What Are Boston’s 5 Biggest US Hits?

No matter what they might have insisted in their lyrics, they weren’t really “just another band out of Boston.” Average bands don’t sell 75 million albums like the group started by Tom Scholz did throughout their career. Boston managed to cross over to the pop charts on several different occasions, despite not really changing their approach to do so. Here are Boston’s five biggest pop hits!

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5. “Can’tcha Say (You Believe In Me)/Still In Love” – No. 20 in 1987

There was a ton of demand for Boston product after the long layoff between Don’t Look Back in 1978 and Third Stage in 1986. During that time stretch, Tom Scholz battled with his record label and built his own company, one that invented an amplifier that would become widely used. That amplifier is evident on “Can’tcha Say (You Believe In Me)/Still In Love”. The chorus, which appears in a cappella form before the main thrust of the song, demonstrates how lead singer Brad Welp could impart a sense of urgency almost naturally via the tone of his voice.

4, “We’re Ready” – No. 9 in 1986

We’re back on Third Stage with “We’re Ready”. It kind of splits the difference between the Boston of the first two albums and the one that came back off the layoff. The latter version of the band tended more towards balladry, especially on Third Stage. This song keeps a relatively slow pace, so it fits in that respect. But when the heavy guitars kick in, it’s almost as if we’re transported back in time to those first two records. Tom Scholz offers both power in the chords and precision in the solos to bring the whole thing to fruition.

3. “More Than A Feeling” – No. 5 in 1976

The song that defined Boston was several years in the making, the result of Tom Scholz toiling away all alone to perfect the sounds that he was hearing in his head. Of course, everybody gravitates to the galloping guitars, which owe a debt to a million garage rock songs. But Scholz had a knack for melody that hearkens back to the baroque pop songs of the late 60s. When he combined those elements, he created something that was a bit different in the rock landscape. Much credit is also due to Brad Delp, because his powerhouse vocals make the thing come to life.

2. “Don’t Look Back” – No. 4 in 1978

Because he much preferred to take his time and labor over his work, Tom Scholz wasn’t all that keen on being rushed to produce Boston’s second album. (Rushed, in Scholz’s world, was a two-year layoff.) The sophomore album offers barely more than a half-hour’s worth of music. But “Don’t Look Back”, the title and lead track, came charging out of the gates with a thrilling riff and wonderful guitar interplay between Scholz and Barry Goudreau. The winding dynamics of the song also carry it a long way, making every bit of its six-minute running time worthwhile. It’s one of Boston’s finest hits.

1. “Amanda” – No. 1 in 1986

You have to give credit to Boston for realizing that power ballads were ruling the roost circa 1986. Third Stage leans into that style a bit more, with lead single “Amanda” the most prominent example. Considering Tom Scholz started writing the song in 1980, maybe they were ahead of their time in that respect. Even without a video receiving airplay on MTV, the song still made it all the way to the top of the charts. That’s just further proof that Boston had a finger on the pulse of what their fans wanted to hear in terms of hits, more than most other bands of their era.

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