Dennis DeYoung - Boomchild Lyrics

I thought that Don't Wait For Heroes was the best song from DDY until I heard this

Anyone know what SOFTWARE they used to make this videoclip? I love this retro effects

Actually this is the title cut from his first solo album boomchild

Chris Kirouac - Actually, this was DeYoung's third solo album. The 1st one was "Desert Moon" and the 2nd was "Back to the World."

So this is the video that ruined the chance of a Styx reunion. I can't say it was worth it.

clinke2007 Well, considering Styx, WITH Dennis DeYoung, toured after this, I'd have to say you ruined your chance of being credible.

Return To Paradise in 1997

Brave New World in 2003...

Seems worth it...

No he's referring to Tommy reaching out to Dennis while waiting for this video to be produced. DDY already had this album in the can and this video was in the works and took an unexpected 6 months to finish. DDY wanted to reform Styx with Tommy but had obligations. Tommy went on to work with Nugent and Blades for Damn Yankees so a reunion at this time didn't happen.

RobertJReece Brave New World came out in 1999, not 2003 and Dennis was long gone from Styx by 2003, that was the year they released Cyclorama with Gowan.

Wow. A tune that pre-dated Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire". I wonder if Billy ever heard this. Of course this is a more personal story and with less specificity. But the same idea.

Okay, I believe I understand why this single/video did not, unfortunately, perform well.
Styx were my first-ever "favorite band" at age 12. From _Kilroy Was Here,_ I went straight to Wooden Nickel's _Best of Styx._ Such ENTIRELY different music, yet I loved it just as much! So I knew immediately, "Oh, I have to have ALL their albums." As a pre-teen with no job, it was a grand adventure to move from one Styx album to the next, slowly.
I wasn't so eager about solo albums, or _Edge of the Century_ without Tommy Shaw. I didn't buy any of that. Just Dennis's superb live album.
I think the reason this single/video flopped is, it was behind the times. Stylistically, it sounds like "We Built This City" -- better, of course, but similar, and four years too late!
I remember 1989 very well. Personally, I was _dying_ for that era to end! (I'm all about EARLY 80s -- Adam and the Ants, Dexys Midnight Runners, the first Kim Wilde album, the first Go-Go's album, _Thriller,_ and above all, the Cars.) What I call "the 80s" actually started to end in 1985. People were tired of synth-poppy anthems and pastel videos like this. Maybe if the video's post-production hadn't held the single and album back by 6 - 12 months, it might have done much better, but 1989 was the year of Guns 'N' Roses and Jane's Addiction, as I recall.
Lest I be misunderstood -- I love Dennis. "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" was the only memorable song on _Brave New World._ And the post-DDY Styx simply doesn't exist to me. Tommy and JY can write a few songs, but they haven't got the grand vision for concept albums that Dennis always had.

Just think that this song and video preceded Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" by at least one year.  I don't begrudge Piano Man remembering his past, but I think Dennis did it before him, and did it better.  While I agree that it would have been great for Styx to reunite, I am sure there were other factors besides MCA that kept Dennis and Tommy from burying the hatchet.  I love all their solo albums, regardless! I had this on CD but it was stolen while I was in the Army.

@Jeffrey Leatherwood Thanks for reminding me of the 1 year interval. I've also thought about that coincidence. But then, Dennis was born two years before that other boomchild… ;-) Billy did beat Dennis to another thing, however = epic Vietnam war reminiscences. Billy's "Goodnight Saigon" came in 1982, while Dennis' own "Black Wall" took 4 years longer… :-)

+Jeffrey Leatherwood I'm sorry, but "Boomchild" only preceded "We Didn't Start the Fire" by seven months -- at least, in terms of release. In terms of songwriting, I can only guess. I know the post-production work on this video held both the single and the album back by somewhere between 6 - 12 months, so obviously Dennis wrote it earlier.

And I have to wonder how things would have gone, would the differences have been cured or would Dennis have been replaced sooner.

In terms of the video itself, you have to remember this was the late 80s, and these things were considered top of the line then.

...couldn't just walk away from MCA and this album and you gave the reason, there would be concern if both DeYoung and a Styx album would be released at the same time. So Tommy calls up again that he's been invited to this band with Ted Nugent, Damn Yankees, asking Dennis what he thinks he (Tommy) should do. Dennis said he would like you to wait, but can't ask you too since I'm tied up with this.

So, yes Boomchild prevented Styx from getting back together in the late 80s with Shaw in the fold.

That's part of it, the reason it's release was delayed was because MCA payed a great deal of money to make this song into a state of the art (at the time) music video. So they hired these Aussie directors who came up and shot the video and took it back to Australia and kept it there for six months. The album was ready to go, but they had to wait. At the same time Tommy Shaw had called Dennis up with the idea of putting Styx back together, but Dennis being the honorable man that he is....

Ever seen Music Time? :D

And i think Dennis kind of ended up regretting this album because it's released got postponed several months and it ultimately postponed Styx getting back together and releasing an album for over a year because A&M was reluctant since DDY's Boomchild for MCA hadn't yet been released and they were concerned about the albums being released at the same.

That scene of Woody Woodpecker at 02:34 was very cleverly used.

This, I think, is a well-made video for the time. Very cool effects.

Perfecto!! sin palabras!

absolutamente descomunal !

Did I just see Woody Woodpecker?

@orlandotek
I wonder if anyone has "Southbound Ryan" to upload? I want to hear that elongated harmonica intro.

ClassicTVMan1981X I'll work on it.

Dennis DeYoung: keyboards, Piano, synthesizers, vocals
Tom Dziallo: guitars
Bob Lizik: Bass Guitar
John Robinson: drums
Joe Pusateri: percussion
Bill Ruppert: guitars
John Adair: guitars, Acoustic Guitar
Jeffrey Vanston: synthesizers, Piano, Bass Guitar

One of my favorite DDY songs! Along with Southbound Ryan!

did I just see a Juke box floating around

The album was delayed for six months because of how long it took for this video to be cut.

And Tommy had issues with Dennis' songs, hmmm, this seems pretty good to me

This shoulda been a Styx song. GREAT song.