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
Didn
Boston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't mean to fall in love
And all I mean to say
I can't go on the way things are
How can I lead the way
It feels so wrong to be so far away
If I, if I lose you, I can't survive
Didn't know you would've come tonight
Didn't hang on long enough
Didn't want to go and start a fight
Didn't mean to go, go and fall in love
It's like an avalanche
Once you fall you're swept away
I didn't stand a chance
Hangin' on every word you say
Hey, we can find a place for love
Ooh, do you want it bad enough
I didn't mean to fall in love
I didn't mean to fall in love
So could you catch a plane
Come back home for one more try
I'll never be the same
I fell so hard out of the sky today
For you, you see
And you would never believe what you do for me
Can't you see you're all I need
Didn't know you would've come tonight
Didn't hang on long enough
Didn't want to go and start a fight
Didn't mean to go, go and fall in love
The lyrics to Boston's song "Didn't Mean to Fall in Love" explore the complicated emotions of unexpectedly falling in love. The opening lines, "I didn't mean to fall in love," are repeated throughout the song as the singer expresses regret for getting too close too fast. However, the lyrics also reveal that the singer cannot imagine a life without the object of their affection, as they ask if they "want it bad enough."
The chorus continues with "Didn't know you would've come tonight / Didn't hang on long enough / Didn't want to go and start a fight / Didn't mean to go, go and fall in love," which suggests a lack of control over the situation. Despite this, the singer hopes that they can "find a place for love" and pleads for the other person to come back home "for one more try."
The bridge of the song is particularly poignant, with lines like "I'll never be the same / I fell so hard out of the sky today / For you, you see," expressing the intense emotions of falling in love.
In conclusion, "Didn't Mean to Fall in Love" by Boston is a song that explores the complicated emotions of falling in love unexpectedly, expressing both regret and a longing for the other person.
Line by Line Meaning
I didn't mean to fall in love
The singer did not intend to be in love.
And all I mean to say
The singer has something to convey.
I can't go on the way things are
The singer cannot continue with the current situation.
How can I lead the way
The artist cannot initiate a course of action.
It feels so wrong to be so far away
The artist feels uncomfortable being distant from the object of their affection.
Ooh, from you tonight
The singer desires the company of the loved one.
If I, if I lose you, I can't survive
The singer will not be able to move on if the loved one is no longer present.
Didn't know you would've come tonight
The artist did not expect the loved one to be present.
Didn't hang on long enough
The artist thinks they did not give the relationship enough time.
Didn't want to go and start a fight
The artist did not intend to have an argument.
Didn't mean to go, go and fall in love
The singer did not plan on falling in love.
It's like an avalanche
Being in love is like a force that cannot be stopped.
Once you fall you're swept away
Once falling in love, one is carried away by their emotions.
I didn't stand a chance
The singer had no control over falling in love.
Hangin' on every word you say
The singer is captivated by the loved one's words.
Hey, we can find a place for love
The artist suggests finding a way to make the relationship work.
Ooh, do you want it bad enough
The artist questions the other person's level of commitment.
So could you catch a plane
The singer requests the loved one to visit again.
Come back home for one more try
The singer wants the loved one to give the relationship another chance.
I'll never be the same
The artist's life has been permanently changed by their love for this person.
I fell so hard out of the sky today
The artist fell in love suddenly and unexpectedly.
For you, you see
The artist is in love with the other person.
And you would never believe what you do for me
The singer acknowledges the impact the loved one has on their life.
Can't you see you're all I need
The artist expresses that the loved one is essential to their life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CURLY SMITH, JANET MINTO, TOM SCHOLZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
headlyl
Thanks everyone for liking this song. My wonderful co-writer and Boston's drummer Curly Smith and I wrote it, Curly played it for Tom and he sat with it for a while, decided to record it and "Boston-ized" it. I love the result and I'm so happy you guys do too. Cheers, Janet Morrison Minto
Shea Tiller
@Wrestling Ernest Hemingway Jim Masdea actually did play a part. He played everything on Third Stage, and while the intricacies or R&R Band are hard to hear on the album, I'd suggest looking up the video of him playing it more recently. It's really good.
Nova-jo
💖
Wrestling Ernest Hemingway
Sorry. Boston's drummer will always be SIB imo. Jim Masseda he might have played a part but didn't so who is he?. Screw Scholz and his girly ballad crap music. He broke up what was a true real "Rock & Roll Band" and turned it into shit by letting go of the original members. And I don't care who created the band name or who wrote what. Barry kicked Tom's ass in guitar playing and all of the original members made the "rock & roll band" that WAS at one time Boston. This crap should have been properly and honestly re-titled The Tom Scholz Project or some shit like that because this is no :rock & roll band" music at all. And this ain't meant to put Curly down either. If Tom was a decent music writer and talented guitar player then he should go try and do something honest like jazz or fusion music at least. But I don't think Tom would be even ABLE to do that style of music if he even wanted to. I' would have had more respect for Tom as a musician if he went on playing flamenco guitar or something in various styles like Larry Carlton did rather than him keep beating this Boston thing into the ground just to make $$$ off old "rock & roll" fans. It's basically become one of those cover tribute bands to the first 2 albums and some of the crap he had on the 3rd Stage album YAWN! Boring musically speaking. His music since Don't Look Back hasn't been "innovative" in the least. More like put me to sleep. Elevator music.
Anthony Hunt
Some of the last great work by a gifted, though in the end, troubled man, Brad Delp. God, I miss him.....
Anthony Hunt
Janet, you co-penned one of THE Boston greats!.........................Showcased the late Brad Delp so well..........thank you.
dantonacci67
The classical guitar adds so much to this song. love it!
Rickey Cavalier
dantonacci67 totally agree
Ordarnix88 STUDIO
Brad Delp you were a true soul singer! Sing on in heaven brother! Peace
Umberto Enna
@Tengu You doubt of what?