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/
How Can We Be Lovers
Michael Bolton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How can we start over when the fighting never ends?
Baby, how can we make love if we can't make amends?
How can we be lovers if we can't be, can't be friends?
Look at us now, look at us, baby
Still tryin' to work it out never get it right
We must be fools, we must be crazy
Whoa, whoa, it's a no win situation
How can we be lovers if we can't be friends?
How can we start over when the fighting never ends?
Baby, how can we make love if we can't make amends?
Tell me how can we be lovers if can't be friends?
We lie awake, this wall between us
We're just not talkin', we got so much to say
Let's break these chains, our love can free us
Whoa, whoa, ain't it time we started trying
Whoa, whoa, gotta stop this love from dying
How can we be lovers if we can't be friends?
How can we start over when the fighting never ends?
Baby, how can we make love if we can't make amends?
Tell me how can we be lovers if can't be friends?
Baby, love is tough but we can make it
Baby, times are rough but we can make it
We can work it out
How can we be lovers if we can't be friends?
How can we start over if the fighting never ends?
Baby, how can we make love if we can't make amends?
Tell me how can we be lovers if can't be, can't be friends?
How can we be lovers if we can't be friends?
How can we start over if the fighting never ends?
Baby, how can we make love if we can't make amends?
Tell me how can we be lovers if can't be, can't be friends?
The lyrics to Michael Bolton's How Can We Be Lovers explore the idea of how difficult it can be to maintain a romantic relationship when communication breaks down and conflict seems to overshadow all else. The chorus poses the question, "How can we be lovers if we can't be friends?" acknowledging that a foundation of friendship and mutual respect is necessary for a successful relationship. The second verse describes the frustration of lying awake with a wall between two people who simply can't seem to talk things out. The bridge offers hope, encouraging the couple to break free of their chains and make an effort to communicate and work through their problems. The final chorus reinforces the central idea of the song, that without the foundation of a strong friendship, a romantic relationship will likely fail.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was co-written by Michael Bolton and Diane Warren, who is widely regarded as one of the most successful and prolific songwriters of all time. Another is that the song was a top 20 hit in six different countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. Additionally, the song was featured in the 1996 film The Nutty Professor, starring Eddie Murphy. The song also features prominently in the 2012 romantic comedy "This Means War".
The chord progression for the song is as follows:
Verse: C - G - Am - F (repeat)
Chorus: C - G - Am - F - C - G - Am - G - F (repeat)
Line by Line Meaning
How can we be lovers if we can't be friends?
If we can't even get along as friends, how can we expect to have a romantic relationship?
How can we start over when the fighting never ends?
If we keep arguing without resolving our issues, how can we move forward in our relationship?
Baby, how can we make love if we can't make amends?
If we can't reconcile and forgive each other, how can we connect intimately?
Look at us now, look at us, baby
Reflecting on our current state of relationship,
Still tryin' to work it out never get it right
we are struggling to fix and improve our situation but failing to do so,
We must be fools, we must be crazy
realizing that our behavior is irrational and unreasonable,
Whoa, Whoa, when there's no communication
We can never make progress in our relationship when we are not communicating effectively.
Whoa, whoa, it's a no win situation
Our relationship is at risk of failing completely if we continue on this path.
We lie awake, this wall between us
We are experiencing a divide between ourselves that is preventing us from connecting with each other,
We're just not talkin', we got so much to say
we have important things to say but we are not communicating with each other,
Let's break these chains, our love can free us
We must take action to remove the barriers between us and let our love bring us together,
Whoa, whoa, ain't it time we started trying
It is time for us to actively work on our relationship,
Whoa, whoa, gotta stop this love from dying
We need to prevent our love from dying out by putting in effort to improve our relationship,
Baby, love is tough but we can make it
Although it might be hard, if we work together, we can overcome the challenges of our relationship,
Baby, times are rough but we can make it
Even though we are going through difficult times in our relationship, we can still succeed,
We can work it out
We can resolve our issues and make our relationship better with effort and commitment,
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Realsongs
Written by: Michael Bolton, Diane Warren, Desmond Child
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cadejust6777
19. https://youtu.be/TDLMUvIkKPQ8
1. Saw Him In Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was Amazing
2. Saw Him Out Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was Amazing
3. Saw Him Inbetween Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was Amazing
4. Saw Him Outbetween Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was Amazing
5. Saw Him In Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was Amazing Grace
6. Saw Him Out Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was Amazing Grace
7. Saw Him Inbetween Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was Amazing Grace
8. Saw Him Outbetween Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was Amazing Grace
9. Saw Him In Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was The Amazing Race
10. Saw Him Out Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was The Amazing Race
11. Saw Him Inbetween Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was The Amazing Race
12. Saw Him Outbetween Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was The Amazing Race
13. Saw Him In Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was The Amazing Spiderman 🕷️
14. Saw Him Out Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was The Amazing Spiderman 🕷️
15. Saw Him Inbetween Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was The Amazing Spiderman 🕷️
16. Saw Him Outbetween Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was The Amazing Spiderman 🕷️
17. Saw Him In Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was The Amazing World Of Gumball
18. Saw Him Out Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was The Amazing World Of Gumball
19. Saw Him Inbetween Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was The Amazing World Of Gumball
20. Saw Him Outbetween Concert 2019 He Waved At Me And Daughter He Was The Amazing World Of Gumball
@kevinchandler179
You know, I have to admit, I was not a big fan of Mr. Bolton years ago, but he is very good and I appreciate it now, better late than never!!! Great song 🎵
@jimmyshaker1720
I don't care if many people say Michael Bolton fans are mostly girls! I'm a full blooded Male & the Man knows how to Rock! What a voice! Pure Talent & Music to my ears! 👍😊
@mandajoy6597
I’m a girl and my friends still make fun of me for loving him. I don’t care. Talent is talent and this man is 100% talented. I like good music. Period.
@mandajoy6597
@Si Briers amen to that! Lol. Music just isn’t the same anymore.
@rachaelroessler9978
You fucking rock 🤘
@christianross7731
Very powerful voice man knows how to sing!!
@pinkjuicy7205
@Jimmy Shaker you R THE BEST!!!& SO RIGHT!!!!!! I love that you can appreciate this& SAY IT!!! YES!!!
@williamedwards8493
I was born 89. My mom blasted this man’s music while cleaning our single wide trailer. I remember it so well just the same as I remember every word. Good times good music. !!!
@mys3682
Sweet memories
@sheenamosby7640
My mom just passed a little over a month ago an she loved some Michael Bolton an his music I am sitting here missing her crying listening to Michael Bolton rod stewart stuff I don't jam but the memory s I have riding in the car with her blaring these guys she was an awsom mom friend 01/31/24 rest easy mama love you an miss you