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
Don't Tell Me You Love Me
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 song "Can'tcha Say" by Boston is a heartfelt plea for a relationship to be rekindled, with the singer imploring their love interest to believe in them and see what they mean to each other. The lyrics suggest that the two had a history, possibly a romantic relationship that ended, but the singer still loves the other person and wants them to come back. The singer reminisces about thinking of the love interest every day, dreaming of them at night, and how the images are as clear as day. Despite being apart, the singer still feels the same way and knows that love won't wait. The chorus repeats the plea for the love interest to believe in the singer and see what they mean to each other, to not leave them alone because they still love them.
The song's lyrics evoke a relatable experience for many people who have experienced heartbreak but still hold onto hope for a second chance with a former lover. The song's melody and harmonies add to the emotional resonance of the lyrics, creating a powerful and memorable song.
Line by Line Meaning
Can'tcha say you believe in me?
Express that you have faith in me.
Can'tcha see what you mean to me?
Recognize the significance you hold in my life.
Everyday I think of you, you're on my mind
You occupy my thoughts every day.
Some things in the past are better left behind
Certain memories should not be revisited.
Every night I dream of you, the images as clear as day
You appear vividly in my dreams every night.
You know that where there's a will, there's a way
You are aware that determination can overcome obstacles.
Don't leave me alone tonight
Please stay with me tonight.
'Cause I still love you
Because my affection for you remains.
We've had our time apart
We have spent time away from each other.
And I knew right from the start
I realized from the beginning.
I could never change the way I feel about you baby
My feelings for you cannot be altered.
We can sit here all night long
We can continue discussing this endlessly.
And separate the right from the wrong
Determine what is right or wrong.
But love won't wait
However, love cannot be delayed.
Ooh, still in love with you
I am still in love with you.
You know I need you baby, to stand by me
You know that I require your support.
Can't you see I need you, baby
Can't you understand that I am dependent on you?
I love you
I have romantic feelings for you.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind