Kay Starr was successful in every field of music she tried, jazz, country and pop. But her roots were in jazz, Billie Holiday, considered by many the greatest jazz singer of all time, called Starr "the only white woman who could sing the blues."
She is best remembered for introducing two songs that became #1 hits in the 1950s, "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz".
Kay Starr was born on a reservation in Dougherty, Oklahoma. Her father, Harry, was a full-blooded Iroquois Indian; her mother, Annie, was of mixed Irish and American Indian heritage. When her father got a job installing water sprinkler systems, the family moved to Dallas, Texas.
While her father worked for the Automatic Sprinkler Company, her mother raised chickens, and Kay used to sing to the chickens in the coop. As a result of the fact that her aunt, Nora, was impressed by her singing, she began to sing at the age of seven on a Dallas radio station, WRR, first in a talent competition where she finished third one week and won every week thereafter, then with her own weekly fifteen minute show. She sang pop and "hillbilly" songs with a piano accompaniment. By the age of ten, she was making $3 a night, a lot of money in the Depression days.
As a result of her father's changing jobs, her family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and she continued performing on the radio, singing "Western swing music," still mostly a mix of country and pop. It was while she was on the Memphis radio station WMPS that, as a result of misspellings in her fan mail, she and her parents decided to give her the name "Kay Starr". At the age of fifteen, she was chosen to sing with the Joe Venuti orchestra. Venuti had a contract to play in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis which called for his band to feature a girl singer, which he did not have; Venuti's road manager heard her on the radio, and suggested her to Venuti. Because she was still in junior high school, her parents insisted that Venuti take her home no later than midnight.
Although she had brief stints in 1939 with Bob Crosby and Glenn Miller (who hired her in July of that year when his regular singer, Marion Hutton, was sick), she spent most of her next few years with Venuti, until he dissolved his band in 1942. It was, however, with Miller that she cut her first record: "Baby Me"/"Love with a Capital You." It was not a great success, in part because the band played in a key more appropriate for Marion Hutton, which was less suited for Kay's vocal range.
The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
Kay Starr 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 lyrics of Kay Starr's "The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" describe a grim reality of life on the streets where dreams are shattered and unfulfilled. The "boulevard of broken dreams" is a metaphor for the hopes and aspirations of those who live and work there, where the only thing to count on is disappointment. The verses depict the lives of the gigolo and gigolette; people who sell their love for money, living day to day on the boulevard, while trying to forget their broken dreams. Although they may appear to be living a life of luxury, the reality is that they are only finding temporary joy, and the next day they wake up to find their eyes wet with tears, telling their own story of broken dreams.
The chorus of "The Boulevard" emphasizes the fact that the life on the avenue is a never-ending cycle. Once the joy is borrowed, it cannot be kept long and ultimately, one must wake up and face the reality of life. Even though the bitterness of reality is present, the gigolo and gigolette can still find hope and escape in song and dance. The final stanza repeats the themes of the opening verse and serves as an eerie reminder that the boulevard of broken dreams is where the singer will "always" be found walking up and down.
Line by Line Meaning
I walk along the street of sorrow
I am wandering through a street filled with sadness and despair
The boulevard of broken dreams
This street is known for being filled with people who are struggling to fulfill their dreams
Where gigolo and gigolette
This is where men and women who use their charm and sex appeal to make a living can be found
Can take a kiss without regret
They can share a kiss without feeling any attachment or remorse
So they forget their broken dreams
They do this to escape the pain and disappointment of their shattered aspirations
You laugh tonight and cry tomorrow
You may feel happy for a moment, but soon after, you will feel sad again
When you behold your shattered schemes
Your hopes and plans for the future will fall apart, leaving you feeling hopeless
Wake up to find their eyes are wet
The following morning, you will find yourself crying
With tears that tell of broken dreams
These tears represent the sorrow and pain of unfulfilled dreams
Here is where you'll always find me
I can always be found in this street
Always walking up and down
I am always wandering around, unable to escape the misery of this place
But I left my soul behind me
I have lost myself in this dark and depressing world
In an old cathedral town
I remember a time when I felt alive and hopeful, but that place is far away now
The joy that you find here you borrow
Any happiness you feel here is only temporary and will not last
You cannot keep it long it seems
The happiness fades quickly and is replaced by sorrow
Still sing a song and dance along
Despite their broken dreams, the gigolo and gigolette keep going, singing and dancing through the pain
The boulevard of broken dreams
This street will always be known for the shattered dreams of those who live in it
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Al Dubin, Harry Warren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tholu67
What a legend in song!
@toosvanes22
Geweldig lied !!!
@markalson1938
Back in the fifties Kay was called the female Frankie Laine, this recording shows you why that was.
@markalson1938
iI loved Tony Bennett's version of this song but I think Kay's is better