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
Walk On
Boston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I guess that all depends on exactly what you want it to be
Don't know all the answers everybody's running away, hey
If you want to win the game then you know it's a shame not to play
Everybody get carried away
And everybody's got something to say
To remind you
Keep looking behind you
What it takes to believe right from wrong
Never going back where I've gone
Walk on
Walk on
Walk on
Walk on
Hey alright, we're not gonna turn back now
Walk on
Walk on
Just walk on
The song "Walk On" by Boston is a great example of their unique sound, which blends rock and roll, hard rock, and pop. The song starts with the lyrics, "Take a look around tell me what you can see. I guess that all depends on exactly what you want it to be." This verse sets the tone for the rest of the song, which is essentially about the power of perception. The lyrics suggest that what we see and hear depends on our perspective and what we choose to focus on.
The chorus of the song is repeated several times throughout the track and is designed to be motivational. The line "Walk on" is repeated several times and is meant to encourage the listener to keep moving forward, regardless of the obstacles they may face. The lyrics, "Hey alright, we're not gonna turn back now" reinforce this message and suggest that the listener should keep pushing forward, no matter what.
Overall, "Walk On" is a powerful and inspiring song that encourages listeners to keep pushing forward, no matter what. The lyrics are relatable and motivational, and the melody is catchy and memorable.
Line by Line Meaning
Take a look around tell me what you can see
Observe your surroundings and describe what you perceive
I guess that all depends on exactly what you want it to be
Interpretation of surroundings is subjective and based on individual choice
Don't know all the answers everybody's running away, hey
No one has all the answers, and people tend to avoid facing tough questions
If you want to win the game then you know it's a shame not to play
In order to succeed, you must participate in the challenge
Everybody get carried away
People tend to get caught up in their emotions and go overly far with their reactions
And everybody's got something to say
Everyone has an opinion that they want to express
To remind you
In order to jog your memory
Keep looking behind you
It's important to remember the past and learn from it
It's never easy to see
Often, the correct path is not clear or obvious
What it takes to believe right from wrong
It can be challenging to differentiate between ethical and unethical choices
Never going back where I've gone
I will learn from my past experiences but not repeat my mistakes
Walk on
Keep moving forward, regardless of obstacles in your path
Hey alright, we're not gonna turn back now
I am committed to continuing forward progress and will not give up
Just walk on
Persist in the face of adversity, and the future will be brighter
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BRAD DELP, DAVID SIKES, TOM SCHOLZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MASTER METALLIAN
I swear, I love Boston.
I wish Brad had been here for the creation of this album.
He is greatly missed.
7:23 is where the perilous battle begins
the hero is on the ropes but triumph will be hers/his
just close your eyes and envision your best in a game
in an adventure or create the scenario in your mind as the music unfolds its power.
If you're lucky, tears of gratitude will fill your eyes.
This is a powerful piece and Boston is likely the only ones who could've made it.
wayne visintainer
Boston is my absolute favorite all time band. I've had the honor of seeing them 32 times in concert over the years. BOSTON ROCKS!!!!
Troy George
I am sooooooo jealous.
jimmyboy131
32 times?? You're a legend. I was never able to see them once.
1ufcfanatic
Dude!!!!👍👍
Sergeant- D
You know there are other bands.
Dr. Fuh Q
And nobody but you cares that you were ever at any of those concerts.
David Mac Farlane
I listened to this back in High School in the late 90's to pep me up during my studies! This song (and whole album) deserved far more media attention than it got. An absolutely phenomenal, yet underrated mastery of perfection! Rock it Boston!
Screamndemon
where are you in life today do you have a good job
Barry Chitwood
Yes, and Fran Cosmo never got the credit he deserved on this. His vocals are phenomenal!
James Macfarlane
David, completely agree! Unreal song. Unreal when I saw it in concert in '97. Simple, classic, typical Tom Scholz.