Brian Hoffer's debut album
Into the Boulevard
Songs
- Good Day Now
- Psychoanalysis
- Gently Down
- Keep Each Other Cold
- Cats & Birds
- Superman Somehow
- Ancient Explorers
- Fool's Gold
- When They Drop the Bomb
- Childhood Dreams
- Love & War
- Goodnight
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Into the Boulevard
Song Lyrics
©2011 by Brian M. Hoffer, BMI
Good Day Now
Get outside; take a ride
Set a destination for a better life
And maybe you will find that you can change the world
Be the one to get it done
Never give it up until the race is run
And if you want to join me, we can change the world
I have the feeling that we’re in control
I have the feeling that we’re on a roll; we’re in control
The sun was lost but it’s found
It’s gonna be a good day now
Keep the drive of hope alive
Spinning to the rhythm of a 45
And place it in rotation all around the world
And I’ll never worry as long as you love me
I’ll never worry again
Take the time to recognize
The power of the universe is in your mind
And if you just believe it, you can change the world
Psychoanalysis
Wake up in the morning, falling from your bed
Do you still remember all the things you never said?
Can't escape the nightmares swimming in your head
Go insane any day, any day
Maybe you just need psychoanalysis
To get her out of your mind
Someone could help you see what the trouble is
And read between the lies
Maybe you could use someone to talk to
And get back to feeling fine
Don’t know what you’re saying but you try to talk it through
Speech is for the eloquent; it wasn’t meant for you
Every interaction leaves you more confused
Hide away from the day, hide away
Sometimes you get the feeling
That your troubles are all around
When will you quit believing
Everyone is out to run you down?
Wake up in the morning; still the same old song
Do you ever contemplate the reasons you were wrong?
Now you’ll have to face them; you knew it all along
On your own; all alone, all alone
Maybe the answer is psychoanalysis
Yeah
Gently Down
I’ve seen it before
I know how it ends
Soon you will say we can only be friends right now
So let me gently down
Playing the game
Learning the rules
Nobody said it was easy for fools like me
So let me gently down
Soon I’ll stop running
Losing my ground
Without your loving
So let me gently down
Wasting away
Losing my bets
I don’t believe I could take more regret right now
So let me gently down
Hiding away
Here in the night
I wanna pretend that I’m doing all right somehow
So let me gently down
Keep Each Other Cold
You’re an evil woman and I’m into the bad
We could be the only friends we ever had
You hate every person and animal, too
We have so much in common if you only knew
At the end of the day, when the truth is told
I don’t want to love you; I just want somebody to hold
Come on over baby, let’s keep each other cold
You’re a natural liar and I’m equally fake
We look upon the world like it’s ours to break
You’re the devil’s daughter and I love to fight
Whenever we’re together it just feels so right
We’ll buy a big house and go outside
To yell at every person who is passing by
We’ll take out the trash and throw it into the yard
Laughing as it blows into the boulevard
Cats & Birds
Just when you thought it was safe to go out of your mind
Somebody needed you
Just when you felt it was right to move on with your life
Someone mistreated you
And I don’t know what the future brings
But there’re some things I’ve heard
And I don’t want you to end up alone
In a house full of cats and birds
Just when you thought you could
trust everything that they said
They were misleading you
Just when you felt you had one chance at moving ahead
Life was defeating you
Just when it seems that you’re no longer looking for signs
You will discover me
Only to find I was here in your life all this time
Waiting for you to see
Superman Somehow
I think they knew what hit ‘em; I think they knew
I hope to God they didn’t, but I think that it’s true
And now we’re searching for some superman somehow
To solve all of our problems starting now
With every act of violence that we ignored
We gave our full compliance to the ways of the war
And now we’re searching for some superman somehow
To solve all of our problems starting now
Now we’re waiting in the darkness
Now we’re standing on our own
Soon we need someone to help us
‘Cause we just can’t do it alone
They tried to win the battle at any cost
We went along like cattle and it’s clear that we lost
And now we’re searching for some superman somehow
To solve all of our problems starting now
We took our situation and made it worse
We thought we found salvation, but we ended up cursed
And now we’re searching for some superman somehow
To solve all of our problems starting now
Ancient Explorers
She said it was over
She said it had to be done
I told her I loved her
She told me she needed to run
She said she was wasting
The greatest years of her life
Without hesitating
She left in the dead of the night
I feel like one of those ancient explorers
Lost under starry skies
I was in search of the truth I was missing
And all that I found was a lie
It’s hard to admit ‘cause
I found a way to believe
But she said her love was
A thing I would never receive
It’s okay; I don’t blame her for anything
We had some fun along the way
Hey hey hey hey hey...
Fool's Gold
I used to tell myself that everything would be okay
And I would strike it rich by moving somewhere far away
And so I made the move
With everything to lose
Long ago, I was sold fool’s gold
My inexperience was evident in many ways
I thought I’d win no matter who invited me to play
And when I lost the game
I had myself to blame
Long ago, I was sold fool’s gold
And as the years went by I knew that I was on my own
No destination was a place that I could call my home
And so I gave it up
The hope of finding love
Long ago, I was sold fool’s gold
Now someone listening might think that this old song is sad
But they don’t know about the fortune that I’ve really had
'Cause I have found the one
You are my only one
With you I’ll forget that I was sold fool’s gold
When They Drop the Bomb
Suddenly it’s all falling apart
But I know that we could reach the end
If we just knew where to start
I would love to tell you that it’s gonna be just fine
But then I’d just be giving you a line
We’re gonna have a hard life when they drop the bomb
It’s gonna be a dog fight, but we’ll carry on
Suddenly we don’t know where to turn
When the chief of all the firemen says, “let it all just burn”
I would be an optimist if only I could know
Everything were under my control
Suddenly we’re all stuck in a game
Where they took away the rulebook
And the referee’s insane
I don’t have an answer, but I’m waiting for the call
Maybe we’ll see justice after all
Childhood Dreams
One day I’ll wander across the open fields
Within the boundaries my fate reveals
And I’ll return to what I’ve seen
In my childhood dreams
I will remember the places that I’ve gone
And all the people who came along
We had some fun; those days are done
Part of childhood dreams
And now I’ll always remember
On days when I’m all alone
The things I love to remember
The way it feels to be home
The way I would love to be home
One day I’ll listen to children as they sing
I’ll hear the laughter; the joy it brings
And I’ll recall I had it all
In my childhood dreams
Love & War
Slow down woman; don’t be so naïve
Answering your heart any time it calls
There’s temptation, and there always was
I still want to trust that you believe in us
I’ll be leaving here tomorrow
Fighting for our freedom one more time
I’ll be coming back to love you
Will you still be mine?
I’m subscribing to giving you my life
If you don’t think it’s right, cancel any time
I’ll still love you; I want nothing more
That’s what life is for here in love and war
Where this is headed, honey, I don’t know
I’d like to think that we could still make this a go
In love and war
I’ll surrender to no one else but you
If that is what you choose; tell me what to do
Goodnight
We’ve reached an impasse
A kind of barrier that takes away the chance of resurrecting
the love I knew we had
I think we’re disconnecting
All I know is that we’ve taken it this far
Sometimes things are meant to be
And sometimes they aren’t
Maybe it’s a sign
We should say goodbye
And goodnight
We had a good run
The kind of chemistry that sets alight the sun
seemed never ending
We had it all for real, but now we’re just pretending
I never want to hurt you, darling
I know you understand
It’s out of love that we are falling
I can’t go on
We’ve gone our own ways
And it is clear that there is no one here to blame
for this conclusion
Our love was infinite, but now it’s an illusion
Photos
Biography
Brian Hoffer was born and raised. As a child, he was so advanced for his age that, on his 12th birthday, he turned 15. He now looks forward to being a teenager again (when he turns 113). Until then, Brian writes songs while living and working in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His nickname is Bryan, and his last name is pronounced with a long "o," as if it were Hofer. Brian is incapable of understanding why anyone would discontinue production of Wacky Wafers. He often wonders how much of his knowledge was gleaned from watching bad TV sitcoms and worries that most of that information was, is, and will forever remain untrue. Brian recently completed his first album and invites you to join him as he ventures Into the Boulevard.
Into the Boulevard
Reviews
SoundCloud Community Team (2/15/12):
Brian Hoffer writes some of the most pleasant pop we've heard in a long time, and is our SoundClouder of the Day today! Dealing with pretty melancholic subject matter, Brian Hoffer's song "Psychoanalysis" will still put a smile on your face.
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Absolute Powerpop:
I was pleasantly surprised to have stumbled upon this Milwaukee singer-songwriter's debut album, which has traces of Brendan Benson, AC Newman and Fountains of Wayne running through it. The upbeat, catchy "Good Day Now" is a near-perfect opener, and the clever "Psychoanalysis" reminds me of Dan Bryk and Lamar Holley. Other highlights include the raved-up "Keep Each Other Cold", the piano-and-guitar-based melody of "Superman Somehow" and the sardonic "When They Drop the Bomb". Hoffer really has a songwriter's ear for lyrics and melody here.
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Shepherd Express:
Some of Jonathan Richman's heartbreaking naiveté and a pinch of Emo Philips' whimsical spaz are backed by poppy folk and power pop on Milwaukeean Brian Hoffer's impressive debut album. The hummable melodies aptly match lyrics that combine a broad, slightly skeptical hope for humanity with the realistic outlook of someone who has lost at love but moves on with all the grace he can muster. Into the Boulevard is a surprisingly strong initial salvo from a musician humble enough to not include a picture of himself anywhere in the album packaging.
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OnMilwaukee:
A cache of charming, well-crafted pop, with lovely, simple piano and guitar lines that often intersect to create surprising moments. The recordings and arrangements are accomplished but the record is winningly endearing for its charm as well as for its melodies, quirky lyrics and ingenuous performances.
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Powerpopaholic:
Brian is a singer/songwriter from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who takes the DIY route to power pop similar to The Breetles or Jonny Polonsky. The early standout here is "Psychoanalysis" a catchy melodic gem that recalls They Might Be Giants or Lamar Holley. Hoffer's vocal isn't quite ready for the ambitious high notes on "Gently Down" but the opening piano tinkle of "Superman Somehow" is clearly a winner with excellent lyrics and solid composition. "Cats & Birds" is a good meandering melodic loop with an impressive cello and piano duet. The narrative of rejection on "Ancient Explorers" is both endearing and easy to identify with. A few misses, but overall this is a really enjoyable debut from a talented newcomer. I hope to hear more from Brian in the near future.
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Impose Magazine:
The best song here is “Superman Somehow,” one of those crossover tracks that could be prominently featured on a teen movie soundtrack, and I mean that un-sarcastically. It’s a pretty darn good cinematic pop tune.
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Patch:
“['Superman Somehow'] has very smart lyrics and song-structures, and vocally it’s very John Lennon,” said Milwaukee guitarist and music instructor Dan Lloyd. “The general writing hints at McCartney sometimes and, therefore, Billy Joel as well. At times he made me think of Loudon Wainright III and ELO, but without the excess frosting."
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Facebook Post:
"As a songwriter and a musician, your song 'Psychoanalysis' really makes me wanna be a better songwriter! Thanks for the inspiration!" - Greg R.
Connect with Brian on Facebook
Media Info
Please direct all media inquiries to Brian [AT] HofferSongs.com
High resolution album artwork and photos are available upon request.