His achievements include selling 53 million albums, eight top ten albums, two number one singles on the Billboard charts, and awards from both the American Music Awards and Grammy Awards.
Michael Bolton had an extensive, though not very successful, career under his real name, Michael Bolotin, before emerging in the mid-'80s as a major soft rock balladeer. Bolton began recording in 1975. This first album was self-titled using his original surname, Bolotin. Early in his musical career, he focused on hard rock. His band, Blackjack, once toured with heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. He turned up on RCA Records in the mid-'70s singing in a gruff, Joe Cocker-like voice both his own blue-eyed soul songs and cover tunes. Neither record buyers nor critics were much interested by the result. He then became the lead singer in Blackjack, a heavy metal band that made two albums for Polydor at the end of the '70s and the start of the '80s. In 1983, he changed his name to Michael Bolton, signed to Columbia Records as a solo act, and relaunched his career.
Michael Bolton was released in April 1983, and made the Top 100 bestsellers, as did its single, "Fools Game." At the same time, "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," which Bolton had co-written, became a Top 40 hit for Laura Branigan. Nevertheless, Bolton's second Columbia album, Everybody's Crazy (1985), was a commercial flop. His breakthrough came with his third album, The Hunger, released in September 1987. On this album, Bolton abandoned the more hard rock aspects of his style to concentrate on blue-eyed soul singing: both on his own songs, such as "That's What Love Is All About," and on covers like Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay." Those two songs became Top 40 hits.
Soul Provider, released in July 1989, turned Bolton into a superstar, reaching the Top Ten, selling four million copies, and spawning five Top 40 singles, including Bolton's number one version of "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," and the Top Ten hits "How Can We Be Lovers" and "When I'm Back on My Feet Again." "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" won Bolton a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Time, Love & Tenderness, released in April 1991, was even more successful, hitting number one, selling six million copies, and featuring four Top 40 hits, including the chart-topping cover of Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman," and the Top Ten hits "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" (later the subject of a successful plagiarism suit brought against Bolton by the Isley Brothers) and "Time, Love and Tenderness."
Bolton won another Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, for "When a Man Loves a Woman," but he had to put up with abuse from two camps of detractors at the February 1992 ceremony. Just after Bolton had performed, pre-rock songwriter Irving Gordon won the Song of the Year award for "Unforgettable" and pointedly attacked songs that "scream, yell, and have a nervous breakdown" and singers who "have a hernia" when they sing. Then, backstage, Bolton faced a hostile press corps of critics unhappy with his tendency to copy great soul singers like Redding, Ray Charles, and Sledge. Bolton suggested they apply their lips to a certain part of his anatomy. He further responded with Timeless: The Classics in September 1992, an album made up entirely of cover songs. It went to number one, sold three million copies, and featured a Top 40 hit in Bolton's version of the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody." Bolton's next album of original material, The One Thing, came in November 1993. It hit the Top Ten, sold three million copies, and featured the Top Ten hit "Said I Loved You...But I Lied." Bolton released Greatest Hits 1985-1995 in the fall of 1995, which debuted in the Top Ten. The following year, This Is the Time: Christmas Album appeared.
Bolton returned with All That Matters, his first album of new material since 1993's The One Thing, in the fall of 1997. Instead of continuing his success, it was a surprise flop. Not only did it not generate a hit single, it barely cracked the Top 40 and fell out of the charts after 15 weeks. Its lack of success didn't stop Bolton from turning his attention to My Secret Passion, a collection of opera and arias that he released in January 1998. By classical standards, the album was a hit, and the record received a great deal of press and surprisingly good reviews. He supported the two albums with a summer tour which were co-headlined with Wynonna Judd. He voluntarily stepped back for almost four years, disappearing from the public eye until the spring of 2002 when he began promoting Only a Woman Like You, his first album on Jive Records. After a brief sabbatical, he returned with Til the End of Forever, a hybrid new album of seven new recordings and a live greatest-hits concert. In 2006 he released Bolton Swings Sinatra, a 12-song tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes that included a duet with fiancée/actress Nicolette Sheridan.
It would be worth mentioning "Can I Touch You There" proved to be one of the all-time hit love songs from Micheal Bolton from the album Greatest Hits.
www.michaelbolton.com/
Everybody
Michael Bolton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She lives tonight, in every school boys' dream
Oh, but nobody knows how she's cryin'
She's just a child goin' on seventeen
She gets so confused by her friends and their scenes
They don't mean what they say
They don't say what they mean
She reads the signs, reads between the lines
There's no reason or rhyme
Just hold on girl, as long as you can
In time you'll learn what you don't understand
It's the human condition, it's the nature of man
Everybody's crazy, everybody's crazy
Everybody's crazy, everybody's crazy
This city boy, he don't want no control
He just wanna party and play his rock 'n' roll
But here they come to turn the pressure on
Say'n son, your partyin' days are gone
The time has come now to be a man
Find your place in the world, gotta take what you can
You've got no ambition, take a look at yourself
When ya gonna straighten out, be like everybody else
The boy said listen dad, you're bringin' me down
I am who I am, I've had a good look around
There's one thing in the world I can tell you I've found
Everybody's crazy, everybody's crazy
Everybody's crazy, everybody's crazy
There ain't no wonder things are so outta hand
Sooner or later, ya come to understand
The human condition, it's the nature of man
Everybody's crazy, everybody's crazy
Everybody's crazy, everybody's crazy
The lyrics of "Everybody's Crazy" by Michael Bolton explore the theme of human nature and the struggles that come with growing up. The song tells the stories of a teenage girl who is struggling to fit in with her peers and a young man who wants to live life on his own terms. Both are judged by society for not conforming but ultimately find solace in the realization that everyone is flawed in their own way.
The first verse focuses on the high school girl who seems to have it all but is secretly struggling to keep up appearances. Her peers are not as perfect as they seem, often masking their true intentions and feelings through their actions. The girl reads between the lines but still cannot make sense of the chaos around her. The chorus reassures her that everyone is crazy in their own way, and she should hold on and keep trying to navigate life as best she can.
The second verse introduces a young man who just wants to have fun and live his life. However, society expects him to conform to a certain standard of behavior and be ambitious. His father tells him to grow up and take responsibility for his life, but he rebels against this idea, insisting that he is who he is. The chorus once again reminds the listener that everyone struggles with their own issues and imperfections.
"Everybody's Crazy" is a reflection on the human experience, acknowledging the messy, complicated nature of life. The song encourages listeners to be patient with themselves and others, knowing that everyone is fighting their own battles.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet little girl, she's the high school queen
There's a popular girl in high school
She lives tonight, in every school boys' dream
Many boys in school have a crush on her
Oh, but nobody knows how she's cryin'
Despite her popularity, she's going through a hard time
She's just a child goin' on seventeen
She's still young and learning
She gets so confused by her friends and their scenes
Her friends' behavior is confusing to her
They don't mean what they say
Her friends are not always honest
They don't say what they mean
Her friends are not always clear in their communication
She reads the signs, reads between the lines
She's trying to interpret their behavior
But it makes no difference
It doesn't always help her
There's no reason or rhyme
Her friends' behavior seems random and illogical
Just hold on girl, as long as you can
She should try to stay strong
In time you'll learn what you don't understand
She'll figure it out eventually
It's the human condition, it's the nature of man
People can be confusing and complicated
Everybody's crazy, everybody's crazy
Everyone has their own issues and struggles
This city boy, he don't want no control
A boy in the city doesn't want to conform
He just wanna party and play his rock 'n' roll
He wants to have fun and enjoy himself
But here they come to turn the pressure on
Others are pressuring him to change
Say'n son, your partyin' days are gone
They want him to grow up
The time has come now to be a man
He needs to mature
Find your place in the world, gotta take what you can
He needs to figure out his life
You've got no ambition, take a look at yourself
They think he's not motivated enough
When ya gonna straighten out, be like everybody else
They want him to conform to societal norms
The boy said listen dad, you're bringin' me down
The boy disagrees with his father
I am who I am, I've had a good look around
He's comfortable with himself and his choices
There's one thing in the world I can tell you I've found
He's realized everyone has their own struggles
There ain't no wonder things are so outta hand
It's not surprising that things are chaotic
Sooner or later, ya come to understand
Eventually, people will see the truth
The human condition, it's the nature of man
People can be complicated and difficult to understand
Everybody's crazy, everybody's crazy
Everyone has their own issues and struggles
Everybody's crazy, everybody's crazy
Everyone has their own issues and struggles
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MICHAEL BOLTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TearOfGalaxy
Lyrics:
Sweet little girl, she's the high school queen
She lives tonight, in every school boys' dream
Oh, but nobody knows how she's cryin'
She's just a child goin' on seventeen
She gets so confused by her friends and their scenes
They don't mean what they say
They don't say what they mean
She reads the signs, reads between the lines
But it makes no difference
There's no reason or rhyme
Just hold on girl, as long as you can
In time you'll learn what you don't understand
It's the human condition, it's the nature of man
Everybody's crazy, everybody's crazy
Everybody's crazy, everybody's crazy
This city boy, he don't want no control
He just wanna party and play his rock 'n' roll
But here they come to turn the pressure on
Say'n son, your partyin' days are gone
The time has come now to be a man
Find your place in the world, gotta take what you can
You've got no ambition, take a look at yourself
When ya gonna straighten out, be like everybody else
The boy said listen dad, you're bringin' me down
I am who I am, I've had a good look around
There's one thing in the world I can tell you I've found
Everybody's crazy, everybody's crazy
Everybody's crazy, everybody's crazy
There ain't no wonder things are so outta hand
Sooner or later, ya come to understand
The human condition, it's the nature of man
Everybody's crazy, everybody's crazy
Everybody's crazy, everybody's crazy
@The1cocoplum
I LOVED the 80s and the 90s!!
Michael
YOU ARE
PURE TALENT!!
YOUR VOICE IS A GIFT!!!
I RESPECT YOU!
IT MUST BE AMAZING TO SEE YOURSELF OVER YOUR LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENTS⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
STILL
SEXY
COOL AS EVER!!!!🎸🎶🎵
I'M VERY IMPRESSED
YOU ARE A WONDER MY LOVE 💓
@ki-pattao9030
(Michael bolton-Everybody's Crazy Lyrics)
Sweet little girl, she's high school queen
She live tonight, in every school boys' dream
Oh, but nobody knows how she's cryin'
She's just a child goin' seventeen
She gets so confused by her friends and their scenes
They don't mean what they say
They don't mean they mean
She reads the signs, reads between the lines
But it makes no difference
There's no reason or rhyme
Just hold on girl, as long as you can
In time you'll learn what you don't understand
It's the human condition, it's the nature of man
Everybody's Crazy everybody's Crazy
Everybody's Crazy everybody's Crazy
This city boy, he don't want no control
He just wanna party and play his rock 'n' roll
But here they come to turn the pressure on
Say'n son, your partyin' days are gone
The time has come now to be a man
Find your place in the world, gotta take what you can
You've got no ambition, take a look at yourself
When ya gonna straighten out, be like everybody else
The boy said listen dad, you're bringin' me down
I am who I am, I've had a good look around
There's one thing in the world I can tell you I've found
Everybody's Crazy everybody's crazy
Everybody's Crazy everybody's crazy
There ain't no wonder things are so outta hand
Sooner or later, ya come to understand
The human condition, it's the nature of man
Everybody's Crazy everybody's crazy
Everybody's Crazy everybody's crazy
@rogerbarrett1979
"Normal is something people are until you get to know them. Everybody's crazy". WELL SAID, MICHAEL! 👍
@cheery-hex
how did I ever miss this michael bolton GEM?!!! wow this dude can sing anything!!!!
@AOR_Hunter
Mike's voice is just unreal and this album is exceptional, a true 80s Melodic Rock gem 🎸🎹🎷🔥
@adamweishaupt81
Some of the best melodic rock / AOR I've ever heard comes from the same guy who also sang "How I am I supposed to live without you"...THAT'S crazy!
@MichaelSouhoka
Everybody's crazy. LOL
@JamesOhGoodie
I agree this is surprisingly good, but as for why he didn't continue this, you gotta understand: EVERY rock act in the 80's was doing music like this. Even if Bolton was good at it, he didn't stand out enough to be successful like he did when he did pop and R&B music. Shame really, because he had a lot of potential here.
@GorditoCrunch343
Exactly. The guy was competing with bands like Bon Jovi and Europe. A lot of groups who had the talent and potential to be huge were just dropped in favor of the next big things. That's just how it was back then, very competitive. It wasn't enough to merely be good, you had to step your game up and secure that hit track or you were finished.
@MichaelDavidCilantro
Well said James... Couldn't have said it better. He is a very talented and versatile Artist. I love him more then any Artist out there because of his broad range of talents in the music industry. He is truly the king of music in my book.
@blackjac5000
Everybody experiments before finding their groove. I read that the Beatles used to wear all denim until their manager forced them into the suits. Plus you should check out Katy Perry's old Christian rock stuff on here back when she was blonde and using her real last name Hudson.
@xennial80sxberner
I agree, I think Bolton was just a little ahead of his time during 1983-85 it wouldn't have played that well on pop radio. Hair metal seems like it really broke into the mainstream in late 1986-87 with Slippery When Wet, Hysteria, and Whitesnake. If this had been in the late 80s it'd be perfect.