Bryan Adams - Cuts Like A Knife

What this video is

Released in May 1983 as the second single from Bryan Adams' third studio album, 'Cuts Like a Knife' arrived at the precise moment when MTV — launched in August 1981 — was transitioning from a niche cable channel to a mainstream cultural force reshaping how rock acts broke nationally in the United States. Adams, a Canadian artist, leveraged the medium effectively: the video became one of his early MTV calling cards…

Why it matters

This video is a primary document of the AOR-to-mainstream-rock crossover that defined North American rock radio in 1983. It captures the genre at the precise moment it became MTV-compatible: raw enough to retain blue-collar credibility, polished enough for broadcast. Adams' raspy vocal, the band's…

The director

Steve Barron (born 4 May 1956, Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish-British filmmaker who began his career as a camera assistant on major productions including A Bridge Too Far (1977), The Duellists (1977), and Superman (1978). He co-founded Limelight, which became…