1) Randy Burgess (bass) Mark Holden (saxophone, vocals) David Forbes (lead vocals) Andrew Johns (keyboards) Randy Gould (guitar) Randall Stoll (drums) Tom Christianson (bass; replaced Burgess)
Holden had been working in a recording studio in Frankfurt, Germany and an offer to open a new, multi-million dollar recording studio in Calgary gave him reason to return to Canada. While working there, he and Gould formed BLVD with American violinist/vocalist David Forbes (who had recorded a beer jingle which Holden engineered). They recorded continuously and released several singles on CBS Germany, one which charted, but it wasn't practical to tour there or get a reciprocal deal in North America. When the studio finally closed in 1985, the band relocated to Vancouver. John Alexander at MCA Records expressed interest at the time and encouraged them to keep improving their demos and helped cultivate the act. They soon signed on with Rock Headquarters Management (Bruce Allen, Lou Blair, Cliff Jones) and a record deal was secured with MCA in 1987 When producer Pierre Bazinet (Luba, Sass Jordan) was brought in to record the debut album, the group had no 'sound'; they hadn't even performed together as a band or road tested any of the songs. The record was mixed by Mike Fraser, Bob Rock and Humberto Gatica. In 1988 MCA released the band's eponymous debut and their first single, "In The Twilight" followed as did three other singles. BLVD headed out on the road opening first for Glass Tiger and then with Boston. As crowds began to warm to the band, especially in Quebec City and Windsor, the album had sold 45,000 copies. By writing while on the road, they were able to return to the studio with John Punter (Roxy Music, Spoons) and lay down the 'live' feeling 'In The Streets. The album was released in 1990 under the full-blown Boulevard name because the band had been getting complaints that they didn't understand the abbreviation. In 1990 Randall Stoll quit the band, but the group disbanded shortly after the release of the "Crazy Life" single.
2) A small band from New Zealand.
3) Boulevard was a Finnish band that represented Finland at the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Naurevat silmät muistetaan" (Laughing Eyes Will Be Remembered).
4) Boulevard was a Danish band consisting of Dennis & Poul Dehnhardt and Lennart Johannessen. They participated in the danish Melodi Grand Prix 1984 with the song Liverpool. They didn't win so they didn't represent Denmark at the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest.
5) Boulevard was a Swedish hard rock/ AOR band from Gothenburg. Guitars -Dick Börtner , Guitars - Lennart Widegren, Bass - Mikael Magnusson, Drums - Morgan Pettersson, Vocals - Roy El Hoshy.
Where Is The Love
Boulevard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You gotta stay clear of rock'n'roll
You gotta give up what you love
Then you can kneel and pray and beg some more
You gotta stay pure and lock the door
You gotta feel guilt and blow it off
You gotta trust em or wreck it all
Where is your God now?
Where is your God now?
Where is your God now?
Where is your God now?
You gotta give God all control
You gotta swear off your rock'n'roll
You gotta say no, lust no more
Then you can kneel and pray and beg some more
You gotta say grace and praise the Lord
You gotta get rid of all the dirt
you gotta blackout cuz God is gone
Cuz when you pray you're still all on your own
Where is your God now?
Where is your God now?
Because in the end, we still walk alone
The lyrics of Boulevard's song "Where Is the Love" seem to criticize the idea of blindly surrendering oneself to religion and the suppression of individuality in the process. The opening line, "You gotta praise God evermore," suggests that there is an expectation to constantly worship a higher power. The following line, "You gotta stay clear of rock'n'roll," is perhaps a reference to the traditional belief that popular music is sinful and should be avoided. The next line, "You gotta give up what you love," is a direct instruction to let go of anything that might be deemed as impure or unholy.
The lyrics go on to describe the idea of locking oneself away from the world and feeling guilty about any temptations that come to mind. The line, "You gotta feel guilt and blow it off," suggests that there is a constant struggle between what one wants and what is deemed as appropriate. The lyrics then suggest that blindly trusting in religion can lead to chaos and wreck everything. The line, "You gotta trust em or wreck it all," implies that one has to accept the teachings of religion unquestioningly or risk condemnation.
Despite all the instructions and expectations, the song's chorus asks, "Where is your God now?" seemingly suggesting that after following all of these instructions, one is still alone, and God is nowhere to be found. The final line adds to this sentiment, stating that "in the end, we still walk alone."
Line by Line Meaning
You gotta praise god evermore
You must continuously worship and praise God
You gotta stay clear of rock'n'roll
You must avoid listening to Rock and Roll music
You gotta give up what you love
You must let go of the things you love
Then you can kneel and pray and beg some more
Only then can you get on your knees and pray, begging for God's mercy
You gotta stay pure and lock the door
You must maintain your purity and avoid temptation by locking yourself indoors
You gotta feel guilt and blow it off
You must feel guilty for your mistakes but quickly forget about it
You gotta trust em or wreck it all
You must trust in God's plan or else everything will fall apart
But when you pray you're still all on your own
Despite praying, you are still alone and have to face your own problems
Where is your God now?
As things get tough in life, the singer questions the existence of God
You gotta give God all control
You must surrender everything to God and let Him handle everything
You gotta swear off your rock'n'roll
You must completely give up listening to Rock and Roll music
You gotta say no, lust no more
You must say no to lust and avoid temptation
You gotta say grace and praise the Lord
You must give thanks and praise to God
You gotta get rid of all the dirt
You must get rid of all the bad things in your life
You gotta blackout cuz God is gone
Out of frustration, the singer believes God has left them alone in the dark
Because in the end, we still walk alone
No matter how much we pray, in the end, we still have to face life's challenges alone
Lyrics © SCHUBERT MUSIC PUBLISHING INC.
Written by: Chiara Cerami, Matteo Fabbiani
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind