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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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In 2004, Green Day released their seventh studio album, American Idiot.[1] 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.[2]

Some of the album's songs were written when the band's 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.[3] During his time in the city, Armstrong wrote "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." He wrote the song as one about "feeling alone" while living in the city, and trying to take power from that.[4] Armstrong later showcased an almost completed demo of the song to their producer, Rob Cavallo. After hearing the song, Cavallo felt that the song was unlike anything that the band had created previously, and believed that it was going to be successful.[5] The final song was recorded at Ocean Way Recording.[6] 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.[7]

American Idiot was released on September 21, 2004, through Reprise Records;[8] "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is the fourth song on the standard track list.[9][10] It was released as the album's second single on November 29, also through Reprise.[11] A live recording of the song was included in the live album Bullet In A Bible, released in 2005.[12] The song was featured in American Idiot, the 2009 jukebox musical based on the album, and its 2010 cast recording.[13][14] The song was later included in Green Day's greatest hits album God's Favorite Band (2017).[15] The song was included as part of the 20th anniversary reissue of American Idiot, alongside live and demo recordings of the song, released on October 25, 2024.[16]

Composition and lyrics

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"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is an emo[17] hard rock[18] power ballad.[17] It is four minutes and twenty-two seconds long.[17] The song begins immediately after the previous song in the album, "Holiday", with the introduction to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" fading in during the song's final note.[19] The song's melody 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 song's choruses, extra backing harmonies are present. As the song reaches its end, the melody grows increasingly dissonant.[19] The song follows the same chord progression as "Wonderwall" by Oasis, prompting Oasis' Noel Gallagher to criticize Green Day.[20]

Lyrically, the song reflects the current state of the Jesus of Suburbia after leaving behind his loved ones and soon becoming lonely, facing uncertainty about his future.[19] It is chronologically set one day after "Holiday", a song in which the Jesus of Suburbia initially celebrated his newfound freedom, though later became discontented.[19] The song illustrates this by opening up with a verse about the Jesus of Suburbia walking by himself on a road that has an unclear destination. In the 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 song's lyrics foreshadow the future of the Jesus of Suburbia, and suggested the protagonist's possible borderline personality disorder.[19] The chorus reiterates his sense of isolation, stating that his shadow is the "only one that walks beside [him]", while also expressing a wish that "someone up there will find [him]", hoping to meet someone to overcome his loneliness, a theme that is resolved in later songs on the album.[19] Lora Kelly of the New York Times described the song as a "low point" in the Jesus of Suburbia's story, and found the lyrics to resemble those of a theater performance.[17]

Critical reception

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[21]

https://drownedinsound.com/releases/6370/reviews/10775-

Commercial performance

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As of February 2020, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is the bands most successful single in the United States, and their sixth most successful in the United Kingdom.[22]

Music video

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https://www.altpress.com/green-day-music-videos-ranked/

Track listings

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UK CD1 and European CD single[23][24]
No.TitleLength
1."Boulevard of Broken Dreams" 
2."Letterbomb" (live) 
UK CD2 and Australian CD single[25]
No.TitleLength
1."Boulevard of Broken Dreams" 
2."American Idiot" (live) 
3."She's a Rebel" (live) 

UK limited-edition 7-inch picture disc[26]

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.[27]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

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Certifications and sales for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[79] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[80] 6× Platinum 480,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[81] Platinum 90,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[82] Gold 150,000^
Italy (FIMI)[83] Platinum 50,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[84] Platinum 60,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[85] Platinum 600,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[86]
"Holiday" / "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" 		Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[87]
Digital 		Gold 500,000*
United States (RIAA)[88]
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 [11]
United Kingdom CD [89]
Australia December 13, 2004 [90]

References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Rage and Love: 15 years of Green Day's American Idiot". Mixdown. October 7, 2019. Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  3. ^ Spitz 2006, p. 134.
  4. ^ "International Superhits". Kerrang! (1061). London: Bauer Media Group: 52–53. June 18, 2005. ISSN 0262-6624.
  5. ^ Montgomery, James (February 1, 2006). "Road to the Grammy's: The making of Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"". MTV News. Archived from the original on November 20, 2014.
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Sources

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