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
13 Something about You
Boston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ooo, ooo
When I was younger I thought I could stand on my own
It wasn't easy, I stood like a man made of stone
But there was something about you (I want you to know)
It brought a change over me (it's starting to show)
I've got this feeling inside
Ain't no good to hide
It isn't easy to show
What I'm feeling inside, girl
It isn't easy, I know
When you believe in a man like me
When I get angry I say things I don't want to say
I really mean it, I don't want to leave you this way
I couldn't help my reaction (I want you to know)
I lose control over you (I just want you to know)
I've got this feeling inside,
I got to have you, have you
Ain't no good to hide
It isn't easy to show
What I'm feeling inside, girl
It isn't easy, I know
When you believe in a man like me
But there was something about you (I want you to know)
It brought a change over me (it's starting to show)
I've got this feeling inside,
Got to have you, have you,
Ain't no good to hide
It isn't easy to show
What I'm feeling inside, girl
It isn't easy, I know
To believe in a man like me, like me
Can't you see
I've gotta, gotta have you
But there was something about you
Yeah, there was something about you
The song "Something About You" by Boston is a love song that expresses the feeling of a man who has fallen in love with a woman who has brought about a change in him. The first verse of the song talks about how the man used to believe that he could stand on his own without needing anyone, but the woman has changed his mind. He feels a strong desire for her and cannot hide his feelings any longer. He admits that it isn't easy to show his vulnerability but believes that she can believe in him.
The second verse of the song talks about how the man often gets angry and says things he does not mean, but he does not want to leave the woman in that manner. He wants her to know that his anger is not directed towards her, and he feels that he has lost control over her. The chorus of the song talks about his strong desire and feeling inside him to have her.
The song ends on a hopeful note, where the man implores the woman to see the change in him and to believe in him. The song expresses the vulnerability and complexity of emotions that come with falling in love and how it changes a person.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was younger I thought I could stand on my own
I used to believe that I didn't need anyone's help to succeed
It wasn't easy, I stood like a man made of stone
It was difficult for me to be vulnerable and ask for help
But there was something about you (I want you to know)
But when I met you, something changed in me
It brought a change over me (it's starting to show)
You have had a positive influence on me and it's becoming apparent
I've got this feeling inside
I have strong emotions that I can't ignore
Got to have you, have you
I need you in my life
Ain't no good to hide
It's not beneficial to keep my feelings inside
When I get angry I say things I don't want to say
I have a tendency to lash out when I'm upset
I really mean it, I don't want to leave you this way
Even though I say hurtful things, I don't want to end our relationship
I couldn't help my reaction (I want you to know)
My outburst wasn't intentional and I want you to understand that
I lose control over you (I just want you to know)
I know that my behavior can be hurtful to you and I want to change
But there was something about you (I want you to know)
Once again, I want you to understand that you have changed me
It brought a change over me (it's starting to show)
I'm becoming a better person because of you
To believe in a man like me, like me
It's hard to have faith in someone with my flaws and past mistakes
Can't you see
I hope you can see the changes in me
I've gotta, gotta have you
I need you in my life, it's important to me
But there was something about you
Overall, you are special to me and have made a lasting impact
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TOM SCHOLZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind