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/
Sexual Healing
Michael Bolton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heal me, my darling
Baby, I'm hot just like an oven
I need some lovin', yeah
And baby, I can't hold it much longer
It's getting stronger and stronger
I want sexual healing
Sexual healing, baby
Makes me feel so fine
Helps to relieve my mind
Sexual healing, baby
Is good for me
Sexual healing is something
That's good for me
Whenever blue tear drops are falling
And my emotional stability is leaving me
There is something I can do
Oh, I can get on the telephone, call you up, baby
And honey, I know you'll be there to relieve me
The love you give to me will free me
If you don't know the thing you're dealing
Ooh, I can tell you, darling, that it's sexual healing
Heal me, my darling
Heal me, my darling
Baby, I got sick this morning
A sea was storming inside of me
Baby, I think I'm capsizing
The waves are rising and rising
When I get that feeling
I want sexual healing
Sexual healing is something
That's good for me
And it's good for me
And it's so good to me, my baby, ohh
Just take control, just grab a hold
Of my body and mind, soon we'll be making it
Honey, we're feeling fine
You're my medicine
Open up and let me in
Darling, you're so great
I can't wait for you to operate
Get up
Wake up
If you don't know
The truth you're dealing
Oh, I can tell you, darling
That it's sexual healing
Sexual, oh yeah
Makes me feel so fine
Helps to relieve my mind
Sexual healing, baby
Oh, baby
Oh, when I get that feeling, baby
Oh, when I get that feeling
It's sexual healing, baby
Oh, when I get that feeling
Heal me, my darling
Heal me, my darling
Heal me, my darling
Oh, baby
In Michael Bolton's song Sexual Healing, the singer is calling on his lover to heal him through physical intimacy, which he refers to as "sexual healing". He is in desperate need of affection and comfort, as he compares his feelings to an oven that is heating up and a stormy sea that is capsizing him. However, he believes that he can find solace in his lover's touch, which he views as a form of medicine for his emotional state.
Throughout the song, the lyrics emphasize the idea that sexual healing is not only pleasurable but also a necessary component of emotional well-being. The singer suggests that this kind of "healing" is good for him and helps to relieve his mind. He encourages his lover to take control and "grab a hold" of his body and mind, expressing his willingness to let himself be vulnerable in order to experience the healing power of physical intimacy.
Overall, the song is a passionate declaration of the importance of physical intimacy in emotional healing and well-being.
Line by Line Meaning
Heal me, my darling
Asking for romantic partner's sexual affection
Heal me, my darling
Asking for romantic partner's sexual affection
Baby, I'm hot just like an oven
Feeling an overwhelming sense of sexual arousal
I need some lovin', yeah
Desire love and sexual contact from partner
And baby, I can't hold it much longer
Feeling like can't control sexual urges anymore
It's getting stronger and stronger
Sexual arousal is increasing
And when I get that feeling
Refers to sexual arousal
I want sexual healing
Sexual connection is required to feel better
Sexual healing, baby
Sexual pleasure is needed to feel better
Makes me feel so fine
Sexual pleasure brings happiness and relaxation
Helps to relieve my mind
Sexual pleasure makes one forget their troubles
Sexual healing, baby
Sexual pleasure is needed to feel better
Is good for me
Sexual pleasure is beneficial to one's mental health
Sexual healing is something
Sexual pleasure is necessary
That's good for me
Sexual pleasure is beneficial to one's mental health
Whenever blue tear drops are falling
A time when one is feeling emotional and sad
And my emotional stability is leaving me
One is losing their ability to remain emotionally balanced
There is something I can do
Seeking partner's presence for sexual healing
I can get on the telephone, call you up, baby
Calling partner for sexual healing
And honey, I know you'll be there to relieve me
Partner's sexual affection will bring relief
The love you give to me will free me
Partner's sexual affection will bring relief and freedom from emotional distress
If you don't know the thing you're dealing
Partner doesn't recognize need for sexual healing
Ooh, I can tell you, darling, that it's sexual healing
Explaining to partner that sexual connection is needed for emotional relief
Heal me, my darling
Asking for romantic partner's sexual affection
Heal me, my darling
Asking for romantic partner's sexual affection
Baby, I got sick this morning
Feeling physically ill due to sexual frustration
A sea was storming inside of me
Sexual arousal felt as though a storm is brewing
Baby, I think I'm capsizing
Losing control of sexual urges
The waves are rising and rising
Sexual arousal is increasing rapidly
When I get that feeling
Refers to sexual arousal
I want sexual healing
Sexual connection is required to feel better
Sexual healing is something
Sexual pleasure is necessary
That's good for me
Sexual pleasure is beneficial to one's mental health
And it's good for me
Sexual pleasure is beneficial to one's mental health
And it's so good to me, my baby, ohh
Sexual pleasure is greatly appreciated by partner
Just take control, just grab a hold
Partner taking charge of sexual healing
Of my body and mind, soon we'll be making it
Sexual healing leading to sexual intercourse
Honey, we're feeling fine
Sexual pleasure leading to emotional relief
You're my medicine
Partner's sexual affection leading to emotional relief
Open up and let me in
Partner requesting sexual intimacy
Darling, you're so great
Expressing admiration for partner
I can't wait for you to operate
Looking forward to partner's sexual healing
Get up
Implying one should rise to the challenge of providing sexual healing
Wake up
Implying one should awaken to the need for sexual healing
If you don't know
Partner is unaware of the need for sexual healing
The truth you're dealing
Partner doesn't grasp the need for sexual healing
Oh, I can tell you, darling
Explaining to partner that sexual healing is necessary
That it's sexual healing
Sexual connection is required for emotional relief
Sexual, oh yeah
Refers to sexual pleasure
Makes me feel so fine
Sexual pleasure brings happiness and relaxation
Helps to relieve my mind
Sexual pleasure makes one forget their troubles
Sexual healing, baby
Sexual pleasure is needed to feel better
Oh, baby
Term of endearment towards partner
Oh, when I get that feeling, baby
Refers to sexual arousal
Oh, when I get that feeling
Refers to sexual arousal
It's sexual healing, baby
Sexual connection is required to feel better
Oh, when I get that feeling
Refers to sexual arousal
Heal me, my darling
Asking for romantic partner's sexual affection
Heal me, my darling
Asking for romantic partner's sexual affection
Heal me, my darling
Asking for romantic partner's sexual affection
Oh, baby
Term of endearment towards partner
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tratore
Written by: David Ritz, Marvin Gaye, Odell Brown
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind