A Man I'll Never Be

"A Man I'll Never Be" is a song written by Tom Scholz and first released on Boston's 1978 album Don't Look Back. It was also released as a single and reached No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending five weeks on the chart.[1][2] It also reached No. 27 in Canada.[3]

"A Man I'll Never Be"
Single by Boston
from the album Don't Look Back
B-side"Don't Be Afraid"
ReleasedNovember 1978
Recorded1977–1978
GenreRock
Length6:37
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)Tom Scholz
Producer(s)Tom Scholz
Boston singles chronology
"Don't Look Back"
(1978)		 "A Man I'll Never Be"
(1978)		 "Feelin' Satisfied"
(1979)

Writing and recording

According to Scholz, the lyrics for "A Man I'll Never Be" came to him quickly after he completed the music.[4] Brad Delp sang the lead and backing vocals and Scholz played lead and rhythm guitar, organ and piano.[5][6][7] The only other musician on the recording was drummer Sib Hashian[6][7] The song was mostly recorded at Scholz's Hideaway Studio, although the piano part was recorded by engineer Dave Butler at Northern Studio in Maynard, Massachusetts,[8] allegedly because Hideaway was too small to fit the piano.[5][9][10]

Lyrics and music

"A Man I'll Never Be" is a change of pace from the songs on Boston's debut album and some of the other songs on Don't Look Back. AllMusic critic Tim Sendra claimed that the song reveals "a reflective side that was nowhere to be found on Boston".[11][12] Paul Grein of Billboard commented on the song's "religious feel", describing it as "the softest cut on the album" and noting that "it may well be a strong single."[13] Grein also commented on the song's "moody organ solo" and "ponderous ballad sound".[13] Pete Prown and Harvey P. Newquist described Scholz's guitar solo as long and dramatic.[14] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci described the song as "an introspective ballad", unlike the band's typical material.[15] Rolling Stone critic Ken Emerson compared "A Man I'll Never Be" to Led Zeppelin's lengthy classic song "Stairway to Heaven".[5][16] On Boston's official site, David Wild described the song as "a slowburning power ballad reflecting real grown-up concerns and lived-in reality".[5] Craig Rosen of Billboard also described the song as a power ballad.[9]

Greil Marcus, writing in New West magazine, described the song's subject as "how hard it is to live up to a girl's image of a boy".[17] Marcus cited the bravery of the lyrics, in which the singer acknowledges his inadequacy, and described the theme of the song as "the wimp redeemed".[17][18] He further explained that the singer sounds "trivial" and "insufferable" at first, but as the guitars in the background build, he achieves a measure of glory in his suffering with the lines "You look up at me/And somewhere in your mind you see/A man I’ll never be".[17][18] Marcus concluded that although the singer never achieves the peace of mind he is seeking, "he is allowed a sense of self, of justification, and one comes away convinced that existence, no matter how miserable, is not meaningless".[17][18]

Emerson similarly saw the theme of the song to be apprehension "with failing to be a man."[19] He noted that the lyrics sometimes contradict the lyrics of other songs on Don't Look Back. For example, a line in the title track says "I'm much too strong not to compromise", but one from "A Man I'll Never Be" says "I can't get any stronger".[19] "A Man I'll Never Be" also has a line stating that "Emotions can't be satisfied", which contradicts the title of its follow-up single, "Feelin' Satisfied".[19] Emerson concluded that the song "both distills and expands upon this knot of despair, which contrasts with the architectural magnificence of the song's musical accomplishments".[19]

Release

"A Man I'll Never Be" was released in late 1978 as the follow-up single to "Don't Look Back," which had reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single did not perform as well as its predecessor, peaking at No. 31 in January 1979.[20] It performed slightly better in Canada, peaking at No. 27.[3]

"A Man I'll Never Be" was later included on Boston's Greatest Hits (1997).[21]

Reception

Marcus rated the song as one of three masterpieces on Don't Look Back, along with the title track and "Used to Bad News".[17][18] Billboard similarly rated the song as one of the best cuts on Don't Look Back.[22] Billboard called it "a slick ballad with searing guitars and Brad Delp's fluid lead vocal highlighting."[23] Gallucci and Craig each rated it as Boston's 10th greatest song.[15][24] Los Angeles Times critic Jon Matsumoto called the song "a grandiose guilty pleasure".[25] According to Paul Elliot, the song is a favorite of Def Leppard bass guitarist Rick Savage.[26] On the other hand, Milo Miles of Boston Phoenix called it a long stretch "of immaculate self-abuse".[27]

Live performances

Boston played "A Man I'll Never Be" live on the tour supporting their first album in 1977 before recording it for Don't Look Back.[28][29][30] Delp played the keyboards for these performances.[31] Ottawa Journal critic Mike Volsin stated that the song's slow melody showed that Boston "can settle into the slower mood without any difficulty".[31] Referring to a live performance of the song prior to its release, Peter Robb stated that Delp's voice "stood out like a shining light".[32]

Cover versions

DGM covered the song on their 2007 album Different Shapes.[33] Extreme covered the song live.[34] After Delp's death, Tommy DeCarlo used the tune to record a song "A Man I'll Always Be" as a tribute to Delp.[35][36] That recording and several Boston covers he recorded separately led to his getting the job as Boston's new lead singer.[35][36]

References
  1. "Boston Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  2. Whitburn, J. (2010). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Complete Chart Information about America's Most Popular Songs and Artists, 1955-2009 (9th ed.). Random House. p. 81. ISBN 9780823085545.
  3. "RPM 100 Singles". Library and Archives Canada. January 27, 1979. Archived from the original on 2014-09-14. Retrieved 2012-06-07.
  4. Chadderton, Brian (August 25, 1978). "Boston's Engineered Sound". Ottawa Journal. p. 25. Retrieved 2017-04-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Wild, D. "Don't Look Back". Boston. Archived from the original on 2009-05-04. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
  6. Scholz, Tom (October 29, 2002). "A letter from Tom Scholz to all who have supported BOSTON". boston.org. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  7. "Liner notes to 2006 re-release of Don't Look Back". thirdstage.ca. 2006. Archived from the original on 2017-10-24. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  8. https://www.discogs.com/artist/1305291-Dave-Butler-6
  9. Rosen, C. (1996). Number One Albums. Billboard Books. p. 230. ISBN 0823075869.
  10. Mark, David A. (2014). Hidden History of Maynard. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781625850751.
  11. Sendra, T. "Don't Look Back". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
  12. Sendra, Tim (2002). Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (eds.). All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul. Hal Leonard. p. 132. ISBN 9780879306533.
  13. Grein, P. (September 2, 1978). "Closeup". Billboard. p. 80. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  14. Prown, Pete; Newquist, Harvey P. (1997). egends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists. Hal Leonard. p. 108. ISBN 9780793540426.
  15. Gallucci, Michael. "Top 10 Boston songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  16. Elliott, Paul (March 10, 2016). "The 10 Greatest Boston Songs Ever". Future plc. Retrieved 2017-04-06.
  17. Marcus, Greil (1979). New West. 4. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
  18. Marcus, Greil. "Real Life Rock 06/04/1979". greilmarcus.net. Retrieved 2017-04-30.
  19. Emerson, Ken (October 5, 1978). "Don't Look Back". Rolling Stone Magazine.
  20. "Boston Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  21. Erlewine, S.T. "Greatest Hits". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
  22. "Top Album Picks: Spotlight". Billboard Magazine. August 26, 1978. p. 100. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  23. "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. November 11, 1978. p. 96. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  24. Craig, Bill (February 18, 2017). "Top 10 best Boston songs". AXS. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  25. Matsumoto, J. (August 11, 1997). "Hey, Boston: 'Don't Look Back'". Los Angeles Times.
  26. Elliott, Paul (2011). Def Leppard: The Definitive Visual History. Chronicle Books. p. 162. ISBN 9781452106878.
  27. Miles, M. (October 21, 1986). "Pop-pourri: Boston Take It to the Third Stage". Boston Phoenix. p. 40.
  28. Nusser, Dick (May 7, 1977). "Talent in Action" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. pp. 34, 41. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  29. Miller, C. "Boston: Heaven is a Reel-to-Reel Tape". thirdstage.ca. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  30. "Boston - A Man I'll Never Be: Long Beach Arena (Long Beach, CA), 03/16/1977". Paste Media Group. Retrieved 2017-04-30.
  31. Volsin, Mike (August 26, 1978). "Boston: No Special Effects Needed, Hard-Driving Music Did It All". The Ottawa Journal. p. 38. Retrieved 2017-04-30 – via newspapers.com.
  32. Robb, Peter (May 2, 1977). "Boston Rock Party". The Ottawa Journal. p. 21. Retrieved 2017-04-30 – via newspapers.com.
  33. "Different Shapes". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
  34. "Come Together: A Tribute To The Life Of Brad Delp at the Bank Of America Pavilion on August 18". Boston Music Spotlight. Archived from the original on 2014-08-15. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
  35. Mervis, Scott (August 9, 2012). "Home Depot associate Tommy DeCarlo is living out a fantasy of singing for Boston". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. thirdstage.ca. Retrieved 2017-04-30.
  36. Wright, Jeb. "Never Looking Back: An Interview With Boston's Tommy DeCarlo". thirdstage.ca. Retrieved 2017-04-30.
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