I wonder how the stars in Hollywood are made? Must have been those broken dreams I guess. Those damn bleeding hearts!

Thank ya, squire!

In reply to this comment by Eklek:
*promote

Tags for this video have been changed from 'punk, rock, alternative, billie joe, armstrong, mike dirnt, music video' to 'green day, boulevard of broken dreams, american idiot, 00s, 2004, punk, alternative' - edited by kronosposeidon

I'll submit the lyrics below. Who is this song referring to? Bill O'Reilly? Dobbs? Rivera? Murdoch? Murdoch's sons? Maybe it is Stephen Colbert. I think this song and video are great. I guess I see more into it since I worked as a reporter for so long.

Dancing Choose-TV on the Radio

he's a WHAT? he's a WHAT?
he's a newspaper man
and he gets his best ideas
from a newspaper stand;
from his boots to his pants
to his comments and his rants
he knows that any little article will do!

though he expresses some confusion
bout his part in the plan,
and he can't understand
that he's not in command;
the decisions underwritten
by the cash in his hand
bought a sweater for
his weimariner too

now i'm no mad man,
but that's insanity
feast before famine,
and more before family
goes and shows up with
more bowls and more
cups and the riot for the
last hot meal erupts
corrupts his hard drive
through the leanest months
shells out the hard cash
for the sickest stunts;
on aftershave, on gasoline
he flips the page and turns
the scene

in my mind i'm drowning butterflies
broken dreams and alibis;
that's fine.
i've seen my palette blown
to monochrome-
hollow heart
clicks hollowtone,
it's time.

eye on authority,
thumb prints a forgery
boy, ain't it crazy what the
lights can do
for counterfeit community;
every opportunity
wasted as the space
between the flash tattoo

and the half-hearted hologram,
posed for the party
now he gloss full bleed
on a deaf dumb tree
cod liver dollar signs,
credit card autograph
down for the record
but not for freedom

angry young mannequin
american, apparently
still to the rhythm
better get to the back of me
can't stand the vision,
better tongue the anatomy
gold plated overhead,
blank transparency
in the days of old,
you were a nut
now you need three bumps
before you cut
not that i should care about,
nothing i ain't scared of, but
i guess you had
to
be
there.

in my mind i'm breeding butterflies,
broken dreams, and alibis
that's fine.
i've seen my palette
blown to monochrome
hollow heart
clicks hollowtone
in time.

i see you figured in your action pose
foam-injected axl rose,
life size
should something shake you
and you drop the news,
lord, just keep your dancing shoes
off mine

[Intro: Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley]
Yeah man, Jah will be waitin there we a shout, Jah will be waitin there!!!!
In this world of calamity, dirty looks and grudges and jealousy
And police weh abuse dem authority, media crush we nuh know bout variety, boom

[Verse 1: Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley]
Di youngest veteran a come murder dem slow
Ragamuffin sent to God before di bush bungalow
Mi nuh watch it mek I carry out my voice now figarow
Di hammer dem a slam and spend day a dead now
Some bwoy could a big like Bam Bam Bigelow
Buss off trigger finger trigger hand and trigger toe
A two gun mi have mi buss dem inna stereo

[Chorus: Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley]
Cause, I got to keep on walkin, on the road to Zion land
Hey, we got to keep it burnin, on the road to Zion land

[Verse 2: Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley]
Clean and pure meditation without a doubt
Don't mek dem tek yuh like food dem to goat
Jah will be waitin there we a shout, Jah will be waitin there!!!!
In this world of calamity, dirty looks and grudges and jealousy
And police weh abuse dem authority, media crush we nuh know bout variety
Single parents weh need some charity
Yutes weh need some love and prosperity
Inside a broken dreams and tragedy
By any plan with any means and strategy

[Chorus: Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley] (Nas)
Say, we got to keep on walkin (Yeah) on the road to Zion land
(Yeah, been waitin to do this track with you man, yeah, ha ha, yeah yeah)
You know (They know) you got to keep on walkin (Yeah) on the road to Zion land
(You gotta keep walkin y'all, yeah, yeah, you gotta keep...)

[Verse 3: Nas]
Sometimes I can't help but feel helpless
I'm havin daymares in daytime wide awake try to relate
This can't be happenin like I'm in a dream while I'm walkin
Cause what I'm seein is hauntin, human beings like ghost and zombies
President Mugabi holdin guns to innocent bodies
In Zimbabwe, they make John Pope seem Godly, sacrilegious and blasphemous
In my lifetime I look back in paths I walked, where savages fought and passengers taught
Prostitutes stomp in high heel boots
And badges screamin at young black children stop or I will shoot
I look back at cooked crack plus cars that pass by
Jaguars mad fly, and I'm guilty for materialism
Blacks is still up in the prison trust that
So save me your sorry I'm raisin a Army
Revolutionary warfare with Damian Marley
We sparkin a iron marchin to Zion
You know how Nas be NYC state of mind I'm in

[Bridge: Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley]
In this world of calamity, dirty looks and grudges and jealousy
And police weh abuse dem authority, media crush we nuh know bout variety, boom

[Verse 4: Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley]
Di youngest veteran a come murder dem slow
Ragamuffin sent to God before di bush bungalow
Mi nuh watch it mek I carry out my voice now figarow
Di hammer dem a slam and spend day a dead now
Some bwoy could a big like Bam Bam Bigelow
Buss off trigger finger trigger hand and trigger toe
A two gun mi have mi buss dem inna stereo

[Chorus: Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley]
Cause, I got could keep on walkin, on the road to Zion land
Hey, we got to keep it burnin, on the road to Zion land

[Outro: Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley]
Clean and pure meditation without a doubt
Don't mek dem tek yuh like food dem to goat
Jah will be waitin there we a shout, Jah will be waitin there!!!!
Clean and pure meditation without a doubt
Don't mek dem tek yuh like food dem to goat
Jah will be waitin there we a shout, Jah will be waitin there!!!!
In this world of calamity, dirty looks and grudges and jealousy
And police weh abuse dem authority, media crush we nuh know bout variety
Single parents weh need some charity
Yutes weh need some love and prosperity
Inside a broken dreams and tragedy
By any plan with any means and strategy
Inside a broken dreams and tragedy
Yutes weh need some love and prosperity
Inside a broken dreams and tragedy
By any plan with any means and strategy
Hey, I got to keep on walkin, on the road to Zion land
You know, you got to keep on walkin, on the road to Zion land

Let me contribute to my own question - What's in that dust?

A thousand divorce fantasies, a million spores of petty office resentments, stale bologna sandwich essence, the fallout of one or two drinking problems, polyester fiber, paycheck- induced broken dreams...

The title indeed comes from a painting. The original artist was Edward Hopper and his painting "Nighthawks," was of a diner in Greenwich village:

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/hopper/street/hopper.nighthawks.jpg

That painting was adapted into "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," by Gottfried Helnwein and featured Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Elvis Presley and James Dean.

Here:

http://angel.enredados.com/images/bbd.jpg

Yes, debuts generally are the best: these document the vision of the artist. Afterwards this vision is further developed (or copy-pasted too intensively, resulting in a suffocating status quo), sometimes leading to similar but better productions.

Talking about Robbie Williams:
Robbie Williams has gathered a whole team around him: Guy Chambers (wrote "Angel"), William Orbit (produced Madonna's Ray of Light), Andy Rourke (The Smiths), Peter Hook (New Order)..
A strategy to absorb more contemporary "alternative" influences in "his" music, to keep in touch with the current pop stream?
We'll hear what comes out of this collaboration.

Wonderwall is permamently etched in my memory..
..same counts for Blvd of Broken Dreams..
Both songs have a similar catchiness in the melody that is (too?) easily absorbed.

That sounds rough man. I guess that's what music can do to us.

"I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac" - I doubt there's a better lyrics about broken dreams.