Smokin'

This song is about having a good time listening to music, but it can be interpreted as being about marijuana, with lines like "Keep on tokin'." The song also clocks in at 4:20, which is a time associated with smoking pot.

Written by group leader Tom Scholz, "Smokin'" is part of Boston's self-titled debut album, which was constructed when Scholz was still working for the Polaroid corporation (he had a degree from MIT). Scholz set up a home studio and worked on demos until he finally landed a deal with Epic Records in 1976. The demos were honed to his standards, with Scholz playing all the instruments except drums. Epic booked studio time in Los Angeles so he could record proper versions with the band, but Scholz wanted nothing to do with it. Instead, he let the band work on Brad Delp's song "Let Me Take You Home Tonight" while he stayed in his home studio near Boston and meticulously re-recorded his demos to make "new" tracks, which ended up on the album. Boston drummer Sib Hashian and vocalist Brad Delp perform on "Smokin'," but guitarist Barry Goudreau and bass player Fran Sheehan do not.

Originally, this song was called "Shakin'," which is how Tom Scholz played it with his band Mother's Milk in 1973. Scholz made a demo of the song with that title, but by the time he recorded it for Boston's debut album, it became "Smokin'."