There is more than one artist with this name:

1) The Broadways were … Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name:

1) The Broadways were a punk band from Chicago, Illinois. The group formed in 1996 after the break-up of ska-punk band Slapstick, with their vocalist Brendan Kelly and trumpet player Dan Hanaway combining with Rob DePaola and Tricky Dick guitarist Chris McCaughan.

Musically, The Broadways frequently drew comparisons to Crimpshrine and Jawbreaker. The band is notable for the intelligent political, social, and introspective nature of their lyrics, as well as their complex, non-traditional song structures and above-average punk musicianship.

The band released Broken Star in 1998 on Asian Man Records before breaking up the same year. After the breakup, Kelly and McCaughan formed The Lawrence Arms, while Hanaway and DePaola started The Honor System. A collection of unreleased material and songs collected from their EPs was released posthumously in 2000 as Broken Van.

2) The Broadways were a R&B band from the mid-60's. Line up: Ronnie Coleman, Billy Brown, Leon Trent, Moe . They originally recorded as The Uniques but as The Broadways they released a couple of singles on MGM which are much prized by the Northern Soul fraternity. Billy Brown went on to become a member of The Moments. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFj5GwfqrtU

3) The Broadways are band from West London. They released their debut single 'Just A Dreamy Day' through New Slang Records of Kingston in Novemeber 2007 and it reached number 6 in the UK Indie Charts. The are currently putting the finishing touches to their debut album 'Greetings From The Broadway' with Arctic Monkeys producer Alan Smythe for release in Japan in August. For listeners of The Metros, The Clash and The Hold Steady. www.myspace.com/broadwaysuk

TV Song
The Broadways Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've seen the stupid stare on thousands of our faces
watched my thoughts carelessly fall away
while I fumbled for the right words to say
my brain is such a mish-mash of mtv videos and vast and vacant spaces.
And I look around and see 1000 drooling idiots just the f**kin' same as me.
We've been weened on Mr. Rogers
we all worship the tv that sucks our f**kin' imaginations from our heads
and no one wants to see the generation of zombies in their f**kin' sick parade

marching forward to the beat of "house of style" and "singled out"
but i flip to it the same as you bored shitless on my couch
And why am i bored?
it's because when i was growing up i saw everything played out
and i could flip the channel tirelessly
and since I was so capable
my attention span shrunk to fit to the point
where I reject things that aren't syntheic blobs of shit
I want an easy answer I need a f**kin' catch all phrase
I don't have the time or the patience to read a book
and figure shit out for myself
when it's spelled out for me as pain as f**kin' day
and with pretty flashing lights and sounds to keep me entertained.
I'm like a dog trained by a box "like" and "totally" fill my day
and "i think i'm going crazy man," has become f**king cliche
and i think I'm going crazy or was i just raised that way
and I think hard about nothing as I stare off into space

'cause we need to turn our heads on 'cause our brains are getting soft,
so exercise your brain and turn the tv f**kin' off, whoa.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Broadways' song "T.V. Song" are an insightful critique of the negative impact of television on our generation's attention span and critical thinking skills. It is a call to action to turn off the television and start exercising our brains. The song points out that we have become a generation of zombies who have been weened on Mr. Rogers and now worship the TV that sucks our imaginations from our heads. The resulting mish-mash of MTV videos and vast and vacant spaces in our brains has left us bored and unable to concentrate on anything that's not synthetic blobs of shit.

The lyrics also touch on the idea that we have become impatient and lazy, as we reject anything that's not spelled out for us as plain as day with pretty flashing lights and sounds to keep us entertained. We no longer have the time or patience to read a book or figure things out for ourselves. Instead, we want an easy answer and a catch-all phrase. The song ends on a hopeful note, encouraging us to exercise our brains and turn off the TV to prevent our brains from getting soft.

Line by Line Meaning

I've seen the stupid stare on thousands of our faces
I have observed the blank expression common to thousands of people as they watch TV

watched my thoughts carelessly fall away
I have noticed how easily my own thoughts can be erased while watching TV

while I fumbled for the right words to say
While struggling to express my thoughts coherently, I rely on TV-like language

my brain is such a mish-mash of mtv videos and vast and vacant spaces.
My mind is a chaotic mess of MTV videos and empty spaces, devoid of deep thought

And I look around and see 1000 drooling idiots just the f**kin' same as me.
I see many people around me who are also mentally numb, due to excessive TV watching

We've been weened on Mr. Rogers
We have been brought up watching shows like Mr. Rogers, which have limited intellectual value

we all worship the tv that sucks our f**kin' imaginations from our heads
We are addicted to TV, which drains our creative minds of imaginative thinking

and no one wants to see the generation of zombies in their f**kin' sick parade
We don't want to acknowledge that excessive TV watching turns us into brain-dead zombies

marching forward to the beat of "house of style" and "singled out"
We are moving along with the shallow content of shows like "House of Style" and "Singled Out"

but i flip to it the same as you bored shitless on my couch
Despite recognizing the TV's negative effects, I tune into the same mindless programming, out of boredom

And why am i bored?
I ask myself why I am uninterested in activities that require active engagement rather than passive entertainment

it's because when i was growing up i saw everything played out
My boredom with real life is due to having seen everything on TV, resulting in a lack of novelty

and i could flip the channel tirelessly
My ability to quickly change channels has led to a short attention span

and since I was so capable
My proficiency at operating the TV has led to laziness and complacency

my attention span shrunk to fit to the point
My lack of focus has deteriorated to the point that I only consume mindless, short forms of media

where I reject things that aren't synthetic blobs of shit
I refuse to engage with anything that isn't a mindless, shallow pile of garbage

I want an easy answer I need a f**kin' catch all phrase
I desire a simplistic solution, a quick and easy fix instead of taking the time to learn and understand complicated issues

I don't have the time or the patience to read a book
I lack the motivation or endurance to commit to a book, which would require more effort than watching TV

and figure shit out for myself
I refuse to do any critical thinking or problem-solving, instead accepting what TV feeds me

when it's spelled out for me as plain as f**kin' day
When things are presented in clear and obvious terms, I still cannot bother to think for myself

and with pretty flashing lights and sounds to keep me entertained.
Entertainment is all I seek, regardless of educational or intellectual value

I'm like a dog trained by a box "like" and "totally" fill my day
I have been conditioned by TV to use shallow and meaningless buzzwords like "like" and "totally"

and "i think i'm going crazy man," has become f**king cliche
The act of questioning one's own sanity has become a tired and overused trope due to societal reliance on TV

and i think I'm going crazy or was i just raised that way
I genuinely question my own sanity, and I'm not sure if it's the result of TV or my upbringing

and I think hard about nothing as I stare off into space
My mind runs on autopilot, devoid of any creative or original thoughts, as I sit in a trance-like state

'cause we need to turn our heads on 'cause our brains are getting soft,
We need to start engaging in intellectually stimulating activities, as our minds are becoming lethargic and lazy

so exercise your brain and turn the tv f**kin' off, whoa.
Stop wasting your time watching TV and start doing activities that challenge your cognitive abilities

Contributed by Riley T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS