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
07 A Man I'll Never Be
Boston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'd turn and walk away
Disappearing way back in your dreams
It's so hard to be unkind
So easy just to say
That everything is just the way it seems
You look up at me
A man I'll never be
If only I could find a way
I'd feel like I'm the man you believe I am
And it's getting harder every day for me
To hide behind this dream you see
A man I'll never be
I can't get any stronger
I can't climb any higher
You'll never know just how hard I've tried
Cry a little longer
And hold a little tighter
Emotions can't be satisfied
You look up at me
And somewhere in your mind you still see
A man I'll never be
If only I could find a way
I'd feel like I'm the man you believe I am
And it's getting harder every day for me
To hide behind this dream you see
A man I'll never be
The song "A Man I'll Never Be" by Boston speaks to the feeling of not being able to live up to the expectations of someone you love. The singer wants to be the man that this person believes he is, but he simply cannot meet those expectations. The lyrics are filled with feelings of inadequacy and sadness at the realization that he will never be able to be that person. The first stanza describes the difficulty in being honest with the person about his true feelings, as he fears that she will leave him. The second stanza speaks to the desire to be the person she sees in him, but the more he tries, the harder it gets. The chorus reinforces the idea that he cannot change who he is, no matter how hard he tries.
The lines, "If only I could find a way/ I'd feel like I'm the man you believe I am," suggest that the singer believes that he is not good enough as he is- that he is not living up to the ideal he has created in the mind of the person he loves. He is longing for acceptance and validation from her, but feels that he is failing to deliver. The chorus is particularly emotional- "And it’s getting harder every day for me/ To hide behind this dream you see/ A man I'll never be"- emphasizing the futility in trying to be someone he's not. The repetition of the line "A man I'll never be" at the end of each chorus drives home the point that the singer has come to terms with his limitations.
Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on the difficulty of trying to meet someone else's expectations, and the pain felt when one realizes that they cannot. The singer wishes he could be the person his love sees in him, but knows deep down that it's impossible.
Line by Line Meaning
If I said what's on my mind
If I expressed my true feelings and thoughts
You'd turn and walk away
You would reject me and avoid the conversation
Disappearing way back in your dreams
You would withdraw into your own thoughts and fantasies
It's so hard to be unkind
It's difficult to hurt someone's feelings intentionally
So easy just to say
It's much simpler to lie or withhold the truth
That everything is just the way it seems
That all is well and there's nothing to worry about
You look up at me
You gaze at me for reassurance
And somewhere in your mind you see
You envision an idealized version of me
A man I'll never be
A person who doesn't exist and who I'll never be able to become
If only I could find a way
If only I could figure out a solution
I'd feel like I'm the man you believe I am
I would experience the confidence and validation you have in me
And it's getting harder every day for me
It's becoming increasingly difficult for me to maintain this façade
To hide behind this dream you see
To conceal my insecurities and shortcomings from you
I can't get any stronger
I am unable to increase my strength or abilities
I can't climb any higher
I can't reach greater levels of success or achievement
You'll never know just how hard I've tried
You will never be aware of the extent of my efforts and determination
Cry a little longer
Express your sadness and frustration a bit more
And hold a little tighter
Try to comfort and support me a bit more
Emotions can't be satisfied
Our emotional needs and desires can never be fully quenched
And somewhere in your mind you still see
You continue to envision the idealized version of me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: T. SCHOLZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jimbrigance7326
The people that gave this version a thumbs down are obviously not Boston fans. This is probably my favorite version of my favorite song. You hear Brad’s passion and amazing voice, as well as Tom’s amazing guitar that brings chills to me each time I hear the song. Thanks for posting this amazing song!
@peterconklin
Jim, you stated it perfectly! I heard a live version of this song in 1977 on the Kingbiscuit Flower Hour from a concert in Long Beach. Brad said at that concert that their second album(yet to be named back then) was about to be released. As we all know, it was another year until Don't Look Back was released and while I like the studio version, I was always a bit underwhelmed by it. I've found the '77 Long Beach version online as well, but then I found this version a year ago and was BLOWN AWAY!!! And yes I also get chills every time I hear Brad's vocals and Tom's guitar work on this version!!! Thanks Jim!!! Rock on buddy!!! 🎸
@frankyurchey7825
I've never listened to this version. It's great.
@Chiefgroover
Brad, best voice in rock ever, very sadly missed.
@viviroberts7672
Better than Paul Mccartney who was his his idol.
@TrineLV
Today is the first day that I've heard this version, and I can't stop listening to it. Freakin unbelievable!!!!
@timpenfield5
Yea, its so cool and raw, and the vocal, he just goes off on that solo, guy was the best, r.i.p
@Treachery93
I never heard this version before. I love it! Pure emotion coming out of Brad! This song brings back much memories both happy and sad. TIMELESS! I cranked this song in my car stereo and came up next to a beat-booming car at a red light. The long guitar solo came on and i went full blast. The other guy lowered his radio and gave me a puzzled look. I yelled, "Boston!!!" He obvioualy did not know what i was talking about but the car behind me was yelling, "YEAH!!! Boston!!!" Good moment.
@frevryngrocks9346
❤
@dijamaira1981
There's a bit of sadness in me each time i'm hearing this song.. but it's a great song with beautiful vocals. No one can replace him..wish you were still here and sing for us forever Brad!