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
Corporate America
Boston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Look at you, Corporate America, you're in disgrace
Globalize; cigarettes, business jets, you love it
Maximize; but you can take your bottom line and shove it
Gotta get away (gotta get away)
Gotta get away, but I need a little help tonight
What 'ya gonna say (what 'ya gonna say)
See the light
Corporate America, look out, look out
Corporate America, who's gonna save us, who's gonna save us now?
You and I; DVDs, SUVs and cyberspace
Flying blind, virtual reality is in our face
This Earth desecrated by the human race
Now what's it worth? When do we evacuate to outer space?
Corporate America, look out, look out
Corporate America, who's gonna save us, who's gonna save us now?
I see the future in the past
Just took the corner way too fast, the reckless ride of modern man
Flattened everything that stands
Fooled by the sales pitch for progress at a dizzy pace
We idolize the filthy rich for giving us synthetic taste
Computer calls, urban sprawl
Is the world a better place, is the world a better place?
Fare thee well, global extinction's forever
So what the hell, order your Mercedes in leather
Veal crates, ozone holes, and toxic waste
And don't count out religious hate
Who can survive this manmade fate?
Gotta get away
Gotta get away, and I need a little help tonight
What 'ya gonna say
Wha 'ya gonna say when you couldn't even see the light
See the light
Yeah
The lyrics to Boston's song Corporate America touches on the themes of environmental pollution, unchecked corporate greed, and the negative impact of technology on modern society. The song asks the question of who can stop the de-evolution of the human race, in the face of overwhelming corporate power and a rapidly changing world. Corporate America is called out for its destructive and profit-focused policies, which have led to an Earth desecrated by the human race.
The lyrics illustrate the hopelessness and impotence felt by many as they struggle to fight against the continual destruction of the planet and their own well-being, while the rich and powerful continue to profit. The song uses intense language to call attention to the devastation wrought by unchecked capitalism and corporate greed. The singer's call to action is a plea for help, as he sees no other way to escape the slow destruction of our world.
Line by Line Meaning
Who can stop de-evolution of the human race?
Who can prevent the backwards evolution of mankind?
Look at you, Corporate America, you're in disgrace
You, Corporate America, are shameful and disappointing
Globalize; cigarettes, business jets, you love it
You enjoy globalizing and spreading harmful products and needless luxuries like cigarettes and private planes
Maximize; but you can take your bottom line and shove it
You may focus on maximizing profits, but I do not care about them at all
Gotta get away (gotta get away)
I need to leave this situation
Gotta get away, but I need a little help tonight
I need some assistance to get out of this mess
What 'ya gonna say (what 'ya gonna say)
What are you going to say
What 'ya gonna say when you never even seen the light
What are you going to say when you are ignorant to the truth
Corporate America, look out, look out
Corporate America, watch out
Corporate America, who's gonna save us, who's gonna save us now?
Who is going to protect us from Corporate America's harmful actions?
You and I; DVDs, SUVs and cyberspace
We indulge in technologies like DVDs, SUVs, and the internet
Flying blind, virtual reality is in our face
We are blindly consumed by virtual reality
This Earth desecrated by the human race
Humans have destroyed the Earth
Now what's it worth? When do we evacuate to outer space?
What is the use of this Earth if it is ruined? When should we leave for space?
I see the future in the past
I see what the future holds in our history
Just took the corner way too fast, the reckless ride of modern man
We are moving too quickly down a dangerous path
Flattened everything that stands
We have destroyed all in our path
Fooled by the sales pitch for progress at a dizzy pace
We are misled by the idea that constant progress is required
We idolize the filthy rich for giving us synthetic taste
We admire the wealthy who provide us with artificial pleasures
Computer calls, urban sprawl
Our lives are consumed by technology and urbanization
Is the world a better place, is the world a better place?
Has the world improved at all?
Fare thee well, global extinction's forever
Goodbye, the end of life on Earth is permanent
So what the hell, order your Mercedes in leather
Since extinction is imminent, why not indulge in luxurious items like a leather Mercedes?
Veal crates, ozone holes, and toxic waste
We are responsible for inhumane treatment of animals, depletion of the ozone layer, and hazardous waste
And don't count out religious hate
Religious hatred is also a factor in this manmade fate
Who can survive this manmade fate?
Is there anyone who can endure the destruction caused by humans?
See the light
Understand the truth
Yeah
Agreement or assent
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TOM SCHOLZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Marchand
00:00 1. I Had A Good Time (Vocals: Brad Delp)
04:15 2. Stare Out Your Window (Vocals: Fran Cosmo)
07:34 3. Corporate America (Vocals: Delp, Cosmo)
12:10 4. With You (Vocals: Kimberley Dahme)
15:38 5. Someone (Vocals: Delp)
19:45 6. Turn It Off (Vocals: Cosmo)
24:21 7. Cryin' (Vocals: Cosmo)
29:36 8. Didn't Mean To Fall In Love (Vocals: Delp)
34:57 9. You Gave Up On Love (Vocals: Tom Scholz, Dahme, Beth Cohen, Charlie Farren)
39:16 10. Livin' For You (Live) (Vocals: Cosmo, Delp)
bluebo1212
If I could go back in time I would tell Tom Scholz to make "Third Stage" the last of a trilogy and re-name it "Home At Last" using the same artwork as "Walk On" with the following songs in order:
1. We're Ready
2. The Launch/Cool The Engines
3. Amanda
4. Walkin' at Night/Walk On
5. I Think I Like It
6. Hollyann
7. I Had A Good Time
8. We Can Make It
This would had made the Boston albums a trilogy with "Boston" being the beginning of the journey with the exploding Earth, "Don't Look Back" searching for a home, and "Home At Last" ending the journey with the finding of a new home world.
Graham Edwards
THE greatest American rock band of ALL time .Every song .The production .Beyond how incredible it is .I am 65 .Huge rock music fan . Especially bands like Boston
Jim Steigerwalt
Right on!
Thomas Laramay
Nobody has a voice like Brad's. Just amazing. No comparison. Fran is good, but Brad's was the voice of Boston. We all miss you Brad! Still sad about your passing. :(
Snake Plissken
Brad and Steve Perry had the best voices of the 1970s and 1980s hands down.
indigowalz
That's why he's always ranked high on the top vocalists.
I love his song 'Let me take you home tonight'.
acidking202
@Dawn Holly Johnson - Personal Not Perfect, But a Tommy DeCarlo did an absolutely amazing Job.
Dawn Holly Johnson - Personal
@Mark Colburn wow...TY for sharing. I saw Boston six times in concert, and I just couldn't bear to go see them again after Brad died.
I've heard a lot of good music but Boston is my number one band ❣️
GeorgeBonez
The original Boston was the PERFECT band. If it weren’t for the vulture record labels constantly robbing them Boston world have been the closest thing to heaven on Earth. In my mind they were !
David Marchand
00:00 1. I Had A Good Time (Vocals: Brad Delp)
04:15 2. Stare Out Your Window (Vocals: Fran Cosmo)
07:34 3. Corporate America (Vocals: Delp, Cosmo)
12:10 4. With You (Vocals: Kimberley Dahme)
15:38 5. Someone (Vocals: Delp)
19:45 6. Turn It Off (Vocals: Cosmo)
24:21 7. Cryin' (Vocals: Cosmo)
29:36 8. Didn't Mean To Fall In Love (Vocals: Delp)
34:57 9. You Gave Up On Love (Vocals: Tom Scholz, Dahme, Beth Cohen, Charlie Farren)
39:16 10. Livin' For You (Live) (Vocals: Cosmo, Delp)
Robert Wolenski
@Mike Brown I had a good time made the heritage rock charts and the title track chatted on the progressive rock charts.