"A Man I'll Never Be" is a song written by Tom Scholz and first released on Boston's 1978 album Don't Look Back. It was also released as a single and reached No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending five weeks on the chart. It also reached No. 27 in Canada. Writing and recording According to Scholz, the lyrics for "A Man I'll Never Be" came to him quickly after he completed the music. Brad Delp sang the lead and backing vocals and Scholz played lead and rhythm guitar, organ and piano. The only other musician on the recording was drummer Sib Hashian The song was mostly recorded at Scholz's Hideaway Studio, although the piano part was recorded by engineer Dave Butler at Northern Studio in Maynard, Massachusetts, allegedly because Hideaway was too small to fit the piano. Lyrics and music "A Man I'll Never Be" is a change of pace from the songs on Boston's debut album and some of the other songs on Don't Look Back. AllMusic critic Tim Sendra claimed that the song reveals "a reflective side that was nowhere to be found on Boston". Paul Grein of Billboard commented on the song's "religious feel", describing it as "the softest cut on the album" and noting that "it may well be a strong single." Grein also commented on the song's "moody organ solo" and "ponderous ballad sound". Pete Prown and Harvey P. Newquist described Scholz's guitar solo as long and dramatic. Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci described the song as "an introspective ballad", unlike the band's typical material. Rolling Stone critic Ken Emerson compared "A Man I'll Never Be" to Led Zeppelin's lengthy classic song "Stairway to Heaven". On Boston's official site, David Wild described the song as "a slowburning power ballad reflecting real grown-up concerns and lived-in reality". Craig Rosen of Billboard also described the song as a power ballad. Greil Marcus, writing in New West magazine, described the song's subject as "how hard it is to live up to a girl's image of a boy". Marcus cited the bravery of the lyrics, in which the singer acknowledges his inadequacy, and described the theme of the song as "the wimp redeemed". He further explained that the singer sounds "trivial" and "insufferable" at first, but as the guitars in the background build, he achieves a measure of glory in his suffering with the lines "You look