Sunset Boulevard Lyrics – Sunset Boulevard

Song Overview

Song Credits

• Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Lyricists: Don Black, Christopher Hampton
• Featured Vocal: Alan Campbell as Joe Gillis (1994 Los Angeles cast)
• Producer (original cast album): The Really Useful Group
• Release Date: 1991 (premiere in concert form; 1994 cast recording)
• Genre: Musical-theatre pop with symphonic instrumentation
• Instruments: Full orchestra, brass fanfares, string section, piano, drum kit, woodwinds
• Label: Really Useful Records / Polydor
• Album: Sunset Boulevard (1994 Los Angeles Cast)
• Track #: 20
• Length: ? 4 min 30 sec (cast recording)
• Language: English
• Mood: Sardonic, cinematic, restless
• Copyright © 1991 The Really Useful Group Ltd.

Song Meaning and Annotations

“Sunset Boulevard” snaps and swirls like a neon-lit martini, served midway through Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Hollywood noir musical. Its pulse is a brisk, tap-dancing shuffle of snare, string glissandi and trombone growls, capturing the manic energy of Los Angeles traffic at dusk. The verses tumble out of Joe Gillis’s mouth as if he’s dictating a letter to his future self—equal parts bravado, despair, and gallows humour.

Structurally, the number is a sly cousin to “Rock Island” from The Music Man—rapid-fire patter over relentless rhythm—but dressed in lush Lloyd Webber orchestration. The emotional arc? Cynical swagger gives way to reluctant tenderness, then circles back to cold-eyed survivalism. Along the curb lurk references to the 1940s studio system, the Gold Rush myth, and the dragon-like studios ready to scorch dreamers who can’t keep pace.

“Sunset Boulevard, twisting boulevard / Secretive and rich, a little scary”

This couplet frames the street as both serpentine and seductive, echoing classical myth where a glimmering path leads heroes to their doom—think Odysseus and the Sirens, only with billboards.

Verse 1

The opening bars plant Joe in a cramped apartment—“A Murphy bed, a rancid smell.” The mundane rot undermines every golden Hollywood postcard. The internal rhyme of “hell/smell” tightens the vice: paradise reeks.

Chorus

“Sunset Boulevard, jackpot boulevard / Once you’ve won you have to go on winning”

Webber lifts the melody a minor third, mirroring the gambler’s pulse spike. The chorus warns that in Tinseltown, yesterday’s triumph evaporates by brunch; the meter never stops ticking.

Mid-section Reflection

Joe admits, “Dead right I’ve sold out”. He craves five-star room service yet still romanticises the pioneer past. That dichotomy—material comfort versus moral nostalgia—drives the musical’s tragic engine.

Final Verse & Tag

The reprise of the boulevard motif over swelling timpani foretells doom. When Joe concedes, “One day this must end, it isn’t real,” the orchestration retreats, a sonic mirage fading at sundown.

Similar Songs

1. “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” – Andrew Lloyd Webber
   Both songs showcase Lloyd Webber’s penchant for soaring melodic lines that mask ruthless ambition beneath velvet orchestration. Whereas Eva Perón addresses a nation, Joe addresses a boulevard, yet the subtext—public adoration versus private emptiness—aligns. Each track pivots on a charismatic but morally grey narrator. Dramatically, both numbers arrive at an inflection point in their respective shows, crystallising the lead’s self-justification. Finally, they share the cinematic sweep that blurs musical-theatre and pop-era radio sensibilities.
2. “Cell Block Tango” – Kander & Ebb
   Like “Sunset Boulevard,” this Chicago showstopper seduces with dark humour and staccato rhythms. Both pieces humanise morally dubious characters through razor-sharp storytelling. The recurring refrain—“He had it comin’!”—mirrors Joe’s shrugging confession of complicity. Musically, each track layers jazz-age brass over percussive pulse, conjuring smoky nightlife. Thematically, ambition and survival in unforgiving urban jungles tie the two numbers together.
3. “City of Stars” – Justin Hurwitz & Benj Pasek
   Though gentler, this modern film-musical ballad echoes “Sunset Boulevard” in its bittersweet ode to Hollywood dreams. Both songs juxtapose glittering promise with looming disappointment. Harmonically, they lean on jazz chords that evoke vintage Los Angeles. Lyrically, street imagery—lampposts, sidewalks, billboards—sets a scene of hope tinged with resignation. Each protagonist sings half-in love with, half-terrified by the city that could devour them.

Questions and Answers

Why does Joe call the boulevard “ruthless”?

He views Hollywood as a living organism that rewards and destroys with equal fervour; one misstep and the dreamer is roadkill.

Is “Sunset Boulevard” a solo or ensemble number?

Primarily a solo for Joe Gillis, though the orchestra functions as a Greek chorus, commentating through motif and dynamic swells.

How does the orchestration reflect the lyric’s cynicism?

Brass stabs mimic paparazzi flashbulbs, while restless string runs resemble traffic noise—both reinforcing the character’s jittery vigilance.

Did Andrew Lloyd Webber reuse musical ideas from earlier works?

He revisits his trademark modulation-heavy structure, but the jazzy undercurrent and Hollywood pastiche give this song its own personality.

What’s the significance of the Gold Rush reference?

It parallels the film industry’s promise of quick riches, reminding listeners that boomtown euphoria often ends in busted lives.

Awards and Chart Positions

While “Sunset Boulevard” as an individual track never stormed the pop charts, the musical clinched seven Tony Awards in 1995, including Best Original Score for Andrew Lloyd Webber and Best Book for Don Black and Christopher Hampton. Its cast album reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Cast Albums list, cementing the song’s place in the modern musical canon.

Fan and Media Reactions

“The moment Joe sings ‘I’m treading water, taking the money’ I feel every gig-economy doubt I’ve ever had.” @StageDoorDreamer

“Those chromatic strings are pure suspense—Hitchcock would approve.” @CinephileCritic

“Sunset Boulevard turns Hollywood into a snarling beast, and I can’t stop replaying it.” @MusicalManiac

“Webber’s melody sticks like neon glue; two listens and you’re humming it in traffic.” @BroadwayBeat

“Live, that final swell felt like the theatre roof lifting off—utterly cinematic.” @LAStageScout

Critics often highlight the number’s razor-sharp irony, noting how Andrew Lloyd Webber marries lush harmony with biting commentary. Fans treasure the track as a gritty cousin to his grander ballads—proof that he can swagger as effectively as he soars.