A “Fantasy Event” Inspired What Became Boston’s First Hit Single

In 1976, Boston released their debut single, “More Than A Feeling”. The song, from their eponymous freshman record, is also the band’s first No.1 hit.

“More Than A Feeling” was written solely by band member Tom Scholz. Although he dreamed of having a career in music, Scholz was working at Polaroid when he wrote this song. It remains one of Boston’s biggest hits.

“More Than A Feeling” says, “I 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 / It’s more than a feeling (more than a feeling) / When I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling) / I begin dreaming (more than a feeling) / Till I see Marianne walk away / I see my Marianne walking away.”

What Tom Scholz Says About Writing “More Than A Feeling” for Boston

Scholz had been writing for years, without much success, when he wrote “More Than A Feeling”. He later reveals the song was inspired by something that didn’t really happen, although the name in the song is not fictitious.

“The song was not written about an actual event,” Scholz tells Entertainment Weekly. “It was written about a fantasy event. But it’s one that almost everybody can identify with, of somebody losing somebody that was important to them, and music taking them back there. There actually was a real Marianne. She was my older first cousin, who I had a crush on when I was 10. I ran into her many, many years later, and she was very annoyed at me for mentioning that she was my older cousin.”

Fortunately, “More Than A Feeling” became a big hit. Scholz says he was about ready to give up entirely on making a living with music.

“I spent six years submitting dozens of recordings to dozens of record companies, and I got nothing but rejections,” Scholz recalls. “By this point, I was 29, and I decided it was time to get responsible. I was married. We weren’t rolling in cash. This was going to be my last demo, and ‘More Than a Feeling’ was the last one that I completed. Epic Records got that song. And a couple of weeks later, [band member] Brad Delp and I had an offer to become recording artists.”

Still, Scholz was not at all convinced that “More Than A Feeling” was going to be the song that changed his life. In fact, he continued working at Polaroid until Boston was offered their first headlining tour, after opening for Black Sabbath.

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