The group first formed in the mind of Tom Scholz, who had long expressed interest in melodic rock and the fine particulars of recording technology. Even as a child, he tinkered with just about anything mechanical or electronic that he could get his hands on. Prior to his musical career, Scholz received both a bachelor's degree, in 1969, and a master's degree, in 1970, in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He then began working for the Polaroid Corporation as a senior product design engineer. Scholz would then reside in Boston.
Creating demos in his own home, inspired by contemporary 70s progressive rock and what came to be known as "album oriented rock" ("aor"), Scholz attracted the interest of Epic Records, who signed Scholz to a recording contract. Vocalist Brad Delp, who was born in Peabody, Massachusetts in 1951 (Scholz is about four years older) to French-Canadian immigrants and was inspired to sing after seeing The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, served as a sort of not-so secret weapon for Scholz's project. Delp's "golden voice" has inspired numerous later rock artists to take up the microphone.
Scholz believed that his demos were good enough to be the released album but Epic told him to rerecord them. Most of the guitar, bass, and keyboards were performed by Scholz, although other players were involved sporadically throughout the recording of the album. Epic did not want the album recorded entirely in Scholz's home as Scholz intended (they suggested using a recording studio), but most of what ended up on the album was ultimately recorded by Scholz in his basement.
'Boston' was first released by Epic Records on August 25, 1976. Few industry insiders thought a guitar-heavy rock record could make much of a dent in the charts as disco ruled the airwaves at the time. The album broke out of Cleveland first, and the following week it had been added at 392 stations. Scholz, then 29, still worked at Polaroid during the first few weeks of the record's success and felt wary, changing his mind when the album quickly sold 200,000 copies. Critical praise also came to the band; for example, Rolling Stone wrote that Boston's "affinity for heavy rock & roll provides a sense of dynamics that coheres magnetically with sophisticated progressive structures."
The album was certified gold just two months after its release, and it sold another 500,000 copies within 30 days, going platinum for the first time in November 1976. With songs that became rock anthems such as the evergreen "More Than a Feeling", 'Boston' is the second best-selling debut album of all time in the United States, falling just short of Guns N' Roses' 'Appetite for Destruction'. Many critics have named it as one of the best American albums of all time. Its popularity was not only huge, but also durable: into the 2000s it was believed to be the only 1970s album that still had every single track in regular rotation on classic rock radio.
With a touring unit coming together around the line-up of Barry Goudreau, Tom Scholz, Sib Hashian, Brad Delp, and Fran Sheehan, the band played to a wide variety of crowds big and small, receiving strong fan support. Feeling an essentially unbearable amount of pressure to come up with another commercial mega-hit, Scholz still desired to experiment with his sound and had a growing sense of perfectionism. 'Don't Look Back' came out on August 2, 1978, viewed by Scholz as a hurried effort but picking up widespread success. It's been certified as multi-platinum, and its title track has become a classic rock staple.
Acrimonious fighting with label Epic Records, which soon became a long, drawn-out legal fight, left the future of the band stalled. Their next work, 'Third Stage' , came out in September 23, 1986, quite a while after their sophomore work. Bad luck and ill-will seemed to trail the group, with floods and power failures halting many studio sessions. Still, the album went to #1 on the Billboard 200, where it stayed for four weeks.
In addition, 'Third Stage' was only the second album to ever be certified triple-platinum in its first month of release, in November of 1986. As stated before, the first was Lionel Richie's 'Dancing On The Ceiling', which did it one month earlier. Nonetheless, Boston seemed to have gotten stuck.
On March 9th, 2007, Brad Delp (vocals) committed suicide at his home in Atkinson, New Hampshire. He was 55. Delp sang all the lead and harmony vocals on Boston's first three albums. Though well known for his "golden" voice with soaring vocals and range, Delp was also a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, harmonica and keyboards. Additionally he wrote or co-wrote several songs for Boston and many other artists.
More than 10 years in the making, Boston came out with a new studio album, "Life, Love & Hope" in 2013. Founding member, Tom Scholz stated, "These are songs from the heart, each of them taking many months of effort to write, arrange, perform and record, always up to the demands of Boston's harshest critic, me. They have all been meticulously recorded to analog tape on the same machines and equipment used for Boston's hits for the past 35 years."
The band, with Scholz and a new lineup, toured extensively in 2016-2017.
Boston's web site is at www.bandboston.com
05 What's Your Name
Boston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Crossing in between the cars
Sometimes seeing is just not believing
Like a spaceship coming down from mars
Total attraction you're driving me insane a chain reaction
Baby, tell me what's your name baby, what's your name
Yeah, you know I'm not that underhanded
So I told her that the ships had landed
And I told her "I'll take care of you"
Total attraction you're driving me insane a chain reaction
Baby, tell me what's your name baby, what's your name?
Come on girl, what's your name?
Oh, look out
Well, I know you wouldn't understand it
Didn't know what I should say or do
And it wasn't quite the way I planned it
But I had to find a way to you
Total attraction you're driving me insane a chain reaction
And baby, tell me what's your name?
Baby, what's your name, baby, what's your name?
The lyrics of Boston's song "05 What's Your Name" tell the story of encountering someone for the first time and being instantly drawn to them. The singer sees the woman "just as [he] was leaving / Crossing in between the cars" and is taken aback by her otherworldly beauty. However, he wonders if what he is seeing is real, comparing her to "a spaceship coming down from Mars." The singer feels a strong connection to this woman, referring to it as "total attraction" that is driving him "insane." He wants to know her name and attempts to impress her by telling her about the "ships [that] had landed" and promising to take care of her.
The song captures the experience of spontaneous attraction and how it can make someone feel. The singer is struck by the image of the woman and feels a strong desire to connect with her, even if it means resorting to telling lies to impress her. The chorus of the song, which repeats the line "Baby, tell me what's your name," is a representation of how the singer cannot get this woman out of his mind.
Overall, the lyrics of "05 What's Your Name" are a straightforward but effective portrayal of romantic attraction. The song speaks to the idea that sometimes, you are just drawn to someone, and that attraction can feel inexplicable and irresistible.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I saw her just as I was leaving
I caught sight of her as I was about to leave.
Crossing in between the cars
She was crossing the street and passing through cars.
Sometimes seeing is just not believing
Sometimes what you see can be unbelievable.
Like a spaceship coming down from mars
It was as if a spaceship had landed from Mars. She was that captivating.
Total attraction you're driving me insane a chain reaction
I'm completely drawn to you and it's causing a domino effect of emotion.
Baby, tell me what's your name baby, what's your name
I'm enamored with you, please tell me your name.
Yeah, you know I'm not that underhanded
I'm a straightforward person and not dishonest.
But I didn't know what else to do
I wasn't sure how else to approach you.
So I told her that the ships had landed
I made a flimsy excuse about ships landing to start a conversation with her.
And I told her 'I'll take care of you'
I reassured her that I would take care of her, even though it was just a pickup line.
Come on girl, what's your name?
I'm eager to know your name, please tell me.
Oh, look out
This could be the start of something big or disastrous.
Well, I know you wouldn't understand it
I know you may not fully comprehend what I'm doing here.
Didn't know what I should say or do
I was unsure of how to act or what to say.
And it wasn't quite the way I planned it
This wasn't how I envisioned approaching you.
Total attraction you're driving me insane a chain reaction
I'm completely fixated on you and it's causing a ripple effect of intense emotion.
And baby, tell me what's your name?
I'm taken with you and want to know your name, please tell me.
Baby, what's your name, baby, what's your name?
I can't stop thinking about you, what's your name?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TOM SCHOLZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind