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
Tell Me
Boston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And wonder if you've ever been alone
with all the world around you
Say the word; I'd be there
And like a fool I'd go anywhere
just like the day I found you
Tell me what you see
Tell me you believe in my love
Tell me what you need
Tell me you believe in my love
I don't understand what to say
You take my breath and then you walk away
Your life goes on without me
And you can look right at me
But in your eyes it's a mystery
What do you feel about me?
Tell me if it's real
Tell me what you feel in my love
Tell me what you see
Tell me you believe in my love
Tell me what to give
Tell me I can live for your love
Tell me not to leave
Tell me to believe in your love
I don't really know what to say
I don't know how but I could learn to pray
If praying makes you hear me
I could stay on my own
and wonder if I'd have ever known
I just want you near me
Tell me if it's real
Tell me what you feel in my love
Tell me what you need
Tell me you believe in my love
Tell what to give
Tell me how to live for your love
Tell me what you see
Tell me to believe in your love
In "Tell Me", Boston expresses the feeling of uncertainty and confusion that comes with being in love, but not knowing where exactly the other person stands. The song begins with the singer standing alone, wondering if their love interest has ever been in their shoes or felt the same way about being alone. The chorus, "Tell me what you see, tell me you believe in my love" shows that the singer only wants validation for their feelings.
The second verse shows the singer's frustration at not being able to understand what the other person is thinking or feeling. They mention that they can be looked right at, but still remain a mystery. This shows that the singer wants to be seen and understood by their love interest. The chorus repeats, with the singer asking for assurance of their love being reciprocated.
In the final verse, the singer admits to not knowing what to say or do in order to be heard or understood by their love interest. They mention that they could even learn to pray, if it meant being heard. The chorus repeats again with the singer pleading for answers and assurance that their love is real.
Overall, the song is a plea for reciprocation and understanding in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I stand on my own
I am self-sufficient and independent.
And wonder if you've ever been alone
I wonder if you have ever felt lonely like I do.
with all the world around you
Even though there are many people around you.
Say the word; I'd be there
If you need me, just ask and I'll come running.
And like a fool I'd go anywhere
I would do anything for you, even if it is foolish.
just like the day I found you
Like the day I met you when I fell in love with you.
Tell me what you see
Please tell me your thoughts and feelings honestly.
Tell me you believe in my love
Please assure me that you have faith in my love for you.
Tell me what you need
Please communicate to me what you require from me.
I do not understand what to say
I am tongue-tied and do not know how to express myself.
You take my breath and then you walk away
You leave me speechless and then depart without explanation.
Your life goes on without me
You continue living your life normally without me.
And you can look right at me
You could stare directly at me.
But in your eyes, it's a mystery
I am uncertain about what you are thinking, even when looking into your eyes.
What do you feel about me?
I am curious to know your feelings towards me.
Tell me if it's real
Please tell me if your love for me is genuine.
Tell me what you feel in my love
Communicate to me what my love means to you.
Tell me what to give
Let me know what I can do to make you happy.
Tell me I can live for your love
Allow me to live my life for and be devoted to your love.
Tell me not to leave
Ask me to stay and not abandon you.
Tell me to believe in your love
Persuade me to have faith in your love for me.
I don't really know what to say
I am not sure how to express myself fully.
I don't know how but I could learn to pray
I am willing to try anything, even praying, to make you feel the same way about me as I do about you.
If praying makes you hear me
If praying can make you listen to me and understand my love for you.
I could stay on my own
I am able to live alone if necessary.
and wonder if I'd ever have known
I would be pondering if I would find the love I have for you if I had never met you.
I just want you near me
All I require is having you by my side.
Tell me what you need
Communicate your desires to me.
Tell me you believe in my love
Please confirm that you believe the love I have for you is true.
Tell what to give
Tell me the presents and my time spent with you that make you happy.
Tell me how to live for your love
Let me understand how I can live for your love.
Tell me what you see
Let me know what you observe in me.
Tell me to believe in your love
Please assure me of your love and I will believe in it.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRYCE P. WILSON, EDIE ARLISA BRICKELL, KENNETH NEIL WITHROW, JOHN BRADLEY HOUSER, BRANDON ALY, JOHN WALTER BUSH, AMEL E. LARRIEUX, DARRYL BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Kiraly
This is a beautiful song with excellent instrumentation!
Denise Hedden
🥀Beautiful love song amazing lyrics vocals and music with meaning of unconditional love within🥀This is one of the beautiful song's I've ever heard🥀☝️🥀
Natali Kharabadze
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Blockmm
Hi! I’m in Seoul, south korea! Thank you!!
Michele Laraia
Who's singing?
Michele Laraia
@Jeffrey Koegel Thank you so much/Grazie! 6:10 a.m.,3/9/2022.🇮🇹In two days' time birthday, same as Mercury's!
Jeffrey Koegel
David Sikes. He was Boston's bassist when the greatest hits album was recorded.