I heard the news today

Bolton's big hit "How am I Supposed to Live without You" begins thus:

"I could hardly believe it/When I heard the news today/I had to come and get it straight from you/They said you were leavin'/Someone swept your heart away/From the look upon your face I see it's true."

That strikes me as a marvelous bit of story telling. The rest of the song, unfortunately, soon slips into standard-issue '80s ballad.

But what exactly do I like about the above?

The first line sets up the rest, pressing the listener to ask what was so unbelievable.

We might already guess that a romantic disappointment was the hardly-believed thing, but we are steered subtly in another direction by "news". The narrator didn't hear gossip or "the word". He heard "the news". For many of us that suggests headlines or something broadcast.

Then it turns out, not until the third line though, the first suspicion was accurate.

I could hardly believe it when I head the news today

I had to come and get it straight from you

They said you were leavin', someone swept your heart away

From the look upon your face I see it's true.

Although the song was famously sung by Bolton, bit was not solely his work. As tot he writing, Doug James shares the credit. As to the singing, too, the story is a bit complicated.

The song was originally intended by the Bolton/James team for use by Air Supply. But Air Supply wanted lyric changes. Rather than rework it, the writer/composers sold the sing to Laura Branigan for a 1983 recording.

Bolton of course has a huge hit years later singing it in his own voice.

Now you know.

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