The Boomers involves four musicians whose careers have intersected over a number of years. In 1974 when Ian Thomas was touring his second album (Long Long Way) he decided to produce a couple of songs for the bass player in his band. The bass player was Steve Hogg, a gifted writer player who had been in bands as a kid with a neighbor in Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. That neighbor was none other than Bill Dillon. Well, Steve wanted his old friend Bill to play some guitar on the session and Ian trusting Steve's opinion said sure. The session was at a Toronto studio and in came this skinny kid chain smoking Rothman cigarettes. Bill's ear and skill impressed Ian immensely. Over the years they would bump into one another and always threaten to work together again.
As the seventies drew to a close there was another Canadian artist by the name of Mark Jordan who was out touring and promoting a new album. At some point on the tour they did a live recording of a tune Ian heard on the radio. Ian remembers that "the groove was killer", and he began making inquiries as to who the drummer was. The live engineer was a guy by the name of Paul DeVilliers. Paul who would later be involved in engineering the Boomer’s CDs was getting ready to go out on the road with Anne Murray and a bass player named Peter Cardinali.
As it turned out the drummer on that Mark Jordan record was Rick Gratton. Ian and Rick were not to meet until 1980 when Ian was recording tracks at Grant Avenue Studios in Hamilton for another solo album called The Runner. Rick was leaving the Studio one morning after recording late on another project and bumped into Ian. They finally met. They both told each other how much they admired the other's work. This of course is a standard schmooze and usually completely insincere. In this case however they were unaware of how earnest and heartfelt the compliments were.
Like a great many other Canadian recording artists Ian started to supplement his income by doing voice work on commercials in the mid seventies. Session after session as the musicians were leaving and the singers were arriving, Ian would bump into this bass player named Peter Cardinali. They usually had jokes for one another and over a period of time Ian realized that this friendly musician was the same guy who was playing and arranging for Rick James among others. The friendship grew and a desire to work together. The ultimate aim was to work and hopefully laugh at the same time. In 1980 Ian asked Peter if he would do some bass tracks on the album The Runner. Peter played on four tracks. The work was good. The laughter was great. The friendship grew.
For one reason or another it was not until 1986/87 that Ian and Bill after years of threatening to work together met at Ian's studio to noodle around on some tracks Ian was working on for WEA. They got playing with delays and reverbs for a song called "Back To Square One". Bill was on a pedal steel guitar. Bill ended up going to England with Ian to record the " Levity Album" and played on the whole damn thing. They liked making music together.
So it's 1990 and Ian is getting ready to do another record. He was thinking about who he wanted to work with and wanted to try a more off the floor approach to the recording process. Well Bill had blown him away with his work on the "Levity" album, so he knew he would love to work with Bill again. He and Peter had become quite good friends by this time and Peter's easy going manner combined with his incredible musicianship was an attractive combination. It was then Ian remembered that killer groove he had heard in the seventies and went looking for Rick's number. Ian called Rick and invited him over to play on a demo one afternoon. Rick arrived, set up, started to play, and Ian stopped him about 2 minutes later. Rick of course thought Ian didn't like his playing and had heard enough. It was however the contrary. The grooves, the skill and the wonderful sense of rhythm were as he remembered from 10 years before and Ian immediately asked Rick if he would like to do an album.
So they all got together in Ian's studio to record what was to be another Ian Thomas solo album. The first week went poorly. Ian was trying to get everyone to play the parts from his demos and was actually so used to the demos that everything seemed pale by comparison. Then into the second week on a song called "Love You Too Much" the demo went out the window and the band just jammed on the song. People began playing what they wanted. The music went off into a direction of it's own. This approach was taken on the other songs and a sound…The Boomers' sound emerged. What is the Boomer's sound? It is the sound you get when you put Ian, Rick, Bill and Peter in a room and ask them to play.
Well, Ian saw it wasn't a solo effort. It was a band nobody set out to form. Ian informed WEA, Canada that it wasn't an Ian Thomas album. They were angry at having a whole new thing to try and market. But V.P. David Tollington heard what Ian, Rick, Peter and Bill heard and said OK. So the Boomers' first album came out in Canada and was received in a rather luke warm manner. Ian went away to Mexico to be sad but warm.
When he got home there were a slew of messages to call WEA. Something wonderful was happening in Germany. In store play at WOM, a music store in Munich, had resulted in word of mouth promotion and the CD was being imported by the thousands. WEA Germany wanted to release it and did in 1991. Germany welcomed and embraced the Boomers. They did a tour. Playing the music live had a spiritual effect on both band and audience. Bill couldn't make the tour because of a recording commitment with Robbie Robertson. Neil Chapman from Toronto covered Bill's guitar parts and vibe man Tim Tickner who had co-produced the album filled in on keys. The gigs had a major impact on the players. Bill was missed.
Well as soon as the Boomers returned from Germany Ian began writing the next album, which was to be The Art Of Living. In the fall of 1992 they began recording. It was released in the spring of 1993 and this time Canadian radio took off with "You Gotta Know" becoming one of the most played songs on Canadian radio that year. Germany again responded and another tour followed. The response was even greater than before and the band began to feel like a drug to the members. Bill's father died two days before a concert in Toronto and Bill insisted on showing up for rehearsal the day of his father's funeral. Two days later the band played and every song was played with heart and soul for Bill. The bonds were transcending many plains. The last concert two weeks later was at the Ontario Place Forum. It was another deeply moving concert for all involved.
After the tour everybody went about making their livings. Bill went off to session work around the world, Ian started work on a film score or two, with a little acting on the side. Peter went off producing and playing on many other records and Rick published his drum technique books and tapes as well as returning to session work. Over the following months songs for the next Boomers album began to appear and something wonderful happened in the United States. One radio programmer in Phoenix Arizona started playing an imported copy of The Art Of Living and took the CD to a radio programming convention. Soon there were close to 80 stations on the Boomers and the CD was being imported again by the thousands. WEA in the USA didn't want it and it was eventually released on Wildcat/MCA. In the early summer of 1994 The Boomers toured Florida, California, Arizona and Colorado. The concerts left everyone with a wonderful feeling.
In the summer of 1995 they gathered again. The album was 25,000 days which was released in Canada, Germany, England, and the rest of Europe to rave reviews.
In August 2002, Midway, their fourth album, was released. Midway is filled with anecdotal gems of lives lived through the perspective and reality aging brings.
The truth
The Boomers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That there's a part of me you can't see through
That what may be contrived
Might look natural to you
I don't want to give away, whatever it is that keeps
you interested
Were really just half asleep
But they carried themselves so well
It was only up close you could tell
That silence was their way of keeping us all so
interested
So if it's the truth you really want and nothing but
the truth
Would I have to say the kind of things that might hurt
you
What you don't know can only hurt you when you find
out
And whose truth do you want and from what point of
view
And is it such a disappointment that it's not an
absolute
I don't know everything you feel
I know you keep some thoughts from me
I accept it as part of the deal
Part of your mystery
And I hope you never give away, whatever it is that
keeps me interested
'Cause if it's the truth you really want and nothing
but the truth
Would I have to say the kind of things that might hurt
you
What you don't know can only hurt you when you find
out
And whose truth do you want and from what point of
view
And is it such a disappointment that it's not an
absolute
And when it all comes out you might have nothing but
the truth
And I hope you never give away, whatever it is that
keeps me interested
'Cause if it's the truth you really want and nothing
but the truth
Would I have to say the kinds of things that might
hurt you
What you don't know can only hurt you when you find
out
And whose truth do you want and from what point of
view
And when it all comes out you might have nothing but
the truth
Yeah, you might have nothing but the truth
Nothing but the truth
"The Truth" by The Boomers is a song about the complexity of human relationships and the idea that there are parts of ourselves that we choose to keep hidden from others. The singer expresses a sense of relief that their thoughts cannot be read, and acknowledges that we all have these hidden parts that help keep us interesting to others. The song suggests that sometimes what we perceive as depth in others might just be a façade, and that silence can be a way of keeping people interested. The chorus poses questions about the nature of truth and the potential hurt that comes with it, suggesting that it's not always necessary or desirable to know every detail about another person's thoughts and feelings.
The song speaks to the idea that relationships are complex and that we are all multifaceted beings with both light and shadow sides. It acknowledges the importance of mystery and suggests that there is value in maintaining some degree of privacy in our relationships. The chorus seems to caution against a desire for absolute truth, recognizing that there are often multiple perspectives and that discovering the truth can sometimes be painful.
Overall, "The Truth" is a contemplative song about the intricacies of relationships and the importance of leaving some things unsaid. It suggests that there is value in maintaining a sense of mystery and that sometimes it's better not to know every detail about another person's inner life.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm so glad you can't read my mind
I value my personal thoughts and privacy which I am comfortable sharing only when I choose to.
That there's a part of me you can't see through
I have my own secrets and I am not a completely transparent person, which makes me unique.
That what may be contrived
Sometimes I may pretend to be something I am not, which can be misunderstood by others.
Might look natural to you
My facade could appear natural to others, but it doesn't mean that it represents my true inner self.
I don't want to give away, whatever it is that keeps
you interested
I am afraid of revealing myself completely because I could lose the interest of the person I care about.
Some people we thought were so deep
Were really just half asleep
We often project our own beliefs and desires onto others, and sometimes people we thought were profound are really just putting on an act.
But they carried themselves so well
It was only up close you could tell
Sometimes people who fake it well can only be exposed when you get to know them closely.
That silence was their way of keeping us all so
interested
Some people use their quietness as a way to keep people interested and wondering what they are thinking or feeling.
So if it's the truth you really want and nothing but
the truth
If you are seeking the truth, I am willing to be honest, but I caution that it could reveal painful information.
Would I have to say the kind of things that might hurt
you
In order to reveal the truth, I may have to speak certain things that could potentially hurt you.
What you don't know can only hurt you when you find
out
Sometimes ignorance is bliss, but if you find out the truth later, it could be even more painful.
And whose truth do you want and from what point of
view
The truth is subjective and each person has their own view of it, which could create disagreements and contradictions.
And is it such a disappointment that it's not an
absolute
The fact that the truth is not always absolute can be unsatisfying, but it is the reality of the situation.
I don't know everything you feel
I know you keep some thoughts from me
I accept it as part of the deal
Part of your mystery
I understand that you don't reveal everything to me and it's okay because it is part of your unique personality.
And when it all comes out you might have nothing but
the truth
Sometimes the truth can be harsh, but it can also bring clarity and allow us to move forward.
Yeah, you might have nothing but the truth
Nothing but the truth
In the end, the ultimate goal is to uncover the true reality of a situation, even if it is difficult to face.
Contributed by Carter O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Academic Agent
For some reason I mention the lead singer of The Clash as “Joe Cocker” here when it should be “Joe Strummer”, the shock and horror of it, but too late now. Hope you get something else out of this! 😃
Confusion&Delay
I blame the parents.
Academic Agent
Ethan Wessel yes amazing book, I’m half way through!
Ethan Wessel
@Academic Agent You may have already read it, but The Fourth Turning is an excellent book which holds many similarities to your opinion. It was written by William Strauss and Neil Howe.
Trucker Jenkins
A responsible person would take the video down, correct the mistake and re-upload it. You took the easy way out. Disappointed.
Ché Ragnarson
That could have been a bit longer, looking forward to My Gen X synopsis, also to blame for allowing The Millennials to run amok,
Hoping that Gen Z will be more patriarchal as they go forward
Son of Tiamat
I often wondered how my boomer dad, even in his fifties/sixties, could still have the mentality of a carefree, irresponsible teenager and be a raging liberal. This hits surprisingly close to home
E S
@ℙ𝕆𝕍 𝕄𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕔 yes but only to the extent that it fits into the boomer truth regime and at the end of the day what exactly have they managed to "conserve"?
Rudi
@ℙ𝕆𝕍 𝕄𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕔
They mostly voted for Trump to sustain their Boomer lifestyle.
ℙ𝕆𝕍 𝕄𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕔
Aren't boomers also generally associated with conservatism as well though? It's boomers that got Trump elected after all.