Constance Foore "Connee" Boswe… Read Full Bio ↴From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Constance Foore "Connee" Boswell (December 3, 1907 - October 11, 1976) was an American female vocalist born in Kansas City, Missouri but raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. With her sisters, Martha and Helvetia "Vet" Boswell, she performed in the 1930s as The Boswell Sisters and became a highly influential singing group during this period via recordings and radio. Connee herself is widely considered one of the greatest jazz female vocalists and was a major influence on Ella Fitzgerald who said, "My mother brought home one of her records, and I fell in love with it....I tried so hard to sound just like her."[1]
In 1936, Connee's sisters retired and Connee continued on as a solo artist (having also recorded solos during her years with the group).
The Boswells came to be well known locally while still in their early teens, making appearances in New Orleans theaters and radio. They made their first recordings for Victor Records in 1925, which included "Cryin' Blues" where Connee is featured singing in the style of her early influence, the African American singer Mamie Smith. The Boswell Sisters became stage professionals that year when they were tapped to fill in for an act at New Orleans' Orpheum Theatre. They received an invitation to come to Chicago and perform in 1928 and honed their act on the Western Vaudeville Circuit. When their tour ended they traveled to San Francisco. The hotel that had been recommended had a less than savory reputation, and the man at the desk suggested that these three young ladies might be better off in another hotel. That man, Harry Leedy, would later become their manager on a handshake and become a permanent part of Connee's life.
The Boswell Sisters travelled to Los Angeles where they performed on local radio and "side-miked" for the soundies, including the 1930 production "Under Montana Skies." did not attain national attention, however, until they moved to New York City in 1930 and started making national radio broadcasts. After a few recordings with Okeh Records, they made numerous recordings for Brunswick Records from 1931-1935. In 1935, the sisters had a #1 hit with "The Object of My Affection", the biggest of twenty top 20 records they would enjoy.
In 1936, the group signed to Decca Records and after just three releases called it quits (the last recording was February 12, 1936). Connee Boswell continued to have a successful solo career as a singer for Decca.
All through her career with The Boswell Sisters, and well into the 1940s, her name was spelt "Connie". She later changed the spelling to Connee, reputedly because it made it easier to sign autographs.
Connee Boswell was also an arranger (the legendary Boswell Sisters harmony arrangements are hers) and a composer.
Connee sang from a wheelchair - or seated position - during her entire career, due to either a childhood bout with polio or a childhood accident (sources differ). The general public was not aware of her condition although Boswell herself did not keep this secret. During World War II, she tried to get involved with the U.S.O. tours but was not given permission to travel overseas. The "powers that be" apparently thought it might not be a morale-booster to have a "cripple" perform for the troops.
Connee Boswell was a favorite duet partner of Bing Crosby and they frequently sang together on radio as well as recording several hit records as a duo in the 1930s and 1940's. Boswell, Crosby, and Eddie Cantor recorded a version of Alexander's Ragtime Band that was a #1 hit in 1938.In 1939, Crosby and Boswell had three hit duet records that each climbed into the top 12 on Billboard; "An Apple For The Teacher" climbed all the way to #2.
Connee Boswell also had several dozen solo hits, including "Moonlight Moon" in 1942. Boswell's career slackened in the 1950s but she still recorded occasionally and would be featured on a number of television broadcasts including a regular stint on the 1959 series "Pete Kelly's Blues".
Connee Boswell died at age 68 in 1976. A number of her recordings are now available on CD, both as a soloist and part of the Boswell Sisters.
Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
Connee Boswell 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
The song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Connee Boswell paints a picture of a place where lost dreams and shattered hopes are a common sight. The singer walks along the street of sorrow, the boulevard of broken dreams, where gigolos and gigolettes (male and female prostitutes, respectively) can steal kisses without regret because they have forgotten their own broken dreams. The song speaks of a cycle of laughter and tears, where shattered schemes are followed by wet eyes and broken dreams.
The lyrics reflect the feeling of emptiness and despair that many people experience after having their dreams crushed. The line "Here is where you'll always find me, always walking up and down" gives the impression that the singer is stuck in this never-ending cycle of broken dreams and cannot escape. She has left her soul behind in an old cathedral town, indicating that she may have lost faith or hope along the way. The joy that is found on the boulevard is fleeting and cannot be sustained, but the gigolos and gigolettes continue to sing and dance along the boulevard of broken dreams.
Overall, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is a poignant and melancholic song that speaks to the human condition of lost dreams and the search for happiness in an often-difficult world.
Line by Line Meaning
I walk along the street of sorrow
I am walking down a street full of sadness
The boulevard of broken dreams
This is a place where people come to grieve the dreams they once had
Where gigolo and gigolette
This is a place where people come to seek comfort
Can take a kiss without regret
People here seek temporary pleasure to alleviate their pain
So they forget their broken dreams
They try to forget about the unfulfilled aspirations that brought them here
You laugh tonight and cry tomorrow
You find temporary happiness here but the sadness returns quickly
When you behold your shattered schemes
When you realize that your dreams are broken and unattainable
Wake up to find their eyes are wet
They wake up the next day with tears in their eyes due to their unfulfilled dreams
With tears that tell of broken dreams
Their tears symbolize their shattered dreams
Here is where you'll always find me
This is where I come to dwell
Always walking up and down
I am constantly wandering, trying to find something to fill the void
But I left my soul behind me
I am empty inside
In an old cathedral town
I come from a place of deep faith and hope
The joy that you find here you borrow
Temporary happiness can be found here but it won't last
You cannot keep it long it seems
The happiness here is fleeting
Still sing a song and dance along
Despite their heartache, people here try to find joy and pleasure in the moment
The boulevard of broken dreams
This is a place where people try to forget their shattered dreams
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Al Dubin, Harry Warren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Corrie121
What a perfect combination. Great song ,great tribute. Thank you for posting.
smurfswacker
What a heart-rending version of this song. Connee (she spelled it with two "e's" though the labels didn't always get it right) was an excellent singer in her own right as well as with her sisters...I'll listen to this many, many lonely nights.
Paul Ostroff
The very best ever! Brava!
SarahOstrin1
Exquisite!!!
Paul Ostroff
None better. She ruled! Brava diva!
Rafael Garcia
Wow! Amazing!
Paul Ostroff
What is this-in her own right.She was the finest female pop vocalist EVER!
Roger York
Much information is available about Dean, especially from those who knew him. Of course, everyone has an agenda and this distorts much of what we hear and read. Same goes for Bix Beiderbecke and others. People believe what they want to and dismiss information which contradicts their predetermined views despite sometimes overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Oldies but Goodies
Hauntingly Beautiful
roybo1930
There Is A Tramendous Sadness To This Beautiful Beautiful Song That Brings Tears To My Eyes. Thank You (Sniffel) For Posting.