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
More Then A Feeling
Boston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turned on some music to start my day
I lost myself in a familiar song
I closed my eyes and I slipped away
It's more than a feeling (more than a feeling)
When I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling)
And I begin dreaming (more than a feeling)
I see my Marianne walkin' away
So many people have come and gone
Their faces fade as the years go by
Yet I still recall as I wander on
As clear as the sun in the summer sky
It's more than a feeling (more than a feeling)
When I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling)
And I begin dreaming (more than a feeling)
Till I see Marianne walk away
I see my Marianne walkin' away
When I'm tired and thinking cold
I hide in my music, forget the day
And dream of a girl I used to know
I closed my eyes and she slipped away
She slipped away
It's more than a feeling (more than a feeling)
When I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling)
And I begin dreaming (more than a feeling)
Till I see Marianne walk away
The lyrics of Boston's song "More Than a Feeling" seem to be about the power of music to transport the listener back to a specific moment or memory. The singer describes starting his day by listening to music and becoming lost in a familiar song. He closes his eyes and "slips away" into memories of someone he used to know named Marianne. Even though many people have come and gone in his life, the memory of her stays with him and is as clear as the summer sky. Whenever he hears that old song they used to play, he is transported back to those memories and he dreams of Marianne until she walks away once again.
The song seems to be about the nostalgia and sentimentalism that can be associated with music. The singer becomes lost in the emotion of the music and the memories that it evokes. The repetition of the chorus, "more than a feeling", emphasizes the power of the music to transcend a simple feeling and bring about a whole range of emotions and memories. The song also talks about the idea of escape, with the singer hiding in his music to forget the day and dream of the past.
Overall, the lyrics of "More Than a Feeling" by Boston seem to be about the power of music to transport us to specific moments and memories in our lives, and its ability to evoke deep emotions and nostalgia.
Line by Line Meaning
I looked out this morning and the sun was gone
As I woke up, the sun had already disappeared and the day appeared sullen.
Turned on some music to start my day
To lift my mood, I resorted to playing some good music.
I lost myself in a familiar song
I immersed myself in a familiar song and got lost in its tune and melody.
I closed my eyes and I slipped away
With eyes closed and mind entranced in the music, I felt like I was drifting away from reality.
It's more than a feeling (more than a feeling)
The sensation I experience is not just a mere feeling, but something deeper and more profound.
When I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling)
Whenever I listen to that particular old song, it evokes powerful memories and emotions, transcending mere auditory experience.
And I begin dreaming (more than a feeling)
The emotional significance of the song triggers vivid and intense delusions, extending beyond a physical reaction to music.
Till I see Marianne walk away
These delusions persist until I'm reminded of the harsh reality of losing someone dear, in this case, a person named Marianne.
So many people have come and gone
Over time, many individuals have been in my life and then moved on, leaving only traces of their memories behind.
Their faces fade as the years go by
Like a drifting memory, the image of their faces begins to fade and become less vivid as the years go on.
Yet I still recall as I wander on
Nevertheless, I still remember these people and the times spent together, even as I move forward with life.
As clear as the sun in the summer sky
Memories of these people are still as vivid and clear in my mind as the striking sun on a clear summer day.
When I'm tired and thinking cold
In moments of sadness and exhaustion, I find refuge in music to take my mind away from the present situation.
I hide in my music, forget the day
Music becomes a safe haven where I can go to forget the troubles of the day and escape reality for a while.
And dream of a girl I used to know
Whilst in this dreamlike state, I dream of a girl that I knew, with whom I have special memories.
She slipped away
However, like so many other people, she is no longer in my life and has slipped away, leaving only memories and feelings behind.
I see my Marianne walkin' away
The song ends with a poignant reminder of a lost love, and the realization that time doesn't completely heal all wounds.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DONALD T. SCHOLZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wlewisiii
And your kids say the same thing about the 90's.
And your grand kids say the same thing about the 2010's.
And your great-grand kids WILL say the same thing in the 2030's.
So?
Buy a life, child.
@christinabarrera5432
Anyone in 2024?
@user-tu2py3gd7c
This version is a minute shorter than the album haven't checked what part is left out yet
@restroomselevatorsofflorid2102
Yes
@KittyGrizGriz
@@user-tu2py3gd7cthe chorus, can’t believe they cut it short…
@MitragynineDoper96
yes sir
@titinitasonadora7398
Yes!...here...😊
@rsstnnr76
This band was so good Massachusetts named a city after it.
@stewartfamily8085
Nobody gave you the love for that one...much appreciated in California!
@owlmuso
lol, too funny
@danishmoocow4424
Russ Tanner it was opposite