After learning guitar at the age of 12, Scaggs met Steve Miller at St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas. In 1959, he became the vocalist for Miller's band The Marksmen. The pair later attended the University of Wisconsin together, playing in blues bands like The Ardells and The Fabulous Knight Trains. Leaving school, Scaggs briefly left Texas to join the burgeoning rhythm and blues scene in London. After singing in bands such as The Wigs and Mother Earth, he recorded his first solo album Boz in 1965, which was not a commercial success. He traveled to Sweden as a solo performer and did a brief stint with the band The Other Side with fellow American Jack Downing and Brit Mac MacLeod.
Returning to the US, Scaggs promptly headed for the booming psychedelic music center of San Francisco in 1967. Linking up with Steve Miller again, he appeared on the Steve Miller Band's first two albums Children of the Future and Sailor, which won over critical reviews. After being spotted by Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, Scaggs secured a solo contract with Atlantic Records in 1968. Despite good reviews, his first Atlantic album was met with lukewarm sales, as were followup albums on Columbia Records. In 1976, he linked up with session musicians who would later form Toto and recorded his smash album Silk Degrees. The album reached number 2 on the US charts and number 1 in a number of countries across the world, spawning three hit singles: "Lowdown", "Lido Shuffle", and "What Can I Say", as well as the MOR standard "We're All Alone", later a hit for Rita Coolidge. A sellout world tour followed, but his follow-up album, the 1977 Down Two Then Left, lacked the cohesion of Silk Degrees.
Scaggs' 1980 album Middle Man would spawn two top 20 hits, "Breakdown Dead Ahead" and "Jojo," and Scaggs would enjoy two more hits over 1980 and 1981 ("Look What You've Done to Me" from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack, and "Miss Sun" from a greatest hits set).
Scaggs continued to record and tour sporadically throughout the 1980s and 1990s, although he semi-retired from the music business and turned owner of the San Francisco nightclub Slim's. His lengthy hiatus from the music industry slowed his chart career down dramatically.
Scaggs recorded Other Roads in 1988, took another hiatus, and then came back in 1994 with Some Change. In the late 190s he released Come On Home, an album of blues, and My Time, an anthology. He garnered good reviews with Dig, although the CD, which was released on September 11, 2001, was lost in the post-911 melée. In May, 2003, Scaggs released But Beautiful, a collection of jazz standards that debuted at number 1 on the jazz charts.
In 2013 he released the album Memphis
Up To You
Boz Scaggs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wrote it different from before
Somehow I just don't get excited like I used to
Just to stand before your door
Even though you broke my dreams
And destroyed my will to give
I cannot wait I won't refuse
Put it back the way it was
Put it back that way because
You have broke a faithful heart
And you've torn it all apart
You let me down
When it was up to you
Once you gave me sunny mornings
We were happy then that way
You were warm and sweet and loving
I wanted nothing but to stay
Now I ain't coming back forever
But I'm coming back for more
Keep your grieving invitations
Go on eat your heart outside your door
Put it back the way it was
Put it back that way because
You have broke a faithful heart
And you've torn it all apart
You let me down
When it was up to you
Put it back the way it was
Put it back that way because
You have broke a faithful heart
And you've torn it all apart
You let me down
When it was up to you
Oh you let me down
Oh and it's up to you
Oh I'm feeling down
Oh and it's up to you
The lyrics of Boz Scaggs's song Up to You seem to convey a sense of heartbreak, but also an unwillingness to completely let go of the relationship. The opening line of the song, "Got your midnight invitation, wrote it different from before," suggests that the singer has received some sort of communication from the person they are addressing, but that it's nothing new or exciting. It's clear that the singer feels like they've been let down - "you have broke a faithful heart, and you've torn it all apart" - but they are still willing to forgive and come back for more. The line "I'll not forget but I'll forgive" shows that the singer is trying to move past the pain they have experienced in order to give the relationship another chance.
One of the most interesting aspects of the song is the way that it shifts between past and present tense. In the first verse, Scaggs sings "Even though you broke my dreams and destroyed my will to give," which is in the past tense. But then in the second verse, he says "Once you gave me sunny mornings, we were happy then that way," which is in the present tense. This gives the song an interesting temporal quality and suggests that the singer is trying to reconcile their feelings about the relationship.
Another interesting aspect of the song is the way that it addresses the idea of forgiveness. It's clear that the singer has been hurt, but they are still willing to give the relationship another chance. This could be seen as an example of the power of forgiveness and the importance of letting go of grudges in order to move forward. However, it could also be seen as an example of the ways in which people can become trapped in toxic relationships, unable to fully let go even when they know they should.
Overall, Up to You is a beautifully written song that explores some complex emotional territory. It is a testament to Boz Scaggs's skill as a songwriter and his ability to capture the nuances of human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Got your midnight invitation
I received a message from you late at night
Wrote it different from before
The message was changed from your usual style
Somehow I just don't get excited like I used to
I am not as enthusiastic as I once was
Just to stand before your door
Just to see you again
Even though you broke my dreams
Despite you crushing my hopes
And destroyed my will to give
And making me lose my desire to try again
I cannot wait I won't refuse
But I am willing to come back to you
I'll not forget but I'll forgive
Although I won't forget what you did, I am willing to forgive
Put it back the way it was
Bring back the past that we shared
Put it back that way because
Make things right again, for this reason
You have broke a faithful heart
You caused pain to someone who was loyal to you
And you've torn it all apart
You destroyed everything we had
You let me down
You disappointed me
When it was up to you
You had the power to make things right
Once you gave me sunny mornings
You used to bring happiness to my life
We were happy then that way
We were content with our relationship at that time
You were warm and sweet and loving
You used to treat me with love and kindness
I wanted nothing but to stay
I wished for our relationship to last forever
Now I ain't coming back forever
I may not return to you permanently
But I'm coming back for more
But I am willing to give it another chance
Keep your grieving invitations
I don't want to dwell on past sadness
Go on eat your heart outside your door
Please don't let your sadness keep you from moving forward
Oh you let me down
You hurt me deeply
Oh and it's up to you
But the decision to fix things is in your hands
Oh I'm feeling down
I am currently sad
Oh and it's up to you
But you have the power to make me happy again
Contributed by Adeline S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.