Songfacts®:

• Adams wrote this with Jim Vallance, who collaborated on most of his hits. On his website, Vallance explains that this is a "relationship" song, but the second verse is about World War I. Said Vallance: "Adams and I are both interested in First World War history (Bryan's grandfather served with the British Army in WW1). As a result, lyrical references to that war occasionally appear in our songwriting. It's not always in context, and it doesn't always make sense, but there it is!"
• Vallance explained that the lyrics, "And the winners are losers, you see it every night" were inspired by his nights playing drums in nightclubs. He said: "It was pathetic, really. You'd see the same people every night of the week, drinking and dancing and hoping to meet someone to go home with. I used to sit behind my drum kit, look out at the audience, and watch the whole thing unfold like a bad soap opera. In my mind, the 'winners' - the ones who found someone to go home with - were really the 'losers.'"