My brother is retiring this spring, and one of his major goals is to plant the best garden anyone has ever seen. The outdoor work will be a welcome change from having been indoors during his thirty year career, but he still may need occasional motivation to tend his rows of vegetables.
I offer this list of garden songs to listen to as he toils, both as a motivator and as a retirement gift. I hope he can really dig this list.
“Octopus’ Garden” by The Beatles: One of Ringo’s two compositions for the band, this track’s child-like imagery lightens the mood on the Beatles’ last studio album.
“Garden Party” by Ricky Nelson: The younger son of Ozzie and Harriett made a comeback with this country-pop tune, which pokes fun at some of his own past hits.
“Family Gardener” by the Minus Five: Scott McCaughey’s side project from Young Fresh Fellows and REM resulted in the tuneful Down with Wilco, containing this Jeff Tweedy influenced ballad.
“Rose Garden” by Lynn Anderson: This kiss-off tune was the biggest hit for Anderson, a contemporary of Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette.
“Amity Gardens” by Fountains of Wayne: Utopia Parkway, the pop band’s follow-up to its self-titled debut album, features over a dozen impressive songs. This wistful track fits nicely right in the middle of the order.
“Gardening at Night” by REM: One of the EP tracks included on the Dead Letter Office collection, this may be the most well-known track about outdoor nocturnal urination.
“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” by Iron Butterfly: The legend is that the psychedelic band from the late 60s/early 70s wanted to title this lengthy jam session “In the Garden of Eden.”
“Empty Garden” by Elton John: This track from Empty Sky was Sir Elton’s elegy to John Lennon, who had been assassinated in New York.
“Secret Garden” by Bruce Springsteen: The song from the Boss’s Greatest Hits became even more well-known when it was used in the film Jerry Maguire.
“Safe in My Garden” by the Mamas and Papas: The charming harmonies that catapulted “Monday Monday” and “California Dreamin” to the top of the charts are also evident on this lesser hit by the folk-rock quartet.