Green Day, Boulevard Of Broken Dreams - Amy’s First Listen and Reaction
Added 2025-01-05 16:11:28 +0000 UTCThis one starts off with a satisfying sound, and then … but wait until you get to the end!
Comments
There's a real "Tom Petty" vibe to the music in this song to me.
Tommy Jernigan
2025-01-16 01:39:13 +0000 UTCLove this song and your reaction, but the song title is very ironic in its timeliness. Since this was the nickname given to Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, which has been absolutely devastated by the current fires. Apparently it was given this nickname by Billy Wilder in the 1940s, who is the one who then created the classic 1950 film Sunset Boulevard. Now Sunset Boulevard looks like a war zone. So now it is literally a boulevard of broken dreams.
Lee Kennison
2025-01-10 07:29:31 +0000 UTCWell, I’ll look for your comment but I don’t plan on listening to the reaction. Never favored that song. Never really favored The Doors actually. Riders of the Storm is about it.
Evelyn
2025-01-08 05:15:04 +0000 UTCHey, Evelyn... I just spent about an HOUR on this VERY topic in the comment that I just finished for BREAK ON THROUGH (TO THE OTHER SIDE). Take a gander... and, simply agree with me (if you know what's good for you ;)
DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
2025-01-08 05:12:44 +0000 UTCOurs, I agree completely! ( about Sharona too)
Evelyn
2025-01-08 05:10:40 +0000 UTCRea - hey, hey, hey, HEY! Amy and Vlad need an EXPERT... (uh hmm.... Shirley you see where I am going here...)
DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
2025-01-08 03:15:54 +0000 UTCEvelyn - yes, you mentioned the David Gilmour & Ice-T collaboration (I did NOT expect THAT pairing, certainly) - and that's what caused me to send you a few of my rock-rap medleys from my music appreciation channel. Yeah - I tend to agree that Amy does NOT pay much attention to the scene some of this music comes from. And I GET THAT for MOST of the songs she is reviewing... BUT... let me just give a recent example: Amy did a reaction to David Bowie's SPACE ODDITY, and me and MANY other commentators who lived through those times [or, at least watch 2001: A SPACE ODDITY (there's a particular scene...) or APOLLO 13...] it's pretty easy to UNDER appreciate the intensity of those lyrics, which Amy seemed to have missed. Again, it's just a few songs that need this type of understanding. Another example: what happens when Amy gets to The Beatles REVOLUTION, REVOLUTION 1 and REVOLUTION 9? The White Album was made in 1968... one of the MOST culturally/historically important years of the late 20th century... No, Amy doesn't need to know anything about the history of 1968. Evelyn, don't you think it would be appropriate, however, to interpret REVOLUTION from within the year it was created? (I think so.) NOTE: Obviously, this isn't true for a song like MY SHARONA! I'm only talking about CERTAIN songs... like WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN, for example...
DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
2025-01-08 03:14:16 +0000 UTC@DJ for a classical musician I'd think it would make a lot more sense to approach these "appreciations" systemically, learning about the context, etc. It's as if one were to study say Mozart without paying any attention to when something was composed, the circumstances around the piece, etc. But it's hard to do this without an expert guide and considering the various constraints and tradeoffs involved, so I'm not surprised Amy and Vlad aren't doing that.
Rea Lavi
2025-01-08 01:45:59 +0000 UTCI honestly don’t know if Amy is interested in historical or cultural context. She certainly puts things in MUSICAL context, but I’ve not heard her, nor frankly have I seen Vlad, mention much about what was in the air at the time in his intro’s he does for her. Speaking of rap: Did I ask you if you’d heard the Ice-T collaboration with David Gilmore on Comfortably Numb? That’s a kick. Only “rappers” I’ve ever listened to ( more than one song) have been Ren and NF.
Evelyn
2025-01-08 00:38:33 +0000 UTCThere are a number of documentaries (I saw a good one on NETFLIX) about the Laurel Canyon scene. I've been thinking... which idea does Amy prefer, in this regard: Does she simply want to hear the songs, independent of the scene from whence it originates? I can see a case being made for this position, but, I SO disagree... Personally, the most important songs for me (mostly recorded between 1966-1975) loses A WHOLE LOT OF MEANING when divorced from the scene from which it arises. From the viewpoint, of say, a GenZ person, hearing an analysis divorced from its history makes more sense to me... since that person won't have any of the references that those of us who experience these songs in realtime. And yet, and yet... I personally think that if Amy is already familiar with whatever scene some of this music comes from... it will CERTAINLY enrich her experience of these songs, and give Amy a chance to clue in those clueless (in this example) GenZers! There's a gangsta-rapper that goes by KRS-ONE... and I like what it stands for... and it represents what I'm saying here: Knowledge Reigns Supreme - Over Nearly Everyone. KRS-ONE. FYI - There are, I would say, three important songs that originated gangsta rap: 6 IN THE MORNIN' by Ice-T; BOYZ-N-HOOD by N.W.A. (I like Easy-E's, a member of N.W.A., version better, though; and KRS-ONE, 9MM GOES BANG: https://youtu.be/fcYY6xwwfCE
DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
2025-01-08 00:31:25 +0000 UTCfunny you should ask "what's this all about, all these California bands popping up in the 80's and 90's"? You may already be aware through your journey, but back in the 60's, there was the phenomenon of the "California Sound"....starting in the mid-60's...The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, The Mamas and Papas....morphing into The Doors....all the bands from the Bay Area. And then the GREAT Laurel Canyon Renaissance of singer/songwriters that occurred in the late 60's, early 70's: Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, CSN and others. Being older, I honestly was not aware of a similar phenomenon more than a decade later.
Evelyn
2025-01-06 20:16:33 +0000 UTCNow that you’ve met “Jesus of Suburbia,” (the character singing,) you should listen to American Idiot in the way you’ve been listening to The Wall since it’s also a concept/story album.
candrv
2025-01-06 10:38:09 +0000 UTCI was hugely in to Green Day as a little kid, I used to listen to nimrod (album) on my little cd player almost every night. When this album came out it was huge!! I mean they had been a 90s band to my mind and then for them to come back so big in the 2000s it was a huge thing for me. They were everywhere they really brought pop punk in to the mainstream. American Idiot the album is a concept album (you can really hear the “rock opera” in this song) and all the songs feed in to each other very well and the songs each build upon the concept making it very cohesive (for me). For instance boulevard of broken dreams is actually played together in the album with a song called holiday. So each song is closely paired together. I’d love to see you listen to more songs from this album, wake me up when September ends in particular i think would be a great listen. They used to play the videos for American idiot on the IFC channel on a marathon I remember I used to leave it playing throughout the day. Oh also this album is like a huge anti-Bush album lol. It’s one of those that really epitomize the bush era for me (along with like Bright Eyes’ I’m Wide Awake it’s Morning) Also when you go back and listen to Boys from the Beatles you should watch the video of Ringo playing Boys with Green Day for his induction to the rock n roll hall of fame. It’s very cute
Jazz C.
2025-01-06 08:52:46 +0000 UTCDoesn't sound like it. It's in F minor. I'm not positive, but those sound like open chords on the acoustic so Billie probably has a capo on the 1st fret to keep it in the same key as the rest of the song.
djredmoney
2025-01-06 01:34:45 +0000 UTCDrop-D tuning on the rhythm guitar? I’m unsure because I wouldn’t normally associate that in a song that also uses an acoustic guitar.
Gary Wilmot
2025-01-06 01:04:24 +0000 UTCYou going to hate on “good riddance”? I thought that was pretty much universally not-hated.
Steve
2025-01-06 00:19:12 +0000 UTCThe song - I always interpreted this as a bit of an atheist anthem. A response to a preacher-type who says “I walk with God.” So I found your noting the switch to the Devil’s Interval at the end to be interesting. As to the band, I always think of them as sort of a later-generation Tom Petty. Consistent, straightforward sound that is immediately recognizable and everything they do is relevant. If they were a basketball player they would put up 20 points and 10 rebounds every night. A ton of songs to choose from but no single one stands out as definitive.
Steve
2025-01-06 00:17:46 +0000 UTC"Good Riddance" (The Time of Your Life) is sung to acknowledge various life events such as graduations and funerals. One is a beginning and the other an ending. Billie Joe Armstrong plays it on an acoustic guitar with an instrumental accompaniment. He wrote it after a break-up with his then girlfriend. That is reflected in the title.
Lynn Poole
2025-01-06 00:09:00 +0000 UTCMy username is just a last minute creation consisting of two David Bowie songs (from the Lodger album) stuck together. Interestingly enough, I later found out there is a dj (not that well known, I think) who goes by the same moniker...he had to have done the same thing as me in creating his stage name! I'd classify Green Day as pop punk, more so than punk rock in the classic sense. In the same genre as Blink 182, NOFX, Rancid, etc. Very different in musicality and production values as compared to their elder statesman such as Black Flag, Husker Du, Dead Kennedys, etc. The original ethos of punk was bring things back down to the level of the common working class individual. Rock stars are no better than any of their fans, Not only are we going to dispense with any pretense of mystery, showmanship, musicianship, classic singing styles (the more petulant and snotty the delivery, the better!) or pretentious lifestyles, we are going to wear our street clothes on stage, hang out with our fans, get in the crowd and sing along with them and maybe even load in and set up our own equipment before the gig! So it's interesting that many modern "punk" bands like Green Day have huge sounding productions and pretty much pitch perfect singing and great timing. Early bands like The Misfits (who I love) sounded like they could fall apart any minute live. This was part of the danger and excitement. By contrast, the last time I saw Rancid, I was amazed at their tightness and professionalism. The drums and bass were locked perfectly, and both playing some pretty difficult parts that required a lot of stamina and an innate sense of time keeping. But still, the affected "snotty" vocals had to be present over top, as a punk "identifier". I respect that you just don't like the music. I will most likely never like contemporary country or trap/drill rap. It literally makes me physically ill to listen to certain songs or types of music. In the same way, I suspect Amy will never like most (not all) electronic, industrial, or dance music. It's just not how she was built. Ghost of Tom Joad ..essential!! Perhaps one of the greatest examples of a cover where the two versions are vastly different but equally great.
djredmoney
2025-01-06 00:08:20 +0000 UTCGreen Day is a punk band with a fairly commercial sound. If you listen carefully to the album "American Idiot", you will find some passages in some of the songs that reference other bands. I sometimes have the impression that I can hear the style of "The Who" here and there in their songs. The Who became famous with their rock operas "Tommy" and "Quadrophenia". The album "American Idiot" is also, in my opinion, a kind of rock opera/concept album, which is very unusual for punk rock. I listened to it several times and I actually liked it quite a lot, but after a while I got the impression that their style was a bit too raw, aggressive and repetitive for me. But they are a great band.
shinypixx
2025-01-06 00:04:24 +0000 UTCAlways liked this song. Like you said Amy. It sounds great , sonically. But the melody chugs it along nicely. Some nice hook lines with the guitar. Nothing fancy. This song and When September Ends are my two favourite Greenday songs. Oooh and maybe Time of your Life. Of course.
Siôn Hewitt
2025-01-05 23:48:34 +0000 UTCOkay, DJR, I just listened to the song you recommended, and here is my take: I have to say, I have always appreciated the aesthetic of Punk, the in-your-face-i-don't-give-a-f*** attitude... which I typically share with them, particularly in their criticism of how society has been built up to profit the well-to-do only... It's just that... I don't like this type of music! Perhaps it fits well with the lyrics, I'll admit... but I just don't care for musicians who really aren't musicians at heart... they are usually rebels at heart, who use music as a vehicle... and that's fine... it's just not for me. That's why I was SO RELIEVED when, in the early 90s, grunge music came along... those band took the punk aesthetic and married it to good ROCK MUSIC, you know??? Alice In Chains; Soundgarden; Pearl Jam; Nine Inch Nails; and even STONE TEMPLE PILOTS rekindled my hope in rock music until it too, died and inglorious death before... I don't know what... Taylor Swift?? Amy did a RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE song, Killing In The Name, which satisfied me. THAT is a song that marries hard rock with a punk sensibility... and I loved it! In fact, allow me, right here, to make a plea to VLAD: Please do a cover-series of THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD. It's an acoustic song by Bruce Springsteen... and the cover by RATM is super hard rock... so VERY interesting to compare!
DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
2025-01-05 23:30:50 +0000 UTCYou got it, djredmoney... I'll check it out, forthwithlike. BTW - DJ Red Money??? You're not from America, are you, where all of our printed money is GREEN... pretty much the opposite color (in color theory) of red... Is there a story behind your moniker???? Enquiring minds want to know!
DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
2025-01-05 23:20:23 +0000 UTCDJ, check out "Jesus of Suburbia" from the same album as the song Amy analyzed here. I'm not a huge Green Day fan either, but that is surely their masterpiece.
djredmoney
2025-01-05 23:04:44 +0000 UTCThis Green Day song captures, I believe, a characteristic of the band in general...walking "on the borderline" (effectively, I think) between commercial pop and alternative rock.
Ron
2025-01-05 22:56:43 +0000 UTCEnjoyed that
TONY SURRATT
2025-01-05 21:29:38 +0000 UTCA hugely popular band that I could never really get into. But, I have a personal vocation: to find a song by each popular band that I can really like. I almost never hear much of a band's catalog, so it can be difficult sometimes. (In fact, I've been searching for a song by SLIPKNOT that I like for quite some time now.) I'm pretty sure that there is a really good GREEN DAY song out there for me... but... I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR (props to Bono of U2!)
DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
2025-01-05 20:06:43 +0000 UTCI had same problem but it works on phone
TangoEliott
2025-01-05 19:09:57 +0000 UTCWorking in the browser now.
Graeme Frew
2025-01-05 17:55:21 +0000 UTCWorks OK on the app on iPhone.
Chester Beals
2025-01-05 17:35:19 +0000 UTCI've got the same problem on this video that was there a few weeks back. Come up with "Sorry, we couldn't find that page".
Graeme Frew
2025-01-05 17:29:49 +0000 UTC
