Before his international acclaim as a pop vocalist, Nathaniel Adams Coles b… Read Full Bio ↴Before his international acclaim as a pop vocalist, Nathaniel Adams Coles built an indelible reputation as a jazz pianist in the groundbreaking combo, The King Cole Trio. Born into a musical family, young Nat Coles (later changed to Cole) recorded with his older brother, Edward, in 1936 for the Decca label. The four sides cut by Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers gave the general public its first glimpse of Nat's gentle yet lively piano riffs. After touring with a revival show of Eubie Blake's revue Shuffle Along, Cole settled in Los Angeles, playing various nightclubs as a soloist. In 1937, club owner Bob Lewis suggested that Cole assemble a small band to work at his Swanee Inn on North La Brea. The group's unorthodox instrumentation and size - they had no drummer and, at the time, big bands were the rage - featured Wesley Prince on bass and the innovative phrasings of electric guitarist Oscar Moore. The Trio's blend of jump blues and jazzy instrumentals with bouncy vocal stylings was a collective effort, while Cole occasionally took the lead on standard ballads. After an uneventful 1939 session for the Davis & Schwegler recording company in Hollywood, The Trio accompanied Lionel Hampton on two recording dates the following summer. Their association with Hampton helped, and that winter The Trio signed with Decca. Their 1940-41 sessions for the label yielded sixteen songs and captured the attention of fellow musicians, fans and a handful of critics. Later that fall, The Trio sounded right at home with drummer Lee Young on a four-song session for the Ammor label. In 1942, Cole recorded with Red Callender and saxophonist Lester Young for the Philo/Aladdin label, Oscar Moore with Cole at the piano. Image courtesy of the Dave Dexter, Jr. Collection.producing a handful of recordings that became benchmarks in their individual careers. Signing with Capitol Records in 1943, The Trio consisted of Cole, Moore, and Johnny Miller, who had settled in as the permanent bassist. Moore left the fold in 1947 and Irving Ashby replaced him. Capitol Records featured The Trio less and less after that, while Cole was singled out as a vocalist often backed by lush string orchestras. By the 1950's, Cole's reputation as a singer had reached a wide pop audience and, upon his death in 1965, his place in music history was forever cemented. His fellow jazz peers, however, never forgot his equally unique touch on the piano and the influence his early trio work had on later performers such as Oscar Peterson, Red Garland, and Tommy Flanagan.

boulevard of broken dreams
The Nat King Cole Trio Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And gigolo and gigolette
Awake 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 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.

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 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.

Overall Meaning

The Nat King Cole Trio's song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" tells the story of a man who walks along a path of sadness and despair, where those who live on it can easily steal a kiss without regret, to forget about their broken dreams. This street is frequently walked by the singer of the song, who has left his soul behind in an old cathedral town. Although the joy found on this street seems fleeting, gigolos and gigolettes continue to dance and sing, taking whatever happiness they can find on this broken road.

The lyrics explore the idea of broken dreams and the path taken by those who have lost their way. The boulevard is a metaphor for the difficult journey that people go through in life. People who end up taking this broken pathway often find that their dreams have been shattered, leaving them with no prospects and no hope for the future. This song speaks to the idea that people can find happiness and joy, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Line by Line Meaning

I walk along the street of sorrow,
I stroll on this road filled with misery and sadness,

The boulevard of broken dreams.
a place where people come to meet their unrealized aspirations and failed hopes.

Where gigolo and gigolette
A place where both men and women are performers, ready to give a kiss to whoever wants to receive one

Can take a kiss without regret
They can kiss without considering the future consequences

So they forget their broken dreams.
Their hopelessness gets pushed into the back of their mind

You laugh tonight and cry tomorrow,
One moment life could be enjoyable, but the very next it’s back to being miserable

When you behold your shattered dreams.
When you look at your ambitions that were never fulfilled

And gigolo and gigolette
Also the performers, pretending everything is alright when it is not.

Awake to find their eyes are wet
They get face to face with reality and despair floods their eyes.

With tears that tell of broken dreams.
Their tears express their failed hopes.

Here is where you`ll always find me,
This is the spot where I regularly spend my time

Always walking up and down.
Repeatedly moving, aimlessly and joylessly

But I left my soul behind me
I have abandoned myself long ago

In an old cathedral town.
Probably reminiscing on the good old days

The joy you find here, you borrow,
Joy is loaned to you here temporarily

You cannot keep it long, it seems.
It seems to never stay put no matter how much one tries to hold on.

But gigolo and gigolette
The performers from earlier

Still sing a song and dance along
But despite the pain and troubles that this street has handed down to them

The boulevard of broken dreams.
They still perform along this pathway.

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AL DUBIN, HARRY WARREN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@user-pb6nh8wg4c

6y↑10

I walk along the street of sorrow
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 dreams
And gigolo and gigolette
Awake 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 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

@maryamirenea1386

I walk along the street of sorrow,
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 dreams.
And gigolo and gigolette
Awake 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 you find here, you borrow,
Find more lyrics at ※ Mojim.com
You cannot keep it long, it seems.
But gigolo and gigolette
Still sing a song and dance along
The boulevard of broken dreams.

~interlude~

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 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.

All comments from YouTube:

@seanmignon4229

2y↑1

this is entirely not what i was expecting, but also entirely beautiful!!!

@user-pb6nh8wg4c

6y↑10

@getridofit3

2y↑2

When you behold your shattered schemes

@ExiledGypsy

32w

@@getridofit3 Joyful sadness. A wonderful oxymoron

@liamwatson5125

3y↑1

Nat King Cole - piano and vocal
Irving Ashby - guitar
Joe Comfort - bass
Jack Costanzo - bongos and congas
Recorded 1949 in New York

@1234pouvez

5y↑12

When I google this title I only get the Green Day song. If I want this version I have to add the Artist's Name next to the song. Both versions are nice.

@ag4116

5y↑1

I love this song !!! I love it most from Diana Krall. I also have it sang in Polish. Nat Cole is the only other Black I love, besides Belafonte. Green Day song sucks big time, screaming idiots. But, everyone has their own. Love Krall.