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/
Georgia On My Mind
Michael Bolton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
Talking 'bout Georgia
I'm in Georgia
A song of you
Comes as sweet and clear as moonlight
Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you
Georgia, sweet Georgia, no peace I find
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
Georgia on my mind
Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back
It always leads back, leads back to you
I'm in Georgia, Georgia, sweet Georgia
No peace, no peace I find
Just this old sweet song
Keeps Georgia forever on my mind
Just an old sweet sweet sweet song
Keeps Georgia forever on my mind
The lyrics of Michael Bolton's "Georgia On My Mind" describe the longing and yearning for the state of Georgia. The singer reflects on his time spent in Georgia and how it has left an indelible mark on him. The repetition of "Georgia, Georgia" emphasizes the singer's fixation on the state and how it stays with him throughout the day.
The line "Just an old sweet song, keeps Georgia on my mind" suggests that the singer is constantly reminded of Georgia by an old song that he hears. The sweet and clear sound of the song is compared to moonlight through the pines, creating a picturesque image of Georgia in the listener's mind. The lyrics mention how the road always leads back to Georgia, indicating that the singer feels a strong connection to the state no matter where he goes.
The line "Other arms reach out to me, other eyes smile tenderly" suggests that the singer has been away from Georgia and has had other romantic relationships. However, he still dreams of Georgia and how the road always leads back to it. The final chorus highlights the singer's obsession with Georgia, using repetition to emphasize his fixation.
Line by Line Meaning
Georgia, Georgia, whole day through
I can't stop thinking about Georgia all day long.
Just an old sweet song
This beautiful melody reminds me of all the good things from Georgia.
Keeps Georgia on my mind
Georgia is always on my thoughts because of this song.
Talking 'bout Georgia
I can't help but talk about Georgia because it means so much to me.
I'm in Georgia
I am physically present in Georgia right now.
A song of you
This song is about my love for Georgia and all the memories I have there.
Comes as sweet and clear as moonlight
The song is both sweet and soothing to me.
Through the pines
I can still imagine the sight of pine trees in Georgia when I hear this song.
Other arms reach out to me
Even when I am away from Georgia, other people offer their love and support.
Other eyes smile tenderly
I encounter kindness and affection from others, but my heart still belongs to Georgia.
Still in peaceful dreams I see
Even in my dreams, Georgia remains a source of comfort and happiness.
The road leads back to you
No matter where I go or what I do, my journey eventually leads me back to Georgia.
Georgia, sweet Georgia, no peace I find
Without the presence of Georgia, I am unable to find peace.
Just this old sweet song
Sometimes this song is the only thing that can give me comfort and peace when I think about Georgia.
Keeps Georgia forever on my mind
As long as I live, I will always hold Georgia close to my heart because of this song.
Just an old sweet sweet sweet song
This song is simple, but its sweetness is what makes it so special to me and what makes me think of Georgia everytime.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ronak Ricky Modi
Georgia, Georgia, the whole day through
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
Talking 'bout Georgia
I'm in Georgia
A song of you
Comes as sweet and clear as moonlight
Through the pines
Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you
Georgia, sweet Georgia, no peace I find
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back
It always leads back to you
I'm in Georgia, Georgia, sweet Georgia
No peace, no peace I find
Just this old sweet song
Keeps Georgia forever on my mind
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia forever on my mind
clo2333's channel
Absolutely incredible the way he sang this song, Ray would be proud 👏
CharlesCopeland
Why Ray? Why not Hoagy?
Carolyn Williams
Had to re-visit this. He was young with a slow hand on the mic. You can see the soul of the song resonate through his movements. What a soulful artist. He definitely felt the “Soul of it All”👄👩🏾💼
Саля Гаджиева
Какое исполнение браво до мурашек какой голос с хрипотцой просто супер
Ines Cacharron
Fantástico
C. Kannan
Ever Green song by Ray and additional added honey by Bolton and Kenny g
John T. Basco
Bucket list concert..Always been one of my absolute favorite male vocalists. Add Kenny G, and it’s an automatic instant classic. Bravo Boys!!!
Luiz Carlos
Excelente cantor compositor é incrível ouvi-lo cantar é muita emoção fabuloso michael bolton é sensacional demais
dixie ingalls
So amazed by these two they make this song come alive! Sweet stuff! Thanks 🙏
patricia bennett
Oh my this rendition is extremely impressive. Perfect words expressed by Michaels heartfelt emotion expressing so much love. Oh yes Michael knows how to put a song across in that special way. All musicians are superb. The saxophone player is fantastic. A song which is memorable,so soulful, Thank you so much.