"More Than a Feeling" is a song written by Tom Scholz and first released by the rock band Boston as the lead single from their self-titled debut album on Epic Records in September 1976, with "Smokin'" on the flipside. The single peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. The track is now a staple of classic rock and in 2009 it was named the 39th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.[1]
Contents[]
- 2 Single version
- 3 Covers and samples
- 4 2008 U.S. presidential race
- 5 Personnel
- 6 Charts
- 7 Downloadable content for rhythm games
- 8 References
- 9 External links
Content[edit][]
His biggest hit, "More Than a Feeling" took writer Tom Scholz five years to complete.[2] It is one of six songs Scholz worked on in his basement in 1974 and 1975 before Boston got its record contract, five of which eventually appeared on the Boston album.[3] The drum parts were originally developed by Jim Masdea, although Sib Hashian played the drums on the official release.[3]The verses are in the key of D major while the chorus is in G major. The song is in compound AABA form.[4]
The Book of Rock Lists suggests that the chorus riff may itself be a subtle homage to the Kingsmen's classic, "Louie Louie". Scholz credits "Walk Away Renee" by The Left Banke as the song's main inspiration.[5][6] It is also very much similar (same descending pattern) to the opening riff of Elton John's "Screw You (Young Man's Blues)". Other critics have noted that this song's main riff is referenced in the Nirvana single "Smells Like Teen Spirit".[7] Nirvana opened "Smells Like Teen Spirit" with the chords and words from "More Than A Feeling" at their Live at Reading performance, 1992.
Boston's website claims that the song is about "the power an old song can have in your life."[8] The lyrics express the author's discontent with the present and his yearning for a former love, whose memory is strongly evoked by an old familiar song. According to Scholz, this song is about "The thrill one gets while driving fast cars".
Guitar World states that when the radio plays "More Than a Feeling" "few can resist indulging in fits of fleet-fingered air guitar and a spirited falsetto sing-along."[9] Rolling Stone Album Guidecritic Paul Evans states that "as slick as it sounds, 'More Than a Feeling' strikes an uncommonly resonant emotional note.[10]
Single version[edit][]
Epic released an edited version of the song for the single with the first chorus and second verse removed, clocking in at 3:30 versus the album track at 4:45. That single edit can be found on the Rock installment of Sony's Soundtrack for a Century box set from 1999.
Covers and samples[edit][]
Several artists have covered "More Than a Feeling", including Ingram Hill, Nirvana (the similarities between the song's main riff and that of Nirvana's breakout hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit" have often been noted, including by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain[11]), No Mercy and *NSYNC.
The song was also featured in the 1979 film Foxes starring Jodie Foster and Cherie Currie, in a scene where Foster's character plays the song on a vinyl record player. And an excerpt can be heard in the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
2008 U.S. presidential race[edit][]
In 2008 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee used the song "More Than a Feeling" to promote his campaign. Former Boston band member Barry Goudreau made appearances with Huckabee both live and on YouTube stating that he was of the band Boston, though he had been out of the band for over two decades. In February 2008, Scholz wrote to Huckabee requesting that he stop using the song, stating:
"While I’m flattered that you are fond of my song, I’m shocked that you would use it and the name Boston to promote yourself without my consent. Your campaign’s use of "More Than a Feeling", coupled with the representation of one of your supporters as a member "of Boston", clearly implies that the band Boston, and specifically one of its members, has endorsed your candidacy, neither of which is true."[12]
Huckabee complied with Scholz's request, and videos featuring Barry Goudreau and the song were subsequently yanked by the Huckabee Campaign.
Personnel[edit][]
- Tom Scholz - lead guitar, bass guitar
- Brad Delp - vocals, acoustic guitar
- Sib Hashian - drums
Charts[edit][]
| Charts (1976–77) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report[13] | 11 |
| Belgian VRT Top 30[14] | 14 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles[15] | 4 |
| Dutch Top 40[16] | 11 |
| German Singles Chart[17] | 15 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart[18] | 15 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[18] | 9 |
| U.K. Singles Chart[19] | 22 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 5 |
Year-End Chart[edit][]
| Chart (1977) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top Singles[20] | 58 |
| U.S. Cashbox Top 100[21] | 83 |
| Chart (1977) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report | 95 |
| German Singles Chart[22] | 76 |
Downloadable content for rhythm games[edit][]
The song was made available to download on March 1, 2011, for use in the Rock Band music video game series in both Basic rhythm, and PRO mode which takes advantage of the use of a real guitar / bass guitar, along with standard MIDI-compatible electronic drum kits / keyboards in addition to vocals.[23]
The song is also available for Rocksmith, released together with "Jessica" by the The Allman Brothers Band and Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water", under the header 'Hits 1970s'. Despite being released together, the songs can only be downloaded separately.