Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Al Dubin song) facts for kids

"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is a popular song from 1933. It was written by Al Dubin, who wrote the words, and Harry Warren, who wrote the music. The very first version was recorded by Deane Janis with Hal Kemp's Orchestra. This happened in Chicago on October 31, 1933. The song was then released by Brunswick Records. In 1934, Constance Bennett sang the song in the movie Moulin Rouge. However, her version was not released as a record.

This song was also the main song for a stage musical. This musical played from February 11 to March 9, 2003, at the Coconut Grove Playhouse. The musical was about the life of Al Dubin, who wrote the song's lyrics. Many of his other songs were also featured in the show.

Later, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" was added to another famous musical called 42nd Street. This happened during its run in London's West End in 2017. Sheena Easton sang the song in the show as her character, Dorothy Brock. Some critics thought the song seemed a bit out of place in 42nd Street. But they also said that Sheena Easton sang it "splendidly," which means she sang it really well.

The song is written as a tango. It uses a special musical style called the harmonic minor scale.

Famous Versions of the Song

Many different artists have recorded "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" over the years. Here are some of the most well-known versions:

• Ted Weems and His Orchestra recorded the song on December 5, 1933. Elmo Tanner sang the vocals for this version.
• Jan Garber and His Orchestra recorded it on December 14, 1933. Their version was very popular. It stayed on the U.S. Billboard chart for 11 weeks and reached number six in 1934.
• Bing Crosby sang the song on his radio show, Bing Crosby Entertains, on April 16, 1934.
• Connee Boswell recorded the song on April 27, 1934. It was released as the "b-side" of a 78rpm single.
• María Teresa Vera from Cuba used parts of the song's melody in 1935. She wrote new Spanish lyrics for her song Veinte años. This song became a classic in Cuba.
• The King Cole Trio recorded their version on July 26, 1949.
• "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is a very important song for Tony Bennett. He recorded a demo of it in 1949. This demo helped him get signed to Columbia Records. He officially released the song as his first major single on April 27, 1950. Tony Bennett has recorded the song many times since then. In 2006, he sang it as a duet with Sting for his album Duets: An American Classic.
• Jazz piano master Art Tatum created an instrumental version of the song.
• Ferlin Husky, a country music singer, named his 1957 album after the song.
• Billy Eckstine included the song on his "greatest hits" album in 1958.
• Marianne Faithfull covered the song on her album Strange Weather in 1987.
• Diana Krall covered the song on her 1996 album All for You: a Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio.
• The song was used in an advertisement for the BBC show Apprentice in 2010.
• Amy Winehouse sang the song live during her concerts in Brazil in 2011.
• The song was performed live on the ABC show Dancing with the Stars in 2010. It was used for an Argentine Tango dance.
• Puddles Pity Party recorded a cover of the song in 2015.