Eckstine was an American jazz singer and bandleader who also played trumpet, valve trombone, and guitar. He also performed briefly as Billy X. Stine. His nickname was Mr. B. Although best known as a singer, his openness to new music made him a strong influence on modern jazz, particularly bebop, as he gave employment to many of the musicians who founded the style.
After singing with the Earl Hines band from 1939 to 1943 he led his own band from 1944 to 1947. The band featured at various times a large number of rising jazz stars, including:
Saxophones: Gene Ammons, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt, Lucky Thompson, Charlie Parker, Wardell Gray, Budd Johnson, Leo Parker
Trumpets: Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham, Fats Navarro
Drums: Art Blakey
Singers: Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughan
Eckstine later formed an octet, then went solo, becoming a popular ballad singer while remaining an important figure in jazz. His huge, distinctive baritone made him one of the first African American singers to have mainstream success. He was the composer of the blues classic "Jelly, Jelly" and also recorded the R&B top hit "Stormy Monday Blues" in 1942 (not to be confused with T-Bone Walker's 1947 "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just As Bad)"). Most of his success as a singer came with ballads, including "Everything I have is Yours", "Blue Moon", "Caravan," "Prisoner of Love," "You Go to My Head," and "That Old Black Magic". His last hit was "Passing Strangers", a duet with Sarah Vaughan released in 1957.
Eckstine was a style leader and noted sharp dresser. He designed and patented a high roll collar that formed a B over a Windsor-knotted tie, which became known as a Mr. B. Collar. In addition to looking cool, the collar expanded and contracted without popping open, which allowed his neck to swell while playing his horns. The collars were worn by many a hipster in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
In 1984, Eckstine recorded his final album, I Am A Singer, featuring beautiful ballads arranged and conducted by Angelo DiPippo.
Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
Billy Eckstine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The boulevard of broken dreams
Where gigolo and gigolette
Can take a kiss without regret
So they forget their broken dreams
You laugh tonight and cry tomorrow
When you behold your shattered schemes
Wake up to find their eyes are wet
With tears that tell of broken dreams
Here is where you'll always find me
Always walking up and down
But I left my soul behind me
In an old cathedral town
The joy that you find here you borrow
You cannot keep it long it seems
Gigolo and gigolette
Still sing a song and dance along
The boulevard of broken dreams
Here is where you'll always find me
Always walking up and down
For I left my soul behind me
In an old cathedral town
The joy that you find here you borrow
You cannot keep it long it seems
But gigolo and gigolette
Still sing a song and dance along
The boulevard of broken dreams
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Billy Eckstine is a melancholic song that captures the essence of a broken heart. It refers to a street where the sad souls of the world come to relieve their grief. The titular phrase is a metaphor for the lost aspirations and shattered dreams of people. The street is filled with gigolos and gigolettes, people who have given up on their dreams and resorted to temporary pleasures. Though they indulge in pleasures, they cannot forget their sorrow and sadness.
The song highlights the temporary nature of happiness and fulfillment that come with worldly pleasures. The lyricist emphasizes the fleeting nature of happiness, and how often it comes at a cost of us forgetting our dreams and our essence. The lyricist expounds upon the idea that we lose ourselves in the indulgence of pleasures, and how it all leads to the boulevard of broken dreams. The chorus emphasizes the idea that we cannot keep the joy we find on this street for long, and that gigolos and gigolettes still dance and sing despite the pain they carry with them every day.
Line by Line Meaning
I walk along the street of sorrow
I'm wandering through a sad street filled with melancholy
The boulevard of broken dreams
This street is where people come with crushed ambitions and lost hopes
Where gigolo and gigolette
Where male and female escorts come by seeking out companionship
Can take a kiss without regret
And share kisses with strangers without any remorse or consequence
So they forget their broken dreams
As a way to escape from their past and failed aspirations
You laugh tonight and cry tomorrow
You experience temporary happiness and end up weeping later
When you behold your shattered schemes
After you realize that your dreams and plans are now broken
Wake up to find their eyes are wet
The escorts wake up with tears in their eyes
With tears that tell of broken dreams
These tears reveal the pain and agony they feel about their unfulfilled dreams and aspirations
Here is where you'll always find me
I'm always walking up and down this boulevard
Always walking up and down
It seems like I'm wandering aimlessly and lost in thought
But I left my soul behind me
I no longer feel completely human, and I have lost a significant part of myself
In an old cathedral town
After visiting a place of worship that reminded me of life's fragility
The joy that you find here you borrow
You experience happiness here, but it doesn't last for long
You cannot keep it long it seems
It turns out that this borrowed happiness is fleeting and temporary
Still sing a song and dance along
Despite everything, people still try to make the best of their situation and enjoy what they can
The boulevard of broken dreams
This is the place where hopes and dreams die
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Al Dubin, Harry Warren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
34Packardphaeton
His voice continues to take me away. It HAS to be one of the very best ever!
monami pourmoi
He has the most wonderful voice. No one can compare.
sferemonk
What a cool lush version. Billy E was one of the best when he filled out his voice.
jessandjazz7
What an era to be passing thru and sampling covers of terrific talent and personalities, the recorded captures and the visual accompaniment is emotionally embracing! Thank you all for providing such beautiful music memories.
allendale18
Great version. Another one is by Tony Bennett
Melotone
Has anyone seen a "video" of him performing this song? Even if it is on the Ed Sullivan show. A crying shame that so many artists like Billy never got the screen time that they richly deserved based on their talent.
Alex Braun
such a pimp cover of a classic song