The radio landscape in 1986 was packed with unforgettable pop-rock anthems, but one Canadian group’s breakout hit hid a massive superstar secret right in plain sight.
When Glass Tiger stormed the charts with “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone),” the singalong smash became one of the year’s defining singles. But while the song’s driving beat captured listeners instantly, few fans realized that the powerhouse backing vocals soaring through the chorus belonged to one of the biggest rock legends of the ’80s.
Bryan Adams stepped into Glass Tiger’s recording session, working as an uncredited backing singer. His signature raspy tone gave the track an undeniable boost, and once you know he’s there, his voice is completely unmistakable.
The Canadian musicians worked together to create a powerhouse performance. Produced by Jim Vallance, Adams’ co-songwriter, “Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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According to Glass Tiger’s Alan Frew, Adams just happened to be in town for the Juno Awards and dropped by the studio to visit co-writer Vallance. This moment led to one of the most iconic impromptu backing vocal sessions of the decade.
“I know that Bryan and I were getting to know each other in one corner of the studio, drinking a few Heinekens, when Jim turned around and said, ‘Why don’t you guys go on the microphone together?’” Frew explained.
“So, Bryan and I were thinking, ‘Okay, that’d be a good laugh.’ But my question is: was it contrived by Jim having Bryan in the studio, thinking ahead like that? Or did it remain just the couple of guys having a few beers and going on a microphone?”
Frew added in a separate interview, “On the very first day that we met Jim, he picked us up at the airport and, to break the ice, asked us what we were listening to. One was Tears for Fears.“
He continued, “We went to his house and drank tea and listened to some tunes. ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ came on and we really liked the shuffle beat. So we went into the studio and, based on this shuffle beat, we wrote ‘Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone).’ First day, first song.”
Glass Tiger never had trouble coming up with a hook. Besides “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone),” the band landed permanent rotation on ’80s radio with “Someday” and “My Town,” proving they were far more than a fleeting chart anomaly. Yet despite their shared Canadian roots and producer connections, they never recorded with Bryan Adams again. That single afternoon in 1986 remained a one-time thing, a lucky, unplanned studio drop-in that gave an already great pop song a shot of arena-rock muscle.
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