Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Al Dubin song)

"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is a 1933 hit song by Al Dubin (lyrics) and Harry Warren (music), set in Paris. The narrator says "I walk along the street of sorrow/The Boulevard of Broken Dreams/Where gigolo and gigolette/Can take a kiss without regret/So they forget their broken dreams."

The song appeared in the 1934 film Moulin Rouge and was sung in the film by Constance Bennett. However, Bennett never made a recording of the song. It was originally recorded by Deane Janis with Hal Kemp's Orchestra on October 31, 1933, in Chicago before the release of the film and was issued on the Brunswick label as catalog number 6734.^[1]

Boulevard of Broken Dreams served as the title tune for a stage musical which played 11 February - 9 March 2003 at the Coconut Grove Playhouse: featuring a libretto by Joel Kimmel the play was based on the life of composer Al Dubin - played by Jordan Bennett - and featured a number of Dubin compositions as its score.^[2]

The song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" has been added to the score of the stage musical 42nd Street for its 2017 West End run being performed by Sheena Easton in the character of Dorothy Brock: the Daily Express opined that "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" seemed "out of place" in 42nd Street while stating that Easton sang the song "splendidly".^[3]

This piece is written as a tango in the harmonic minor scale. The song is in the key of E minor.

Covers

• Ted Weems and His Orchestra recorded the song with vocals by Elmo Tanner on December 5, 1933 in Chicago on the Bluebird label as catalog number 5288.^[4][5]
• Jan Garber and His Orchestra recorded the song with vocals by Lee Bennett on December 14, 1933 on the Victor label as catalog number 24498.^[6] Their recording remained on the U.S. Billboard chart for 11 weeks and reached number six in 1934.^[7]
• Ed Lloyd's Rhythm Boys recorded the song with vocals by Helen Ward on February 2, 1934 on Conqueror Records as catalog number 8261.^[8]
• Bing Crosby sang the song with Jimmie Grier and His Orchestra on April 16, 1934 on his radio show Bing Crosby Entertains (the Woodbury series).^[9]
• Connee Boswell recorded the song on April 27, 1934 on the Brunswick label for the b-side of the 78rpm single to "Carioca" as catalog numbers 6871^[10] and 01783.^[11][12]
• Bert Ambrose and His Orchestra recorded the song with vocals by Sam Browne in 1934 on the Brunswick label as catalog number 01721.^[13]
• Harry Sosnik and His Orchestra recorded the song with vocals by Frances Langford on July 3, 1939 in Los Angeles on the Decca label for the b-side of the 78rpm single to "Moonglow" as catalog number 2861.^[14]
• The King Cole Trio (featuring Jack Costanzo on bongos) recorded the song July 26, 1949.^[15][16]
• "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is a signature song of Tony Bennett who was signed by Mitch Miller to Columbia Records on the strength of Bennett's 1949 demo of the song. In his debut Columbia session on 17 April 1950 at CBS 30th Street Studio Bennett - backed by the Marty Manning orchestra - recorded "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" to serve as Bennett's major label debut single release on 27 April 1950.^[17] Bennett subsequently recorded the song in 1990, 2006 - as a duet with Sting for Bennett's Duets: An American Classic album - , and 2007.
• Instrumental versions of this song include the version by jazz piano virtuoso Art Tatum, from "The Complete Pablo Solo Masterpieces".
• Billy Eckstine's first greatest-hits compilation - "Billy's Best!" Mercury, 1958 with Bobby Tucker Orchestra, by arrangers Henry Mancini and Pete Rugolo.
• It was covered by No Wave artist James White on his 1983 album Flaming Demonics.
• Marianne Faithfull also covered it in her Hal Willner produced weary/lush album Strange Weather in 1987 and later on 20th Century Blues (1996).
• Monsieur Camembert featured it one their ARIA award-winning self-titled album, Monsieur Camembert, sung by Jacqi Stoddard.
• Diana Krall covered the song on her 1996 album All for You: a Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio and on the International Limited Edition version of her 2006 album From This Moment On, which was also released as a bonus track on iTunes.
• This song was featured on a BBC Apprentice advertisement in 2010. It was also featured in all of the five concerts for Amy Winehouse's return tour in 2011 in Brazil.
• It was covered by the progressive rock group Café Jacques on their 1978 album International.^[18]
• Leslie Cheung covered it in 1996 and included the cover in the Japanese edition of his album Red.
• The song was sung live on the ABC show Dancing with the Stars in 2010 (Season 11, episode 4) by the show's band during an Argentine Tango dance featuring Anna Demidova & Andrey Begunov.
• Sylvia Brooks covered the song on her 2013 album Restless.
• Haim Hefer wrote to this melody a Hebrew text in 1948: Ha-Peruta veha-Yareach (הפרוטה והירח)
• Puddles Pity Party recorded a cover of the song in Doppler Studios, Atlanta GA on Sept 29th 2015.

References

1. ↑ Liner notes from the album Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? American Song During the Great Depression Archived December 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. (PDF). newworldrecords.org. New World Records, p. 12
2. ↑ http://www.miaminewtimes.com/arts/the-avenue-hes-takin-you-to-6348999
3. ↑ http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/theatre/789192/Theatre-reviews-42nd-Street-The-Goat
4. ↑ Abrams, Steven and Settlemier, Tyrone. BLUEBIRD numerical listings 5000 - 5500 Online Discographical Project. Retrieved June 1, 2011
5. ↑ Ted Weems and his Orchestra: Discography redhotjazz.com
6. ↑ Abrams, Steven and Settlemier, Tyrone. Victor 24000 - 24500 Numerical Listing 1932 - 1933 Online Discographical Project. Retrieved June 1, 2011
7. ↑ Song artist 629 - Jan Garber Archived August 31, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
8. ↑ Abrams, Steven and Settlemier, Tyrone. Conqueror records 8000 - 8500 Online Discographical Project. Retrieved June 1, 2011
9. ↑ Van der Kolff, Frans.Bing Crosby: A Sonography bingmagazine.co.uk
10. ↑ Abrams, Steven and Settlemier, Tyrone. Brunswick 6000 Series Numerical Listing Online Discographical Project. Retrieved June 1, 2011
11. ↑ Auction catalog: Connie Boswell - 335 Carioca/Boulevard of Broken Dreams. page 5. docstoc.com. January 31, 2012.
12. ↑ Photo scan of 10-inch 78rpm "Carioca" (01783A) / "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (01783B) auctiva.com. Retrieved December 3, 2012
13. ↑ Great Songs from 1934 Archived July 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Brunswick 01721
14. ↑ Moonglow (Music, 1939). OCLC 166342322. worldcat.org. Retrieved December 3, 2012
15. ↑ Nat King Cole, Just Call Him King, le Chant du Monde, 2013
16. ↑ King Cole Trio, Transcriptions, Blue Note, 2005
17. ↑ Bennett, Tony (1998). The Good Life: the autobiography of Tony Bennett. NYC: Simon & Schuster. pp. 102, 265. ISBN 978-1-4165-7366-1. 
18. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Cafe-Jacques-Boulevard-Of-Broken-Dreams/release/2798217 Retrieved January 2, 2014

• Boulevard of Broken Dreams at artgrok.org
• "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - Al Dubin Detailed Song List at Songwriters Hall of Fame
• "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - Harren Warren Detailed Song List at Songwriters Hall of Fame
• "Ha-Peruta veha-Yareach" at zemereshet - Hebrew song to this melody