His achievements include selling 53 million albums, eight top ten albums, two number one singles on the Billboard charts, and awards from both the American Music Awards and Grammy Awards.
Michael Bolton had an extensive, though not very successful, career under his real name, Michael Bolotin, before emerging in the mid-'80s as a major soft rock balladeer. Bolton began recording in 1975. This first album was self-titled using his original surname, Bolotin. Early in his musical career, he focused on hard rock. His band, Blackjack, once toured with heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. He turned up on RCA Records in the mid-'70s singing in a gruff, Joe Cocker-like voice both his own blue-eyed soul songs and cover tunes. Neither record buyers nor critics were much interested by the result. He then became the lead singer in Blackjack, a heavy metal band that made two albums for Polydor at the end of the '70s and the start of the '80s. In 1983, he changed his name to Michael Bolton, signed to Columbia Records as a solo act, and relaunched his career.
Michael Bolton was released in April 1983, and made the Top 100 bestsellers, as did its single, "Fools Game." At the same time, "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," which Bolton had co-written, became a Top 40 hit for Laura Branigan. Nevertheless, Bolton's second Columbia album, Everybody's Crazy (1985), was a commercial flop. His breakthrough came with his third album, The Hunger, released in September 1987. On this album, Bolton abandoned the more hard rock aspects of his style to concentrate on blue-eyed soul singing: both on his own songs, such as "That's What Love Is All About," and on covers like Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay." Those two songs became Top 40 hits.
Soul Provider, released in July 1989, turned Bolton into a superstar, reaching the Top Ten, selling four million copies, and spawning five Top 40 singles, including Bolton's number one version of "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," and the Top Ten hits "How Can We Be Lovers" and "When I'm Back on My Feet Again." "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" won Bolton a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Time, Love & Tenderness, released in April 1991, was even more successful, hitting number one, selling six million copies, and featuring four Top 40 hits, including the chart-topping cover of Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman," and the Top Ten hits "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" (later the subject of a successful plagiarism suit brought against Bolton by the Isley Brothers) and "Time, Love and Tenderness."
Bolton won another Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, for "When a Man Loves a Woman," but he had to put up with abuse from two camps of detractors at the February 1992 ceremony. Just after Bolton had performed, pre-rock songwriter Irving Gordon won the Song of the Year award for "Unforgettable" and pointedly attacked songs that "scream, yell, and have a nervous breakdown" and singers who "have a hernia" when they sing. Then, backstage, Bolton faced a hostile press corps of critics unhappy with his tendency to copy great soul singers like Redding, Ray Charles, and Sledge. Bolton suggested they apply their lips to a certain part of his anatomy. He further responded with Timeless: The Classics in September 1992, an album made up entirely of cover songs. It went to number one, sold three million copies, and featured a Top 40 hit in Bolton's version of the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody." Bolton's next album of original material, The One Thing, came in November 1993. It hit the Top Ten, sold three million copies, and featured the Top Ten hit "Said I Loved You...But I Lied." Bolton released Greatest Hits 1985-1995 in the fall of 1995, which debuted in the Top Ten. The following year, This Is the Time: Christmas Album appeared.
Bolton returned with All That Matters, his first album of new material since 1993's The One Thing, in the fall of 1997. Instead of continuing his success, it was a surprise flop. Not only did it not generate a hit single, it barely cracked the Top 40 and fell out of the charts after 15 weeks. Its lack of success didn't stop Bolton from turning his attention to My Secret Passion, a collection of opera and arias that he released in January 1998. By classical standards, the album was a hit, and the record received a great deal of press and surprisingly good reviews. He supported the two albums with a summer tour which were co-headlined with Wynonna Judd. He voluntarily stepped back for almost four years, disappearing from the public eye until the spring of 2002 when he began promoting Only a Woman Like You, his first album on Jive Records. After a brief sabbatical, he returned with Til the End of Forever, a hybrid new album of seven new recordings and a live greatest-hits concert. In 2006 he released Bolton Swings Sinatra, a 12-song tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes that included a duet with fiancée/actress Nicolette Sheridan.
It would be worth mentioning "Can I Touch You There" proved to be one of the all-time hit love songs from Micheal Bolton from the album Greatest Hits.
www.michaelbolton.com/
Soul Provider
Michael Bolton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Talkin' 'bout forever baby
When I'm talkin' 'bout us
I give you my word, stick to my guns
Believe me when I tell ya baby
That we've just begun
You don't understand, no
The full intent of my plan
I want to be your soul provider
I want to stay that way
For the longest time
I want to be, your sould provider
Justsay you'll let me
And darlin' I will
I know you've been hurt, I know you're love shy
You don't have to say it baby
It's gonna take some time
Ya got my heart, in the palm of your hand
Swear it's gonna stay there baby
Give me half a chance
You don't understand
The full intent of my plan
I've been waitin' for a long time for somebody like you
To give my love, all my love day and night
Just say you'll be mine for the rest of your life
Baby I'll show you why
I want to be your soul provider
I want to stay that way
For the longest time
I want to be, your sould provider
Justsay you'll let me
And darlin' I will
The song "Soul Provider" by Michael Bolton is a romantic ballad in which the singer professes his love to his significant other. The lyrics talk about love, trust, and commitment, and the singer promises to be a constant source of love and support in their relationship. He acknowledges the past hurt of his partner and assures her that he will be patient and understanding.
The chorus emphasizes the desire of the singer to be the soul provider for his lover. He wants to be the one who provides her with the love and support she needs, and he promises to always stay faithful to her. The lyrics also reveal the singer's vulnerability as he pleads with his lover to give him a chance to show her his love.
Overall, the song is a beautiful expression of love and commitment. It speaks to the deep desire that many people have to find someone who can be their soulmate and partner for life. The lyrics are powerful and emotive, and they capture the essence of what it means to be deeply in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Talk about love, talk about trust
Let's have an honest conversation about love and trust
Talkin' 'bout forever baby
Let's talk about spending our lives together
When I'm talkin' 'bout us
When I'm talking about our relationship
I give you my word, stick to my guns
I promise to be true to you and stand by my word
Believe me when I tell ya baby
Trust me when I say
That we've just begun
That our love story is just starting
You don't understand, no
You may not be fully aware
The full intent of my plan
What I truly have in mind for us
I want to be your soul provider
I aspire to be the one who nurtures your soul
I want to stay that way
To continue being your source of comfort and care
For the longest time
For as long as we're together
Just say you'll let me
Give me the chance to be that for you
And darlin' I will
And I promise to fulfill that role
I know you've been hurt, I know you're love shy
I understand you've been through pain and may be hesitant to trust
You don't have to say it baby
You don't have to explain
It's gonna take some time
It may take a while to heal and build trust
Ya got my heart, in the palm of your hand
I've given you my heart and trust completely
Swear it's gonna stay there baby
I promise to keep it safe and secure
Give me half a chance
Just give me a small opportunity
I've been waitin' for a long time for somebody like you
I've been looking for someone like you for a long time
To give my love, all my love day and night
To shower you with my love, every moment of every day
Just say you'll be mine for the rest of your life
Promise me you'll be mine forever
Baby I'll show you why
And I'll prove to you why it's worth it
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDY GOLDMARK, MICHAEL BOLTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind