A Literalist Reaction to Hitch A Ride by Boston
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
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John has been a MUSIC LOVER since he was born. Problem is, he rarely knows or fully grasps the lyrics. Dave, on the other hand, has never heard or rarely overheard the music John chooses to play him, but tends to take lyrics literally, often to comical ends.
We did not write nor do we own the Copyright for the song used in this Educational Video. This is a real, honest reaction to a song Dave have never consciously heard before and/or listened to with intent. Any "facts" spewed by John Doh are based more on his remembrances than on any actual research. Please feel free to correct him.
Fair use principles under Section 107 of the Copyright Act allow the unlicensed use of copyrighted materials for fair use purposes, such as commentary, criticism, teaching, and news reporting.
Songwriters: Tom Scholz
Hitch a Ride lyrics © Universal Music Works, Primary Wave Boston
Lyrics provided by Musixmatch
![SO GOOD!!! FIRST TIME REACTING TO BOSTON - HITCH A RIDE [FIRST TIME REACTION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SVNac64pR_U/mqdefault.jpg)
![SO GOOD!!! FIRST TIME REACTING TO BOSTON - HITCH A RIDE [FIRST TIME REACTION]](/img/tr.png)
Wish I could hear this album for the first time again
Every time I do, it's so awesome, it still almost feels like the first time. And check out 'Hitch A Ride with isolated bass' : )
My all time favorite song by BOSTON. It takes you to another world 🌎.
Hitch a ride what can I say… Boston is fabulous and the literalist “opinion”… dead on. (play on words ahoy)
When he describes what he envisions in his mind, the images & feelings he gets while listening to the song, and all Boston songs, is exactly why creator Tom Scholz never did any video's for his songs, Tom saying... "I never wanted to do any video's with images that would take away from what each listener's imagination, experiences, and feelings they got from my songs" Very smart man Tom Scholz.
I would have at least liked concert videos, so I could see what this so-called "faceless" band looked like. You know, if MTV had existed in the 1970s, they would have been BEGGING Boston to make music videos for them! They didn't have to make "concept" videos---not every band did. Just a video showing them miming to their songs. The rest can be "theatre of the mind", and that was what I think he was getting at
Tom Scholz is still alive someone should ask him what the song is about he wrote it
I always took this as the singer making up his mind, after a lot of "I'm going to do this someday..." promises to himself, to actually do it. Leave the city, his life, probably friends and maybe family and go to someplace more peaceful and less stressful. Carry him away for the last time: No more second guessing, no more being of two minds. You know what you need to do. Have the courage to do it and stick with it.
Just not to the point of suicide, though...
I think you're spot-on with your assessment of the message being conveyed and I've always taken the song as you've described, but I think it was Tom Shulz who actually penned it. Maybe the singer, Brad Delp, actually took the song to heart when he DID commit to suicide??
Doh, here... as I recall, Delp got caught behaving in a fashion unacceptable to most societal norms. I'm pretty sure that is what was the final influence on his decision to exit mortality.
Thanks, I agree with your assessment of the song. You saved me from having to type it all out.
I love that John is an expert and can reveal information to you. Great Job!!
Doh, here... I'm more of an enthusiast than an expert, but from Dave's view, yeah, I guess so. Thanks.
I always thought of this song as Brad Delp's suicide note
Wow, suicide ? Nah , just wanting to leave the city, reading way too much into this
There's a good 10 min clip called Tom Scholz: Sound Machine (part of an NPR special on PBS that tells some of the story on how Boston started; he was a MIT engineering grad that designed electronics that gave him the sound he wanted.
Brad Delp singing about suicide certainly seems plausible. He was dropping hints several years prior about his unfortunate departure. Great singer with tremendous vocal range..
I agree. All the words in this song points to him thinking of suicide even though he didn't let the band know that's what he was thinking of.
I remember hearing that this was literally about getting away from the ugliness of NYC and heading to California.
Yes, the singer, Brad Delp, committed suicide. However, the lyrics, along with all of the music was written by Tom Sholz, the guitarist and player of all of the instruments except drums.
My thinking is as i saw them in concert and grown up on them, my thinking is the world is so messed up he wants to board a ship and go to a new world. the album covers are all space ships!
space ships shaped like guitars.... something I didn't realize back then! D'oh!
Some others have also gone there. However, that is not my or most others opinion. The music is uplifting even if the lyrics start dark.
Tom is from Boston, but he has traveled to New York City to deal with the music industry. This song was written before the success when the negativity towards his music and dreams were beating him down. Tom has always been ambitious, strong-willed and confident in himself (2 engineering degrees, MBA, inventions). He does not cave to criticism giving up, but breaks that ice and flies.
Everything in NYC is cold, dark, lifeless. He's going to get away from all that and never come back - hitch a ride to the other side (east side, west side all around the town) of town but also the other side of things (such as nature, home, family, friends, good people).
This song is about getting away from the negative in your life to live much happier and fulfilling - whether physically or mentally.
The long outro of the song is him leaving, whether physically or only within his mind - his music takes him away(he hides in his music in "More Than A Feeling" and now he's going to fly away in this song).
Well-thought-out reply, thank you!
You should hear the entire album . . . . . Tom Scholz is a total genius. Look up the true story about him and why the third album Third Stage took so long. He made the 80s sound. Def Leppard used his equipment to record Hysteria. As did Satriani and many others. Revisit Boston after you learn Tom Scholz history and legacy. Btw he still creates music and tours.
Tom Scholz Rockman amps!! I still have my Rockman amps and still use them creating music in my home recording studio.
I still say that Brad sings "freedom ON my mind, which I like better.
Another creator couldn't finish his reaction on this song brought him to tears so perhaps the suicide angle has merit
I thought it was about taking the Holland or the Lincoln tunnel to New Jersey.
This song is, indeed, about suicide. The happiest song EVER WRITTEN AND PERFORMED about suicide.
What incredible irony, because that's exactly how the singer died.
By the way, the 3rd album also has ZERO filler. Killer killer songs beginning to end. It may not have exactly the same sound, but it's still the 3rd best album of all time.
So, why was it originally titled "San Francisco Day"?
It's about moving to the West Coast from New York.
@@OneVoiceMore The flow and melody are the same, but that was an entirely different song. Lyrics were swapped out as life and perspective changed.
@@firstnamelastname8060 Not really. It was more obviously about a move from NY to SF. The lyrics only changed in the title line.
It's not an entirely different song. That's internet hype.
@@OneVoiceMore Internet hype? I've never once seen that on the net. Came from the horse's mouth, as they say.
Hey, Literal Dave - "hitch a ride" really isn't a great euphemism for suicide, as it implies "going along with someone else", right? So, unless a suicide pact or a murder-suicide, well... I can see the suicide implication if not for that! On the other hand, apparently the song's original title was "San Francisco Day" - so I think it's "let's blow this NYC wasteland and head to Cali" for the win... The second half of the chorus reflected this in an earlier version of the song, which pre-dated both this album and Boston, and is also the version on the original Boston demo tape - which, thanks to the wonders of the internet, I have actually heard. (Also, the original title of More Than A Feeling was "90 Days" - not exactly sure how that relates, but legend has it that Marianne was Tom's cousin and he had a crush on her, but she moved away.)
FTR, I turned 15 in 1976 just a couple of weeks after this album was released. It's the only thing I asked for for my birthday that year, and I lobbied for it HARD... Was so excited when I found it propped, unwrapped, against a few other birthday presents that I took a picture of it (and I'm not sure I remembered to open anything else, LOL). Still have that pic - but I wore out the vinyl decades ago!
Obviously, I agree with everyone else that this album was/is epic. And as a music-obsessed science nerd who went on to obtain a physics degree, I worshiped Tom Scholz second only to the original innovative god of the solo basement recording studio, Todd (is Godd) Rundgren. :)
Enjoyed the video - thanks for the memories!
Great take on these lyrics because the lead singer did commit suicide.
Although your suicide theory is quite sound and terribly so in the case of Brad Delp --- it may have a double meaning. That said, the original song was called "San Francisco Day", the 'other side' being the west coast.
If you look for a suicide theme, some Boston lyrics could be interpreted that way, but it really isn't their gestalt.
There definitely is a desperation in the lyrics not reflected in the music.
Interesting take on that, Brad Delp the lead singer committed suicide
Suicide, great insight and I can totally see that now, kind of like Elton’s song Tiny Dancer is about masturbation. You just don’t go there mentally because both songs are so beautiful and don’t knock masturbation because it’s sex with someone I love.
Hm, now I know what a literalist is.
Brad Delp did commit suicide. How astute of you