Michael Bolton (born Michael Bolotin on February 26, 1953), is an American … Read Full Bio ↴Michael Bolton (born Michael Bolotin on February 26, 1953), is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his soft rock ballads and powerful vocals, characterized by his wide vocal range and deep, husky vocal tone. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut.

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.

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Reach Out I'll Be There
Michael Bolton Lyrics

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Now if you feel that you can't go on
Because all of your hope is gone,
And your life is filled with much confusion
Until happiness is just an illusion,
And your world around is crumblin' down;
Darling, reach out (come on girl, reach on out for me)
Reach out (reach out for me.)
I'll be there, with a love that will shelter you.

I'll be there, with a love that will see you through.
I'll be there to always see you through.

When you feel lost and about to give up
'Cause your best just ain't good enough
And you feel the world has grown cold,
And you're drifting out all on your own,
And you need a hand to hold:
Darling, reach out (come on girl, reach out for me)
Reach out (reach out for me.)
I'll be there, to love and comfort you,
And I'll be there, to cherish and care for you.
I'll be there to love and comfort you.

I can tell the way you hang your head,
You're without love and now you're afraid
And through your tears you look around,
But there's no peace of mind to be found.
I know what you're thinkin',
You're alone now, no love of your own,
But darling, reach out (come on girl, reach out for me)
Reach out (reach out for me.)
Just look over your shoulder

I'll be there, to give you all the love you need,
And I'll be there, you can always depend on me.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Michael Bolton's "Reach Out I'll Be There" are a comforting message to someone who feels lost and alone, as well as a declaration of unconditional love and support. The opening lines "Now if you feel that you can't go on/Because all of your hope is gone" express the feeling of being overwhelmed and hopeless about life. The next line "And your life is filled with much confusion/Until happiness is just an illusion" reinforces the idea that everything feels uncertain and out of control. As the world around them falls apart, the person is encouraged to reach out for help, with Bolton promising that he will be there for them.

The chorus, "I'll be there, with a love that will shelter you/I'll be there, with a love that will see you through/I'll be there to always see you through," reinforces the idea that Bolton will always be there for the person, offering love, comfort, and support. The second verse continues with the theme of feeling lost and inadequate, with the lines "When you feel lost and about to give up/'Cause your best just ain't good enough" expressing the feeling of failure and disappointment. Again, Bolton encourages the person to reach out for help, with the promise that he will be there to love and comfort them.

The final verse, "I can tell the way you hang your head/You're without love and now you're afraid/And through your tears you look around/But there's no peace of mind to be found," highlights the person's emotional state of feeling unloved and afraid. In this verse, Bolton is able to empathize with the person's pain and reassure them that they are not alone. The song ends with the repeated refrain of "Darling, reach out/Just look over your shoulder/I'll be there," driving home the message that Bolton is always there for the person.

Reach Out I'll Be ThereMichael Bolton Lyrics

Reach Out I'll Be There
Michael Bolton Lyrics