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"Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
Single by Green Day
from the album American Idiot
ReleasedNovember 29, 2004 (2004-11-29)
Genre
Length4:22
Label
Composer(s)Green Day
Lyricist(s)Billie Joe Armstrong
Producer(s)
Green Day singles chronology
"American Idiot"
(2004) 		"Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
(2004) 		"Holiday"
(2005)
Music video
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" on YouTube

"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is a song by American rock band Green Day and the second single from their seventh studio album, American Idiot (2004).

Background and release

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After the low commercial performance of American punk-rock band Green Day's sixth studio album, Warning (2000),[1][2] the band began work on their seventh studio album, named Cigarettes and Valentines. During the production of the album, the demo recordings were stolen from the studio, which led Green Day to scrap the project and begin creating a new album from scratch.[3] The album, American Idiot, was released in 2004.[4] A punk rock concept album, American Idiot's narrative is focused on the story of a teenager (who refers to himself as the "Jesus of Suburbia") growing up in the United States under the presidency of George W. Bush during the Iraq War, criticizing both.[5]

Some of the albums songs were written when Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong lived alone in New York City for a few weeks in 2003, renting a small loft in the East Village of Manhattan with the goal of coming up with new song ideas.[6] During his time in the city, Armstrong wrote "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" as a song about his time in New York City, about "feeling alone" and trying to take power from that fact.[7] In 2004, Armstrong showcased a demo of the song to their producer, Rob Cavallo. Upon hearing the song, Cavallo approved of the song and felt that it was going to be successful.[8] The final song was recorded at Ocean Way Recording.[9] The song is named after Boulevard of Broken Dreams, a painting by Gottfried Helnwein that depicts James Dean, Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, and Elvis Presley together in a downtown diner, with the title reflecting their deaths.[10]

American Idiot was released on September 21, 2004 via Reprise; "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is the fourth song on the standard track list.[11][9] The song was released a single on November 26, 2004[12] as album's second single.[13] A live recording of the song is included in the live album Bullet In A Bible, released in 2005.[14] The song was featured in American Idiot, the 2009 jukebox musical based on the album, and its 2010 cast recording.[15][16] The song was later included in Green Day's greatest hits album God's Favorite Band (2017),[17] and will be included in a 20th anniversary reissue of American Idiot, alongside live and demo recordings of the song, releasing in 2024.[18]

Composition and lyrics

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"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is an emo[19] hard rock[20] power ballad.[19] It is four minutes and twenty-two seconds long.[19] The song begins immediately after the previous song in the album, "Holiday", with the introduction to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" fading in during the songs final note.[11] The songs medley is relatively simple, primarily using the electric guitar feedback from the final note of "Holiday" alongside a progressing acoustic guitar, with Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool providing additional background rhythm. During the songs choruses, extra backing harmonies are present. As the song ends, the medley becomes more and more dissonant.[11] The songs main notes are similar to the opening notes of "Wonderwall" by Oasis, which prompted the bands Noel Gallagher to attack Green Day in 2006.[10]

Lyrically, the song is about the current life of the Jesus of Suburbia after leaving behind his loved ones and soon becoming lonely, facing uncertainty for his future.[11] It is chronologically set one day after "Holiday", a song in which the Jesus of Suburbia initially rejoiced in his new-found freedom, though later became discontent.[11] The song's lyrics are fairly straightforward in portraying this, opening up with a verse about walking alone on a road, one where he doesn't know where it goes. In the songs second verse, the Jesus of Suburbia speaks about a line that "divides [him] somewhere in [his] mind." According to Jordan Blum of PopMatters, some of the songs lyrics foreshadowed the future of the Jesus of Suburbia, suggesting the protagonist's borderline personality disorder.[11]

The songs chorus reiterates his situation further, saying "My shadow’s the only one that walks beside me / My shallow heart’s the only thing that’s beating," while also wishing that "someone up there will find me", hoping to meet someone that can resolve his loneliness, which later comes true in the later songs of the album.[11] Lora Kelly of the New York Times described the song as a "low point" in the Jesus of Surbubia's story, and found the lyrics to be similar to one out of a musical performance.[19] Blum described the songs lyrics as "linguistically modest", believing that the song was an example of how a "simple structure and great songwriting can produce the best possible artistic statement."[11]

Critical reception

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[8]

Commercial performance

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Music video

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Live performances

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Track listings

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UK CD1 and European CD single[21][22]
No.TitleLength
1."Boulevard of Broken Dreams" 
2."Letterbomb" (live) 
UK CD2 and Australian CD single[23]
No.TitleLength
1."Boulevard of Broken Dreams" 
2."American Idiot" (live) 
3."She's a Rebel" (live) 

UK limited-edition 7-inch picture disc[24]

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Boulevard of Broken Dreams" 
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Letterbomb" (live) 

Personnel

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Personnel are adapted from the UK CD1 liner notes.[25]

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications and sales for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[77] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[78] 6× Platinum 480,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[79] Platinum 90,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[80] Gold 150,000^
Italy (FIMI)[81] Platinum 50,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[82] Platinum 60,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[83] Platinum 600,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[84]
"Holiday" / "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" 		Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[85]
Digital 		Gold 500,000*
United States (RIAA)[86]
Mastertone 		Gold 500,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States November 29, 2004 Contemporary hit radio Reprise [87]
United Kingdom CD [88]
Australia December 13, 2004 [89]

References

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  2. ^ Stegall, Tim. "15 best punk albums of 2004, from Green Day to My Chemical Romance". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
  3. ^ Geraghty, Hollie (2024-01-23). "Green Day on the "bummer" of their pre-'American Idiot' album 'Cigarettes & Valentines' being stolen". NME. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  4. ^ Hendrickson, Matt (February 24, 2005). "Green Day and the Palace of Wisdom". Rolling Stone. No. 968. New York City. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
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Sources

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