Green Day – Boulevard of Broken Dreams

When it comes to punk ballads there are not all that many out there. Punk is a hard and driven form of music that prohibits it from being well-suited to conveying softer emotions – that is, it has been, until now. Green Day’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams is another undeniable hit from a trio that has consistently shown that despite their punk roots, they are versatile musicians who can produce more down-beat music while still keeping their sharp edge.
Green Day is decidedly the world’s premier punk band at the moment and rightfully so. There album American Idiot which was released in 2004 cemented the band as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. It showed a nice maturing of the band’s sound, image and content. Although they have managed to retain their youthful exuberance and sarcastic sense of humour they have proven themselves capable of writing songs that are not only poignant but musically rich as well.
Green Day’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams is a clear example of the significant growth that the band has shown since they first hit the mainstream scene with Dookie. Since then this prolific and always entertaining band have released five records including a new live album which hit stores earlier this year. They have certainly withstood the test of time by not flaming out in a blaze of glory or simply becoming another in a long string of one-hit-wonders. These original punks understood that with age should also come some form of wisdom – and have they ever delivered!
Boulevard of Broken Dreams is an eerily touching song about alienation and our society’s disconnect. Most of us do not even realize what insular and separate lives we lead until we need someone on whom we can rely for help. The lyrics of this pessimistic song can easily be interpreted in a number of ways, but the one thing that no one can argue with is that the song speaks to every person’s loneliness and sense of isolation. Boulevard of Broken Dreams is also a song about the paths we follow and where they lead – sometimes to places that we may have never imagined for ourselves.
The video for Boulevard of Broken Dreams starts off where the video for Holiday ends. It is a nice segue-way that emphasizes the themes of disconnection and alienation. The viewer is taken from a frivolous and burlesque romp through the pleasure palaces of the urban landscape where debauchery reigns every night to a lonely and dusty street where few people connect even though they stand right next to each other.
With the album American Idiot Green Day has cemented their name as a band for the ages. They have gone from a band of fun but brash music to a collection of songs that are hard to take lightly. A trio of tough and talented musicians who have shown as sensitive a side as a punk band is allowed to show without losing face or credibility and with Boulevard of Broken Dreams they have achieved a great song that will speak to generations to come.