Please Forgive Me

"Please Forgive Me" is a song by Canadian rock musician Bryan Adams. It was released in October 1993 as the only single and bonus track from his greatest hits compilation album So Far So Good. The single reached number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. It is his only Australian number-one single not written for a motion picture, and it also topped the charts of Belgium, Canada, France, Ireland, Norway, and Portugal. Additionally, the song made the top three in numerous other countries, including Germany and Italy.

"Please Forgive Me"
Single by Bryan Adams
from the album So Far So Good
Released	October 15, 1993
Genre	Soft rock[1]
Length	5:55
Label	A&M
Songwriter(s)	Bryan Adams and Robert Lange
Producer(s)	Bryan Adams and Robert Lange
Bryan Adams singles chronology
"Touch the Hand" (1992) "Please Forgive Me" (1993) "All for Love" (1993)
Music video
"Please Forgive Me" on YouTube

Background

"Please Forgive Me" was written by Adams and producer Robert Lange. The song has an instrumental intro, which is only found on the album version of the song. Adams told Songfacts that it was one of the first songs that he agreed to use a modulation in.[2]

The single reached number two in the United Kingdom, number seven in the US, and number one in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Norway and Portugal. The song was praised by critics upon its release, and gave Adams one of his best chart performances, his most highly successful being the 1991 international chart-topping hit "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You". The song helped So Far So Good reach number one on the UK Albums Chart and in Canada and Australia. The music video for this song also received a large amount of TV airplay.

The studio band, who also appear in the video which was filmed live during the tracking dates, included keyboard players David Paich and Robbie Buchanan, guitarist Shane Fontayne, bassist James "Hutch" Hutchinson, guitarist Keith Scott, drummer Mickey Curry and producer Mutt Lange. The song was co-written and produced by Mutt Lange. It was a radio hit all over the world, and became a hit amongst Adams fans. The single has sold over three million copies worldwide.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that the song "casts him in a familiar role: mournful romantic", and stated that the "guitar-framed rock ballad is an easy smash, thanks to Adams' friendly, world-weathered rasp, and an infectious chorus." He also described it as a "stately tune" and a "delicious hit of ear candy."[3] Dave Sholin from Gavin Report commented, "Among rock's most talented balladeers, Adams once again collaborates with "Mutt" Lange on a sensational production."[4] Liverpool Echo noted it as "another husky ballad with the kind of simple structure and simple sentiment which should ensure the widest appeal."[5] Music & Media said this track is "unmistakably part of the Adams' family of great rock ballads."[6]

Music video

The music video for the song was filmed in a recording studio and features Adams, his band and a dog. Adams and his bandmates befriended the dog - who belonged to the studio owner - whilst recording the track. The video for Adams' 2008 single "I Thought I'd Seen Everything" resembles the music video.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Please Forgive Me (Radio Mix)"
2.	"Can't Stop This Thing We Started (Live)"
3.	"There Will Never Be Another Tonight (Live)"
4.	"C'mon Everybody (Live)"

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1993–1994) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[7] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 2 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 1 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] 1 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[11] 3 Denmark (IFPI)[12] 2 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[13] 2 France (SNEP)[14] 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[15] 2 Germany (Official German Charts)[16] 3 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[17] 2 Ireland (IRMA)[18] 1 Italy (Musica e dischi)[19] 3 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[20] 3 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] 3 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22] 7 Norway (VG-lista)[23] 1 Portugal (AFP)[24] 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[25] 2 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 2 UK Singles (OCC)[27] 2 US Billboard Hot 100[28] 7 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[29] 2 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[30] 2 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[31] 39

Year-end charts Chart (1993) Position Australia (ARIA)[32] 10 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[33] 74 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[34] 37 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[35] 68 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[36] 35 Germany (Official German Charts)[37] 94 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[38] 64 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[39] 61 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[40] 90 UK Singles (OCC)[41] 15 Chart (1994) Position Australia (ARIA)[42] 8 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[43] 23 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[44] 32 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[45] 11 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[46] 22 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[47] 13 France (SNEP)[48] 40 Germany (Official German Charts)[49] 47 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[50] 70 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[51] 99 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[52] 61 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[53] 35 US Billboard Hot 100[54] 27

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[42]	2× Platinum	140,000^^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[55]	Gold	25,000^*
Germany (BVMI)[56]	Gold	250,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[57]	Gold	5,000^*
Sweden (GLF)[58]	Gold	25,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[59]	Gold	400,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. "200 Greatest Soft Rock Songs". entertainment.expertscolumn.com.
2. "Please Forgive Me". Songfacts.com. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
3. Flick, Larry (October 23, 1993). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 91. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
4. Sholin, Dave (October 8, 1993). "Gavin Picks: Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 58. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
5. Liverpool Echo. October 22, 1993. p. 33. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
6. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. October 16, 1993. p. 17. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
7. "Australian-charts.com – Bryan Adams – Please Forgive Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
8. "Austriancharts.at – Bryan Adams – Please Forgive Me" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
9. "Ultratop.be – Bryan Adams – Please Forgive Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
10. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2319." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
11. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2355." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
12. "Top 10 Denmark" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 50. December 11, 1993. p. 24. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
13. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 47. November 20, 1993. p. 11. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
14. "Lescharts.com – Bryan Adams – Please Forgive Me" (in French). Les classement single.
15. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bryan Adams – Please Forgive Me". GfK Entertainment Charts.
17. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (09.12.1993 – 15.12.1993)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). December 9, 2013. p. 24. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
18. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Please Forgive Me". Irish Singles Chart.
19. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11 no. 8. February 19, 1994. p. 12. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
20. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 49, 1993" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved July 2, 2019.
21. "Dutchcharts.nl – Bryan Adams – Please Forgive Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
22. "Charts.nz – Bryan Adams – Please Forgive Me". Top 40 Singles.
23. "Norwegiancharts.com – Bryan Adams – Please Forgive Me". VG-lista.
24. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 47. November 20, 1993. p. 20. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
25. "Swedishcharts.com – Bryan Adams – Please Forgive Me". Singles Top 100.
26. "Swisscharts.com – Bryan Adams – Please Forgive Me". Swiss Singles Chart.
27. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
28. "Bryan Adams Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
29. "Bryan Adams Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
30. "Bryan Adams Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
31. "Bryan Adams Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
32. "1993 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
33. "Jaaroverzichten 1993" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
34. "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1993". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
35. "The RPM Top 100 A\C Tracks of 1993". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
36. "1993 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 51/52. December 18, 1993. p. 15. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
37. "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1993" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
38. "Árslistinn 1993". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 4, 1994. p. 17. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
39. "Jaarlijsten 1993" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
40. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1993" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
41. "Top 100 Singles 1993". Music Week. January 15, 1994. p. 24.
42. "1994 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
43. "Jahreshitparade Singles 1994" (in German). Retrieved July 2, 2019.
44. "Jaaroverzichten 1994" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
45. "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1994". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
46. "RPM Top 100 AC tracks of 1994". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
47. "1994 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11 no. 52. December 24, 1994. p. 12. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
48. "Tops de L'année | Top Singles 1994" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
49. "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1994" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
50. "Jaarlijsten 1994" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
51. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1994" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
52. "Årslista Singlar, 1994" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
53. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1994" (in German). Retrieved July 2, 2019.
54. "Billboard Top 100 – 1994". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
55. "Austrian single certifications – Bryan Adams – Please Forgive Me" (in German). IFPI Austria.
56. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bryan Adams; 'Please Forgive Me')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
57. "New Zealand single certifications – Bryan Adams – Please Forgive Me". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
58. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
59. "British single certifications – Bryan Adams – Please Forgive Me". British Phonographic Industry.