Boulevard of Broken Dreams

WHEN I have things going on in my head, like kids roaming around with a referee chasing them, I listen to music whatever pops out on Spotify or sometimes, YouTube. I do this kind of routine every night after the kids are sleeping. There are times I wouldn’t like talking to anyone, not even online. I wanted to go into my world and get isolated to escape from reality temporarily. I remember a song to allow myself to wallow for exactly four minutes and 22 seconds: the length of the 2004 Green Day hit “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” I focus on nothing but my feelings for the duration of the song, which expresses emotion in such cartoonish terms that, listening to it, I can relinquish in mawkish agony.

If you did not know the song yet, especially for Gen Z and Alphas, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” is a song by the American punk rock band Green Day, which was released in 2004. This song remains a timeless classic to Millennials for the song’s thought-provoking theme surrounding the feelings of loneliness, disillusionment, and the search for purpose and meaning in life. Green Day was one of my realm of soundtracks in the early teens of 2004, giving pop-punk vibes at the mall, food courts, graduations, and birthday parties. I recalled the song led by singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, which parallels a musical theater protagonist when he sings lines like “I’m walking down the line/That divides me somewhere in my mind/On the borderline/Of the edge, and where I walk alone.” That hits me pretty hard.

The song’s title, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” can be comprehended as one’s journey through life that is served with numerous setbacks and unfulfilled dreams. The lyrics reveal a story of how the reality of life does not live up to their expectations and dreams, that leads them to a sense of disappointment and sadness for other people. The lyrics describe someone who is walking alone down this boulevard, feeling lost and disconnected from the world around them.

Here is another line, “I walk a lonely road, the only one I’ve ever known” which speaks to the feeling of isolation and the sense of being different from everyone else. This speaks volumes and brings forth recognition of the struggles in fitting into society who seek to express their uniqueness and identity. Arguably, it is a beautiful description of life’s struggles and anguish presented within the song.

Through pointing out the struggles and encouraging how people ought to keep being themselves, despite pressure from society to “fit in”. Some of us spend too much time trying to reach other people’s standards, and too little time defining our own. It’s better to disappoint another person than to lead a life that disappoints you.

Remember, Success is not about meeting someone else’s expectations. It’s about living up to yours.

Thank you, Green Day for making my night a little brighter.