Mason Cooper

Professor Hellmers

English Composition II

12 February 2022

Analyzing Two Music Videos of the Same Song

“I walk a lonely road, the only road that I have ever known.” This is how the song Boulevard of

Broken Dreams begins, and it really sets the tone for the rest of the song. At first glance, the song

talks about a “lonely road” and “the boulevard of broken d reams” which could mean a few

different things, each theory giving a slightly deeper meaning than the last. The audience for the

original song is those who have a strong bond with aloneness, and the remix is more for those

looking to be less alone, the difference between past and future. The song Boulevard of Broken

Dreams and its Wonderwall Remix are very interesting songs, it appeals, like most songs, pretty

much just to pathos, and the videos show what seems to be a deeper meaning than what is heard

in the song, and there are many deep implications, similarities, differences between the song and

its remix.

The song Boulevard of Broken Dreams can have many different meanings, one of which is that

the main character is lonely, and that is why he walks the proverbial lonely road. One of the

other possible and more likely meanings is that the protagonist took his own path on the

metaphorical road to escape from his troubles and tribulations, showing an unsatisfactory life in

pursuit of his dreams, giving reason to the line “the boulevard of broken dreams.” The video

shows a group of three people walking on a deserted road together, and they are most likely

friends on the journey of life together. This relates to the Boulevard of Broken Dreams -

Wonderwall remix because the Wonderwall remix is about the friend who is going to save you,
not just from your troubles, but also yourself. In the video, a certain picture keeps coming up that

shows the protagonist as a clown, which most likely gives the viewers a glimpse at how the main

character feels when he looks into a mirror; like a joke or a failure. If you are just listening to

each of the songs, then you may think the singer is talking about a girl that refuses to pay him

any attention, or an imaginary lover that will come and save him and make the protagonist

finally feel happy again, rather than being alone and depressed, but if you do watch the video

alongside the song lyrics then you can tell that, rather than being about girls and love like a lot of

music, it is instead about friendship and how much happiness can be gained from appreciating

the people around you, rather than sending yourself into exile for one reason or another.

Since Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Wonderwall is just a remix of Boulevard of Broken

Dreams, there are a whole plethora of similarities. One of which is the theme of loneliness and

the feeling of needing someone to become complete. Loneliness is the most prevalent theme in

these two songs, as the main character or singer talks about being alone and needing that one

person to finally be free. The video in both songs shows the main people moving from a rural

area to a large city. What possibly happened was that the main character decided to move to a

big city where he could chase his dreams, and then he detached from all the people in his old

home to make it easier, but he was not able to achieve his goals, hence the “boulevard of broken

dreams.” Both songs seem to be not only telling a story but could also be a warning to not isolate

yourself from others, it is not worth the unhappiness.

Once again, since the songs are simply different versions of the same song, finding differences is

a little more difficult, but not too hard. While the original song, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, is

about being lonely and having crushed dreams, its remix, Boulevard of Broken Dreams -

Wonderwall is more about thinking about finding that one imaginary person that will fulfil you.

More to the point, the remix has you thinking more about the future than its predecessor, which
talks more about the past and the present. The Wonderwall remix also does not talk about broken

dreams and is more about other people, and there are more people in the background showing a

slightly lower theme of loneliness than the main song.

Both songs strongly appeal to pathos, but not really to any other rhetorical device. They appeal to

pathos because of how strong the theme of having that other person in your life is. This could be

taken as loneliness, rejection, feeling abandoned, or possibly something else, but it certainly

makes you feel some pretty strong feelings if you can relate. These are remarkably interesting

songs, just because of the deep implications, similarities, and differences that just click like a

puzzle, and since the remix is a different song meshed with the original, this is an incredible mix.

Works Cited
Green Day. “Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Official Music Video).” YouTube, YouTube, 2013

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Soa3gO7tL-c

Green Day and Oasis. “Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Wonderwall.” YouTube, YouTube, 2013

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8HrGHkwL7M