Lange, and peaked at number six on the Billboard 200.[5] The album was released in September 1991 and album and single topped the charts in many countries with "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" spending record-breaking 16 weeks at number one on UK Singles Chart and topped the charts in 17 countries.[2] It also made record-breaking sales of 4 million copies in the US.[17] Canadian content regulations were revised in 1991 to allow radio stations to credit airplay of this album towards their legal requirements to play Canadian music.[2] The album has become Adams second best-selling album worldwide.[10] Adams won a Grammy Award in 1992 for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television for "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You".

Waking Up the Neighbours included other hit singles including "Can't Stop This Thing We Started", "There Will Never Be Another Tonight", "Thought I'd Died and Gone to Heaven", "All I Want Is You", "Do I Have to Say the Words?" and "Touch the Hand" and all had accompanying music videos. All of these songs including "Do I Have to Say the Words?" placed on the Billboard Hot 100. "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" arguably became Adams' most recognizable and popular song. Its music video received heavy airplay on music television.

The album caused controversy in Canada concerning the system of Canadian Content. Although Adams was one of Canada's biggest recording stars at the time, the specific nature of his collaboration with non-Canadians, coupled with his decision to primarily record the album outside Canada, meant that the album and all its songs were not considered Canadian content for purposes of Canadian radio airplay.[2] Under the system then in place, to qualify as Canadian content, a piece of recorded music had to meet any two of the following four criteria:

• 1) the artist was Canadian
• 2) the track was completely recorded in Canada
• 3) the music was entirely written by a Canadian (or Canadians)
• 4) the lyrics were entirely written by a Canadian (or Canadians)

As Adams co-wrote both the music and the lyrics with Mutt Lange who is from Zambia, and he did not primarily record the album in Canada, he only fulfilled one of the criteria. As a result, under CRTC regulations none of the album's songs were considered Canadian content.[18]

In protest, Adams briefly threatened to boycott Canada's annual Juno Awards, where his album had been almost completely ignored by the awards committee. He did end up winning the Entertainer of the Year Award (voted on by the public) and Producer of the Year Award.[18]

Adams publicly criticised the CRTC policy, calling it "a disgrace, a shame...stupidity". He continued his attack with;

"You'd never hear Elton John being declared un-British ... It's time to abolish the CRTC. Not everyone agrees."[2]

It was also noted that if Adams had written all the lyrics, and Lange all the music (or vice versa), the collaboration would have counted as Canadian content (as long as it was recorded by a Canadian artist such as Adams, or had it been recorded in Canada).

As a result of the controversy, in September of that year, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced that Canadian content rules would be changed. The new regulation allows non-Canadians to contribute up to 50% of the finished content to each of both the music and the lyrics of a recorded piece, and still qualify for Canadian content status—provided the recording artist is Canadian, or the song is recorded in Canada.[2] Accordingly, the Adams/Lange songs, and the Adams/Lange/Vallance songs on the album now count as Canadian content, as Jim Vallance is also Canadian. However, the Adams/Lange/Kamen co-write "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" still does not count as Canadian content, as two of the three writers are non-Canadians, and the track was not recorded in Canada.

Before releasing the album, Adams had already started a tour promoting it, and on June 8, 1991, he held large concerts in Europe co-headlining with ZZ Top. Shortly after the tour started, "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" was released as the debut single for the album. The single became a worldwide hit.[19] Adams further supported the new album with his tour Waking Up the World, which started in October 1991 and ran through May 1993. On October 4, 1991, the world tour started in Belfast, Northern Ireland. On December 18, 1991, Adams played his two first-ever shows in Reykjavík, Iceland. After his tour in Europe, as well as a concert at Wembley Stadium attended by more than 72,000 people, Adams left for the United States, where he performed at the Ritz Theatre on January 10.[9] That concert sold out in less than 20 minutes.[9] In attendance were Ben E. King and Nona Hendrix.[9]

The Canadian leg of the 'Waking Up the World' Tour kicked off in Sydney, Nova Scotia on 12 January 1992, and wrapped up with a standing room only concert in Vancouver, British Columbia, on 31 January. In February 1992, he toured New Zealand and Australia for 7 dates, kicking off with a press conference in Sydney. On February 21 the tour headed to Japan for close to a dozen shows in 6 cities. Bryan taped an interview with MuchMusic's Terry Dave Mulligan in Calgary, Alberta and the air date was scheduled for mid-March.[9] The tour continued through several European countries in June 1992, including Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, and in July 1992, Bryan performed for the first time in Hungary and Turkey. September through December 1992 saw the tour in the U.S. The Asian tour headed to Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong in February, 1993, before returning to the U.S. during March through May.[9][19]

Adams' visit to South Africa during his Waking Up the World tour, following the release of Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners from prison and the unbanning of black political parties, has been left relatively undocumented. Adams' concert at Cape Town's Green Point stadium during the tour was called one of his most emotional and memorable performances.

Coca-Cola was one of the official partners and sponsors of the tour, and the beverage company released a commercial promoting the tour. It featured the song "House Arrest" with Adams and his band playing the song in a neighborhood and also featured actress Neve Campbell.

• Bryan Adams — rhythm guitar, vocals, co-producer
• Keith Scott — lead guitar
• Tommy Mandel — Hammond organ
• Dave Taylor — bass
• Mickey Curry — drums

+

• Larry Klein — bass
• Phil Nicholas — keyboards and programming
• Robbie King — Hammond organ
• Bill Payne — piano and Hammond organ
• Ed Shearmur — keyboards
• The Tuck Back Twins — background vocals
• Andrew Catlin — photography

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• List of diamond-certified albums in Canada