A column dedicated to great songs, old and new.
February 28, 2006
Written by Tom Scholz
From Boston, Sony Records, 1976
For those of us who listened to American pop radio in the 70s, the intro to "More Than a Feeling" provides one of rock music's fastest and greatest time-warp moments. When I hear those ringing guitars, I'm instantly transported to 1976, no matter how often I hear the song. I have no kick-ass rock n roll stories about my activities in 1976 (unless you count learning multiplication or collecting Wacky Packages as the height of depravity), but I do have painful photo evidence of some sort of misguided Bicentennial/Happy Days combo party event.
Boston
Boston
Though I was just a wee lad when the song came out, "More Than a Feeling" always reminds me of girls I dug back then. I often liked girls that were older than me. In Kindergarten, I went after a 6th grader named Terri Johnston, who kindly humored me. In 1976, though, I was crazy about a fellow 3rd grader, Heather Parrish (famously, the only blonde I ever pursued in my life). Boy, she was cute. She ended up moving before the end of the year, but all the songs of 1976 remind me of Heather, especially "More Than a Feeling."
What's funny is that as a kid, I had no idea what the lyrics to "More Than a Feeling" were about. Like most folks, my reaction to this song was physical, visceral--I bodily responded to the groove (dig those handclaps), and emotionally responded to the cool singing. So it struck me as fitting, when, reviewing the lyrics to write this column, I discovered that this song is actually very much about two significant things: the power of song, and the power of lost love's memory. Dig the verses:
Looked out this morning and the sun was gone
Turned on some music to start my day
I lost myself in a familiar song
I closed my eyes and I slipped away
So many people have come and gone
Their faces fade as the years go by
Yet I still recall as I wander on
As clear as the sun in the summer sky
When I'm tired and thinking cold
I hide in my music, forget the day
And dream of a girl I used to know
I closed my eyes and she slipped away
She slipped away, she slipped away....
and dig the famous chorus:
It's more than a feeling,
When I hear that old song they used to play
I begin dreaming
'Til I see Marianne walk away
I see my Marianne walkin' away
Nevermind that for many, many years I thought the final chorus lyric was "I see her derriere walking away." That's another column altogether. The point here is that I believe one of the reasons "More Than a Feeling" is so powerful is that over the years, it became the exact type of song its lyric describes: "More Than a Feeling" now evokes, well, more than a feeling. I've found it's pretty useless to fight its power... the wistful tone of the verses, the anthemic chorus, the orchestrated guitars, and the layered vocals will definitely transport you to another place, every time.
Just close your eyes, and slip away.
pcm
Purchase:
Boston
$7.97 at Amazon.com