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.

www.michaelbolton.com/

Survivor
Michael Bolton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(You're a survivor, you're a survivor, survivor, survivor)

You can't believe that your whole worlds shattered
You used to have it all under control
It's like you've lost everything that mattered
And you're afraid to fall
You've been though it all too many times

And though I know your pain
Without it there's no way
So the say
Yeah oh
You're lying in the rain
Letting it fall across your face
Just to feel alive

[Chorus]
So let's hear it for the ones
Who know what it feels like
To survive a broken heart
Put one hand up in the sky
Tonight
If you know what it feels like
To survive a broken heart
Survivor of a broken heart (You're a survivor, you're a survivor, survivor, survivor)
Survivor of a broken heart (You're a survivor, you're a survivor, survivor, survivor)

You're searching through all the thought's you've gathered
And it feels impossible
To make it through another day
Where do you turn when your faiths been scattered
And nothing is logical
You've been through it all too many times

And you can feel your pain
But you can't win before you lose
So they say
Yeah oh
You search for who's to blame
When you let go you find the truth
Is just to feel alive

[Chorus]

A thousand pieces on the ground
How do you put them back together once again
And when your world comes crashing down
That's when you rise and find your way up
That's when you find out what you're made of

[Chorus]

Survivor of a broken heart (You're a survivor, you're a survivor, survivor, survivor)
Survivor of a broken heart (You're a survivor, you're a survivor, survivor, survivor)

Overall Meaning

The song 'Survivor' by Michael Bolton has an inspiring message about overcoming heartbreak and adversity. In the first verse, the listener is introduced to someone who has lost control of their life after experiencing heartbreak. The chorus of the song celebrates those who have survived a broken heart and encourages them to raise their hands in solidarity. The second verse discusses the difficulty of moving forward when it seems impossible to make it through another day. However, the lyrics suggest that true growth and resilience come from facing pain and pushing through it. The bridge of the song emphasizes that sometimes we need to hit rock bottom before we can rise again and discover our strength.

Overall, 'Survivor' is a moving song that encourages listeners to persevere through challenging times. The lyrics recognize the pain of heartbreak while also encouraging resilience and inner strength. The chorus is catchy and memorable, making it easy for listeners to sing along and feel connected to the message of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

You can't believe that your whole worlds shattered
You are in disbelief that everything you knew has fallen apart

You used to have it all under control
You once had control over your life

It's like you've lost everything that mattered
You feel like you have lost everything that was important to you

And you're afraid to fall
You fear that things will get worse if you let go

You've been though it all too many times
You have experienced this pain and heartbreak before

And though I know your pain
I sympathize with your pain

Without it there's no way
Going through such hardship is necessary for growth

You're lying in the rain
You sit in the rain and allow it to soak you

Letting it fall across your face
You let the rain fall on your face, indulging in the feeling

Just to feel alive
You feel alive despite your struggles

So let's hear it for the ones
Let's applaud those who have survived heartbreak

Who know what it feels like
Those who understand the pain of heartbreak

To survive a broken heart
To go through heartbreak, and come out the other end

Put one hand up in the sky
Raise your hand up as a symbol of your survival

Tonight
In this moment, right now

You're searching through all the thought's you've gathered
You're sifting through your thoughts and emotions

And it feels impossible
You feel overwhelmed and don't know how to get through it

To make it through another day
You don't know how you will get through the day

Where do you turn when your faiths been scattered
You don't know where to turn when your beliefs have been shattered

And nothing is logical
Nothing makes sense to you

And you can feel your pain
You feel the pain inside you

But you can't win before you lose
You must experience loss to learn and grow

You search for who's to blame
You try to pinpoint what or who is responsible for your heartbreak

When you let go you find the truth
Letting go allows you to see things clearly

Is just to feel alive
Feeling the pain makes you feel human and alive

A thousand pieces on the ground
Your life feels shattered into many pieces

How do you put them back together once again
You don't know how to rebuild your life

And when your world comes crashing down
When everything falls apart

That's when you rise and find your way up
You find a way to move forward despite the difficulty

That's when you find out what you're made of
Going through hard times tests your resilience and strength

Survivor of a broken heart (You're a survivor, you're a survivor, survivor, survivor)
Despite the heartbreak, you're still moving forward and surviving

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JORDAN OMLEY, MICHAEL BOLTON, MIKE MANI

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS