Our first song about the past. A man remembers when he was young: his first guitar, his band, his friends.
Learn from Songs · Unit 2: Past time · A2–B1
Summer of ’69
A song full of memories: the past of to be (was / were, wasn’t / weren’t, Were you…?), the most common regular and irregular past verbs (played, bought, got, had, quit), how to say -ed, and past time expressions, with Philo, Sophia, Marcos and Demetria, and the oldest man in the Iliad.
SOPHIA
MARCOS
A band! I want to be in a band.
DEMETRIA
You were in a band last year, Marcos. For one day.
MARCOS
That was a very good day.
Before you listen: the song
West Vancouver, Canada, 1984
Bryan Adams is a Canadian rock singer. In January 1984, he and his friend Jim Vallance wrote “Summer of ’69” in Vallance’s basement. It mixes their memories: Jim’s school band in the late 1960s, and Bryan’s garage band in the 1970s.
In the song, the singer remembers the summer when he was young. He bought his first guitar in a cheap shop, and he played it until his fingers hurt. He had a band with his friends from school, but it didn’t last: one friend quit, another got married. He remembers waiting for his girlfriend on her mother’s porch, and he thinks: those were the best days of his life.
The names of the two friends in the song were chosen simply because they sounded good when sung. Bryan Adams has said the song is not really about the year 1969 at all, but about being young.
Those were the best days.
Listen: what does he remember?
PHILO
Listen once. What did he buy? Who was in his band? What happened to the band?
SOPHIA
Then listen again for was and were, and for every past verb you can hear. Answer Section A.
🎸 Listen to the song: “Summer of ’69” (Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, 1984).Watch the official video →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “Summer of ’69”, Bryan Adams.Read the lyrics →
Was and were
DEMETRIA
He was young. They were in a band. Those were the best days.
SOPHIA
The past of to be: I / he / she / it was; you / we / they were. Negative: wasn’t, weren’t. Questions: Was he…? Were they…? Short answers: Yes, he was. No, they weren’t.
Past simple: regular and irregular
MARCOS
He played the guitar. He bought it. He had a band. One friend quit. Another got married.
SOPHIA
Regular verbs add -ed: play → played, wait → waited. Irregular verbs must be learned: buy → bought, have → had, get → got, quit → quit, think → thought, go → went. Negatives and questions use did: The band didn’t last. Did he buy a guitar?
Saying -ed
PHILO
Played, stopped, waited. Why do they sound different?
SOPHIA
Three sounds: /d/ after voiced sounds (played, lived), /t/ after voiceless sounds (stopped, watched), and /ɪd/ only after t or d (waited, needed). Spanish speakers often say stop-ed with two syllables: it’s just stopt.
Sophia’s comparison: “when I was young…”
SOPHIA
In the Iliad, old Nestor always begins the same way: “When I was young, I was strong, and I fought the Centaurs…” Everyone loves him, and everyone groans.
MARCOS
So the singer of this song is a young Nestor?
DEMETRIA
One day, Marcos, you will say: “When I was young, I was in a band. For one day.”
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| was / were | past of to be | I was young. Those were the best days. |
| wasn’t / weren’t; Was…? / Were…? | negatives and questions | Were you in a band? |
| played, waited (+ -ed) | regular past simple | He played every day. |
| bought, had, got, quit, went | irregular past simple | He bought his first guitar. |
| didn’t + base verb; Did…? | negatives and questions with did | The band didn’t last. |
Practice
Listen to the song for Section A, then do the rest. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Listen: the song
Listen to the song and choose the best answer.
1. What did he buy?
2. How long did he play it?
3. Who was in his band?
4. What happened to the band?
5. How does he feel about that time?
6. Which tense does he use most?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. I very happy that summer. (be)
8. We in the same band. (be)
9. He his first guitar in 1969. (buy)
10. My friend married last year. (get)
11. The band last. (negative)
12. you in a band at school? (question, be)
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “I was buy a guitar.”
14. “We were very young.”
15. “Did you went to the concert?”
16. “They weren’t at home.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Find someone who… Ask the class: Were you in a band? Did you have a pet? Was your first teacher nice? What was your favourite toy?
Discuss. 1. Why do people often say their teenage years were the best? 2. Is it true for you? 3. What was your first instrument, game or hobby?
Write (80–120 words). The best summer of my life. Describe a summer you remember: where you were, who you were with, what you did, and why it was special. Use was / were and at least six past simple verbs.