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
Hollyann
Boston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can see reminders of a past decade
So far behind
Like the shadows linger at the close of day
And we could see
We were timeless dreamers of another day
And we were free
In a dawning age we had so much to say
Ooh, the nights you came to me
A blue jean lady so eager to be free
And the wind in your long hair blowin' as we stood for the band
Oh, Hollyann
Hollyann
We made the dark into light
We saw the wrong and the right
We were for life and we would never concede it
Hollyann
We left the world behind
A million hands gave the sign
We held the line, can you believe it?
Hollyann
Hollyann
We could live
Just to turn the world into our fantasy
And we could give
Aquarius was really meant to be
You and I, we were there to see the dawn
Side by side we had love to carry on
And I still hear guitars in the air as we sat in the sand
Oh, Hollyann
Hollyann
We made the dark into light
We saw the wrong and the right
We were for life and we would never concede it
Hollyann
We left the world behind
A million hands gave the sign
We held the line, can you believe it?
Hollyann
The song Hollyann by Boston depicts the story of two lost souls who form a bond and decide to live their lives on their own terms. The lyrics take the listener on a journey, through the memories of the past that are still alive in the singer's mind. The title of the song is derived from the name of a girl who is an important part of the singer's life. The lyrics speak of how the two of them were dreamers, who did not want to be confined by expectations and traditions. The song refers to how they wanted to live their lives free from the shackles of society and how they found solace in their togetherness.
The song showcases the power of love and how it can make everything seem possible. Boston focuses on the beauty of life and how it is important to seize the day and live in the moment. The nostalgia in the song reminds the listener of how things can change and how an individual's entire perception of life can be altered by one single experience. The lyrics "We made the dark into light, We saw the wrong and the right" suggest that the singer and Hollyann have been through many tough times but they fought through it and emerged stronger. The song is ultimately about how love can conquer all, and how it is possible to live a life without regrets.
Line by Line Meaning
In my mind
I have memories of the past that are still present in my mind.
I can see reminders of a past decay
I can see the remnants of the past which has since decayed.
So far behind
Despite the past being distant, its impact still lingers within me.
Like the shadows linger at the close of day
Memories of the past continue to influence me, much like shadows stretching out at sunset.
And we could see
We had a clear vision of the future we wished to create.
We were timeless dreamers of another day
We had a vision of a future that was not bound by time, and it drove us forward.
And we were free
We felt liberated by the idea of what we could achieve and the future we could create.
In a dawning age we had so much to say
At the start of a new era, we had a lot to contribute and much to express.
Oh, the nights you came to me
I remember the moments you came to me.
A blue jean lady so eager to be free
You were a young woman who sought freedom and independence.
And the wind in your long hair blowin' as we stood for the band
The wind was blowing your hair as we stood listening to a band play music, and it was a moment to remember.
Oh, Hollyann
You, Hollyann, represent everything that we stood for and hoped to achieve.
We made the dark into light
Together, we found a way to overcome darkness and bring light into our world.
We saw the wrong and the right
We had a clear sense of morality and could distinguish right from wrong.
We were for life
We believed in living life to the fullest and with purpose.
And we would never concede it
We would never give up on our dreams and would relentlessly pursue them.
We left the world behind
We were determined to create a new world that was different from the one we knew.
A million hands gave the sign
We had support from countless people, all believing in the same dream as us.
We held the line
We stayed true to our beliefs and did not compromise.
Can you believe it?
It's hard to imagine that these things actually happened, but they did.
We could live
We had the potential to live life in a way that we imagined it to be.
Just to turn the world into our fantasy
We could turn the world into our ideal fantasy world.
And we could give
We had generosity in our hearts and wanted to share our joys with the world.
Aquarius was really meant to be
We felt that Aquarius represented a new era of hope and positive change.
You and I we were there to see the dawn
We were there at the beginning of a new era, together, witnessing the dawning of this new age.
Side by side we had love to carry on
Together, we shared a love that sustained us and kept us going.
And I still hear guitars in the air as we sat in the sand
Memories of music playing and sitting in the sand still echo in my mind, even now.
Hollyann
You, Hollyann, were a symbol of hope and all that was possible.
We made the dark into light
Together, we were able to bring light and positivity to even the darkest of situations.
We saw the wrong and the right
We were able to distinguish between right and wrong in order to make a positive impact.
We were for life
We lived life with a purpose and a sense of conviction.
And we would never concede it
We would always stick to our beliefs and never give up on our goals and dreams.
We left the world behind
We moved beyond the world we knew in order to create something better.
A million hands gave the sign
We had the support of countless people who believed in our vision and dreams.
We held the line
We remained steadfast in our beliefs and never wavered.
Can you believe it?
It's hard to imagine, but it really happened; and that's a testament to what we were able to accomplish.
Hollyann
You, Hollyann, represented our collective dreams and aspirations, and we were able to make them a reality.
Hollyann
You, Hollyann, were a symbol of hope and everything we hoped to achieve, and for that we are grateful.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Tom Scholz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lonewolfnightsterryder5955
I had always wanted to see Boston live.
Had tickets my brother and cousin and I were all set to go to Alpine valley in East Troy Wisconsin, one of the best outside venues around back in the day.
I will never forget the date. 8/8/87.
Because my first born son decided to enter this world a month early.
I missed the show and never got to see Boston.
But i am good with it all,
5 wonderful children later, and 3 amazing grandchildren.
All of the other stuff means nothing.
God is good.
Be blessed and enjoy all of our memories and the best music generation.
We did have the best of times my 70s and 80s brothers and sisters.
The rest of the music fans will envy us and our music forever.
We lived it.!!!
@ultraelite5796
Boston has this unexplainable vibe to it that makes you feel like your on a road trip, but at the same time your reminiscing on your best memories, whatever that means. Frickin love Boston
@chris55529
Holy cow, dude. That was SO well said! I love Boston for the SAME reasons! There has been NO ONE, in the history of rock and roll, who did what they did.
@alexp6016
This is about the best description of Boston I've ever heard. Tom's guitar has such a signature sound that makes me feel this way. The whole band was always so great.
@deborahellzey4317
Me2
@PDXGregor
Truer words were never spoken. My friends and I wore my cassette copy of this totally out, going on road trips through Oregon in the late ‘80s. Such amazing memories.
@keithdeen9320
Well said
@shpadoinklely5232
This song makes me so nostalgic for something I didn't even experience.
@Cok94
It's 80s magic music 😊
@dcallaway1
That is it's power
@noskoolb
I was named Holly Ann because of this song. My older sister was named Amanda after Boston's other song. lol