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
We're Ready
Boston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The feelin' now that I'm beside you
We'll open the door
Do anything that we decide to
And I know that there's something that's just out of sight
And I feel like I'm finally seeing the light
Holdin' on girl I know it's right
I know it's right
You and I
We'll find a reason
To simplify a change of season
And I feel like it's time we were off on our way
We can go so much farther than we've come today
Holdin' on girl and come what may
Come what may
We're ready! C'mon
We can find a way
We're ready now
Catchin' a wave to ride on
Steady now
Headin' where we decide on
And I know that there's something that's just out of sight
And I feel like we're trying to do something right
Come on make it if we hold on tight
Hold on tight
We're Ready! C'mon we're ready
We're ready
We're ready, one, two, three, four
We can find a way. We're ready now, ooh we're ready now.
We're ready now.
The lyrics to Boston's song "We're Ready" evoke a sense of excitement and anticipation for what is to come. The opening lines, "I'm ready for more, the feeling now that I'm beside you," suggest that the singer is embarking on a new journey or adventure, and that they are eager to see what lies ahead. The repetition of "we're ready" throughout the song reinforces this sense of readiness and the idea that the singer and their partner are united in their enthusiasm for whatever comes their way.
The lyrics also convey a sense of determination and optimism, with lines like "We'll open the door, do anything that we decide to," and "And I feel like it's time we were off on our way, we can go so much farther than we've come today." These lines suggest that the singer and their partner are not content to rest on their laurels or settle for the status quo, but are instead driven to push past their limits and see what they are truly capable of achieving.
Ultimately, the song is a celebration of new beginnings, of the excitement and possibility that comes with embarking on a new adventure or starting a new chapter in one's life. By repeating the refrain "We're ready" and urging listeners to "hold on tight" and "find a way," Boston is encouraging us to embrace the unknown and to have faith in ourselves and our ability to overcome whatever obstacles may come our way.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm ready for more
I'm excited to experience more in life than what I've already seen
The feelin' now that I'm beside you
I feel a sense of comfort and confidence being with you
We'll open the door
We're ready to explore new opportunities and take risks
Do anything that we decide to
We have the power to choose our paths and make our own decisions
And I know that there's something that's just out of sight
There's a sense of anticipation for good things to come in the future
And I feel like I'm finally seeing the light
I feel enlightened and able to see things more clearly
Holdin' on girl I know it's right
I have confidence in our choices and feel like we're on the right track
We're ready!
We're confident and excited to take on whatever life has in store for us
You and I
We're a team and we can achieve great things together
We'll find a reason
We're determined to find purpose and meaning in whatever we do
To simplify a change of season
We're ready to embrace change and make it work for us
And I feel like it's time we were off on our way
It's time for us to take action and pursue our goals and dreams
We can go so much farther than we've come today
We have the potential to achieve so much more than what we've already accomplished
Holdin' on girl and come what may
We're committed to sticking together and facing whatever challenges come our way
We're ready! C'mon
We're pumped up and ready to go!
We can find a way
We're confident that we can overcome any obstacles that come our way
We're ready now
We're feeling energized and prepared to take on new challenges
Catchin' a wave to ride on
We're ready to ride the momentum of our successes and keep pushing forward
Steady now
We're focused and level-headed as we work towards our goals
Headin' where we decide on
We're in control of our destiny and are determined to make our own path
And I feel like we're trying to do something right
We're motivated by a desire to make a positive impact and do good in the world
Come on make it if we hold on tight
If we stay committed and persevere, we can achieve our goals
We're Ready! C'mon we're ready
We're fired up and ready to take on anything!
We're ready
We're confident, prepared, and excited for what's to come
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TOM SCHOLZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind