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
Can'tcha Say / Still In Love
Boston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can'tcha see what you mean to me?
Everyday I think of you, you're on my mind
Some things in the past are better left behind
Every night I dream of you, the images as clear as day
Can'tcha say you believe in me?
You know that where there's a will, there's a way
Can'tcha say you believe in me?
Can't you see what it means to me?
Don't leave me alone tonight
'Cause I still love you
We've had our time apart
And I knew right from the start
I could never change the way I feel about you baby
We can sit here all night long
And separate the right from the wrong
But love won't wait
Can'tcha say you believe in me?
You know that where there's a will, there's a way
Can'tcha say you believe in me?
Can't you see what it means to me?
Don't leave me alone tonight
'Cause I still love you
Ooh, still in love with you
You know I need you baby, to stand by me
Can't you see I need you, baby
Ooh, I'm still in love with you
Can'tcha say you believe in me?
Can'tcha say you believe in me?
You know that where there's a will there's a way
Can'tcha say you believe in me?
Can't you see what you mean to me?
Don't leave me alone tonight
'Cause I still love you
I love you
The lyrics in Boston's song Can'tcha Say/Still In Love express a plea from the singer to their loved one to express faith and trust in their relationship. The singer reminds their loved one of the time they spent apart and how, even though they acknowledge the mistakes made, they still deeply love and care for them. The lyrics convey a sense of desperation and vulnerability as the singer asks for a commitment and reassurance from their loved one. They dream of being together again, and they are hoping for a positive response from their loved one to rebuild their relationship.
The lyrics are emotionally charged and reveal the pain of missing someone deeply, mixed with hope that the love they shared can be restored. The lines "Can'tcha say you believe in me?" and "Can't you see what it means to me?" suggest that the singer is invested in their relationship and is willing to do whatever it takes to keep it going. The lyrics are a reminder that love is not always easy but is worth fighting for.
Line by Line Meaning
Can'tcha say you believe in me?
Express trust and faith towards me
Can'tcha see what you mean to me?
Acknowledge how important you are to me
Everyday I think of you, you're on my mind
I consistently think about you with great affection
Some things in the past are better left behind
Let go of certain aspects of our history
Every night I dream of you, the images as clear as day
I see visions of you when I'm asleep and they're vivid
You know that where there's a will, there's a way
If we have determination, we can overcome any obstacles
Don't leave me alone tonight
Stay with me tonight
'Cause I still love you
Because I continue to have strong feelings for you
We've had our time apart
We spent some time separated
And I knew right from the start
I was aware of this from the beginning
I could never change the way I feel about you baby
My emotions towards you are permanent
We can sit here all night long
We could remain here throughout the night
And separate the right from the wrong
We could differentiate the good from the bad
But love won't wait
Love is not something we can delay
Ooh, still in love with you
Oh, I'm still romantically attached to you
You know I need you baby, to stand by me
I require your support and presence, my love
Can't you see I need you, baby
Don't you realize how much I need you?
I love you
I have affection for you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Johnny Eckel
My all time favorite Boston song. Love this band, here's my list
10). Feelin Satisfied
9). Something About You
8). A Man I'll Never Be
7). Let Me Take You Home Tonight
6). Amanda
5). Foreplay/Longtime
4). More Than a Feeling
3). Peace of Mind
2). Don't Look Back
1). Cantcha Say
Jeff Waibel
One of the most underrated songs ever. It is a masterpiece of two songs merging into one . Gives me chills each time that I hear it .
Hope Lines
The most melodic, heart-based rock of roll of all time. Ladies and I gentlemen, I give you: Boston.
Cum Expender
Hope Lines this fucking song is incredible
Anne Baskerville
Thank you. All their songs are angelic to my ears. But this one is my favorite.
Dragonsfire6664
You had to be there,
Debbie Norris
Hope curtsling 💘 lol. Jk how is it that I have not remember hearing this ??!!! Let me listen again. Wow 😲
Robert Gately
This whole album helped me through some really difficult times. Thank you, Boston.
Kal
This is an amazing song ...extremely underrated and underplayed
Cum Expender
Kal Ab it's not under played by me 😀👍🏻
tony friend
At Kal...It wasn't back in 1987..