Who says it’s not easy being green? Just ask a rock star!
[Just who was St. Patrick, really?]
March may be the month of leprechauns and four leaf clovers, but how about a little green for your ears? In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, check out these 10 totally green rock songs.
“Green Jelly Theme Song”- Green Jelly (1984)
The self-described “worst band in the world” may be best known for their 1993 hit “Three Little Pigs,” but they have a green-tinted theme song to go along with it. The “Green Jelly Theme Song,” (originally called “Green Jello Theme Song,” until Kraft Foods got involved) was found on the band’s first EP and paid homage to lime-flavored gelatin. Or not.
“Green Grass and High Tides” – The Outlaws (1975)
This 1975 song from Southern rock band The Outlaws is known for its infectious opening riff and extended guitar solos. In an interview with Songfacts, Outlaws founding member Henry Paul – who did not write the song — says that the song is about “rock and roll luminaries” Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, hence the lyric “as kings and queens bow and play for you.” Paul said, “My songwriting is more Steinbeck, really rooted in accuracy and reality; that is definitely Alice In Wonderland.”
“Green River”- Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)
In a 1993 interview with Rolling Stone, CCR founding member John Fogerty explained the meaning behind his band’s song “Green River,” saying it was about a place on Putah Creek in California that he used to vacation at as a child. But he added, “The actual specific reference, ‘Green River,’ I got from a soda pop-syrup label. You used to be able to go into a soda fountain, and they had these bottles of flavored syrup. My flavor was called Green River. It was green, lime flavored, and they would empty some out over some ice and pour some of that soda water on it, and you had yourself a Green River.”
“Fiddler’s Green” – The Tragically Hip (1991)
Merriam-Webster defines “fiddler’s green” as “a heaven reserved for sailors or soldiers,” which may explain why the Canadian rockers rarely perform this song live, presumably because it’s very personal (according to TheHip.com, the song is about the loss of a baby boy.) But the band did perform the song at the “Canada for Haiti” telethon in 2010, which raised more than $16 million to aid earthquake victims.
“Green Eyed Lady”- Sugarloaf (1970)
It was the biggest hit by this Denver-based 1970’s psychedelic band (their other memorable song was “Don’t Call Us We’ll Call You”), and it’s become an anthem for all those green eyed ladies out there. According to VH1, the song’s chords were based on a piece of a scale exercise in a practice book. Now the big question is: Is the song about a lady, the ocean or a boat?
“Green Shirt”- Elvis Costello (1979)
From the album “Armed Forces,” new waver Elvis Costello teased and flirted with us on this two minute ditty. But lest you think the song was about the latest Chess King button down, out pops the word “Quisling.” According to the Elvis Costello fan page, the singer got the line while riding past the Quisling Clinic in Wisconsin, which is a medical facility founded by relatives of Vidkun Quisling, who was a Norwegian collaborator with the Nazis. Suffice it to say, the song has absolutely nothing to do with your latest purchase at the mall.
“Green Day” – Green Day (1990)
It doesn’t get any greener than this. Billie Joe Armstrong wasn’t fooling anyone — and didn’t try to — when he named his song and his band “Green Day.” The song is famously about his first experience with marijuana. In an interview with Bill Maher, Armstrong said, “We were trying to be the Cheech and Chong of punk rock.”
“Green Disease”- Pearl Jam (2002)
You can’t have a list of “green” songs without including one about the almighty dollar. Pearl Jam’s “Green Disease” fits the bill. In a 2002 interview with The Onion A.V. Club, lead singer Eddie Vedder said, “Sometimes I hear news about the huge dollars involved with CEO pay and corporate-management salaries, and I’m mystified at how someone can justify taking that much at the cost of other people’s livelihoods. In a bizarre way, I’m almost kind of curious, like ‘How can they absolve themselves and enjoy their wealth?’ I don’t understand it. By the end of the song, it’s saying, ‘Can you see this world with your heart and not your brain?’ “
“Green Tambourine” – Lemon Pipers (1968)
This tune was sunny psychedelia – and was labeled one of the first true “bubblegum” pop songs. If you blinked in the late 1960’s you may have missed the Lemon Pipers, but this song hit number one on the Billboard charts. In a 2002 Comcast interview, lead singer Ivan Browne dissed the bubblegum notion, saying, “The Lemon Piper’s hit ‘Green Tambourine’ had nothing to do with the Bubblegum genre! The Lemon Piper’s follow-up hit ‘Jelly Jungle’ was bubblegum.” Hmmmm… wonder if the jelly was green.
“Green Heaven” – Red Hot Chili Peppers (1984)
Talk about old school RHCP! Nearly a decade before they hit it big with their breakthrough album “Blood Sugar Sex Magik,” the funky rockers sang about “peace lovin’ whales flowing through liquid outer space” and even worked in a Three Stooges reference! Make no sense to us either. Maybe it isn’t easy being green!
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