“Boulevard of Broken Dreams” is an alternative rock song by Green Day released in 2004. It is the only song to have won a Grammy for Record of the Year and the MTV Music Award for Video of the Year.
The song’s lyrics depict independence, loneliness and fortitude regarding one’s path in life.
The vocals perfectly match the accompaniment and is a joy to listen to. It’s easy to miss the vocals during the two guitar solos.
The first few bars of the song are just a vocal and a guitar, then the rest of the instrumentation takes over for during the song. The instrumentation has an intentionally delayed approach that gives the song a unique sound.
This song is for anyone who has needed to become a one-man or one-woman army, going against the grain, and taking yourself to a particular place in life where you accomplish your goals even if you have to go through obstacles alone.
Even though the song was written in 2003, it has social relevance today due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As of today, there are nearly 120,000 Americans who have died due to the infectious diseases. While it is recommended that Americans wear protective gear like masks and gloves to prevent the spread of disease, many people throughout the country are making it more difficult for the CDC and WHO to contain Covid-19 because some refuse to wear masks or gloves. Those of us that are committed to wearing protective gear daily are sometimes walking a lonely road, their individual “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” where they continue to live their lives despite being the only one in many cases to try to help the public by wearing protective gear. The commitment to reducing Covid-19 has a psychological effect like the one present in this song, but ultimately everyone’s individual efforts will come together to form a solution in which people won’t be walking alone, and instead walking together.