More Than a Feeling
"More Than a Feeling" is a song by the rock band Boston, released 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]
Content
His biggest hit, "More Than a Feeling" took writer Tom Scholz five years to complete.[2] The verses are in the key of D major while the chorus is in G major. The track achieves a majestic sound quality, blending acoustic and electric guitar work, soaring vocals and ethereal harmonies. 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.
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.[3][4] 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".[5] The descending verse riff is also similar to the hook from "Badge" by Cream. The song's instrumental guitar bridge is heavily inspired by the instrumental hooks of The Tornados' 1962 instrumental hit "Telstar", but also sounds like the riff from the song "Tend My Garden" by Joe Walsh.
Epic released an edited version of the song for the single, 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.
Campaign of 2008
In February 2008, Scholz wrote to Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, requesting him to stop performing the song at public appearances. Huckabee, an amateur bassist, was reported to have been regularly playing the song, sometimes with former Boston band member Barry Goudreau who held himself out on YouTube (it was subsequently yanked by the Huckabee Campaign) and on stage to be "of Boston" implying he was currently of the band Boston even though he had been out of the band for over two decades. In his letter, Scholz wrote:
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.[6]
Personnel
Cover versions
- Pop group *NSYNC covered the song on the international version of their European debut album, *NSYNC.
- In 1989, the Swedish Metal band, Bad Habit, covered it with a more "pop" sound added to it with keyboard playing in the background.
- In the 1992 Reading Festival, American grunge band Nirvana briefly covered a part of the song's chorus before playing their hit song "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
- In her 1994 album "Language", NZ female singer Annie Crummer covered this song.
- Japanese female pop singers Nav Katze covered the song on their 1994 album Uwa No Sora.
- Pacific Northwest band Sleater-Kinney covered "More Than A Feeling" for 1996 compilation Move into the Villa Villakula (Villa Villakula Records).
- The American band No Mercy released a version of the song as a single in 1999.
- Canadian singer Sylvain Cossette did a cover of this song on his album 70's.
- Rock band Ingram Hill performed a cover of this song for the soundtrack of the 2005 film Herbie: Fully Loaded.
- Hit the Lights made the cover for the compilation Punk Goes Classic Rock in 2010
- 2010: Les Fradkin (On his solo Ztar album Hyper MIDI Guitar)
- American all girl punk band The Lunachicks did a cover in 1993.
- Shinehead covered the song in 1994 on his album, Troddin'
- German dance act Topmodelz (alias Pulsedriver) covered the song in 2011 on the album Best Of Topmodelz
Use in popular culture
"More Than A Feeling" has been featured in a number of films and serials, including:
Film
Television
- The song has appeared in TV commercials, including on a 1980s ad for Schlitz beer in the UK and a cover version on an Australian Just Jeans ad in 2007. It can be seen on Mediaset Premium pay TV.
- The song is featured in the episode "My Half-Acre" (season 5 episode 9) of the American sitcom Scrubs, when the Janitor's Air Band "The Cool Cats" performs it at the end of the episode (although Turk can be seen lip syncing the incorrect lyrics).[7]
- "More Than A Feeling" appears in The Wire, in the second episode of Season 5 as Jimmy McNulty gets into his car with a flat tire.
- Used in Canada for a "Boston Pizza" commercial, with the waitress playing 'Marianne'.
- While not actually used in the program, Carl Brutananadilewski, from the show Aqua Teen Hunger Force, references the song, calling it "The Ultimate Song" in the season 3 episode "eDork".
- The song is featured during a scene of the 1st season finale of Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory
- It was also the background song for a broadcast episode of That 70s Show in which Eric and Donna dance together at their prom.
- The song is used in The Sopranos, in the episode House Arrest. The lyric "I closed my eyes and I slipped away" can be heard just before Tony passes out due to an anxiety attack.
- It was used in a Castle Lager advert in South Africa, in reference to the Rugby World Cup in South Africa.[1]
- It was also used in TV adverts for Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California.
- The song was used in Dane Cook's documentary, Tourgasm, which aired on HBO in June 2006.
- The song is used in a 2010 Barclaycard advert in the UK.
- The song is used in the US in an advert for Mega Millions and Powerball lottery games in 2010.
- The song is heard in the opening scenes in the first episode of Cold Case.
- Used in promos for Carpoolers on Fox Life.
- The song is performed by Shelby Dressel in Season 9 of American Idol.
- The song is heard in the episode Open Season in the second season of Criminal Minds (episode 21)
- The song featured during the closing moments of the BBC's coverage of the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the final race of the 2010 F1 season.
- The instrumental version of this song was briefly heard on Cartoon Network's "Regular Show" Season 2 episode: "Benson Be Gone".
Music
- The song "Maryanne" by Riot sounds very similar to "More Than a Feeling". The title is also the name of the person in Boston's song.
- Comparisons between the song have been made to Nirvana's 1991 hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain even noted the similarity. And during a live performance of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at the Reading Festival in 1992, Cobain played the riff to "More Than a Feeling" while bassist Krist Novoselic sang before playing "Teen Spirit".[8]
- Funeral for a Friend placed the song on their compilation album Back to the Bus, with Matt citing it as a "benchmark...in regards to song writing".
- The Presidents of the United States of America have been known to perform a cover of the song live at their concerts, and once had "Weird Al" Yankovic perform the song with them, singing lead vocals and playing the accordion.[9]
- While not an actual cover, the main riff for the song "Holy Grail", by Hunters & Collectors is the same as "More Than a Feeling"'s chorus riff, except in a different key.
- The dance track "Totally Hooked" by DJ Peter Presta contains a sample of "More Than a Feeling".
- In the song "Carl's Theme" by Nine Pound Hammer off the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters Colon the Soundtrack the song is referenced in the line "More Than a Feeling is the world's greatest song."
- The song Trading My Sorrows is more or less the riff in the chorus.
- In 1994, Australian Rock group Hoodoo Gurus recorded a tribute titled "Less Than a Feeling" (from their album Crank), which featured a similar riff and guitar solo.
- It is also mentioned in Brad Delp's and Barry Goudreau's single Rockin' Away. It was Delp's last new release.
- In 2011, an adapted version, re-dubbed "More Than A Freezer," was used in a video advertisement for Thermo Scientific ultra-low temperature freezers.[10]
Video games
References
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Studio albums |
|
|
| Compilations |
|
|
| Singles |
|
|
| Related articles |
|
|