The Meaning Behind “Garden Party” by Rick Nelson

On October 15th, 1971, Rick Nelson walked onstage at Madison Square Garden and performed with the Stone Canyon Band. He had been performing at colleges and coffee houses, doing his easygoing country rock to critical acclaim.

But this was an oldies show with the promise of taking fans back to their youth. Nelson felt his newer material wasn’t met with approval and left the venue without appearing in the grand finale. His negative experience resulted in his first Top 10 hit in almost a decade. Let’s look at the meaning behind “Garden Party” by Rick Nelson.

“Ricky” Doesn’t Live Here Anymore

I went to a garden party
To reminisce with my old friends
A chance to share old memories
Play our songs again
When I got to the garden party
They all knew my name
No one recognized me
I didn’t look the same

“Garden Party” is a straight, autobiographical recollection of the experience Nelson and his band went through on that New York City night. Disk jockey Richard Nader began the series of Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival Concerts in 1969 and built up a successful string of nostalgic shows celebrating the glory days of sock hops and jukeboxes.

This was the seventh such show, and it featured Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Bobby Rydell, the Shirelles, the Coasters, Gary U. S. Bonds, and Bobby Comstock and his All-Star Band. The flyer also stated, “Special Added Attraction – Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band.”

Ricky Nelson, the teen idol, was who the crowd wanted. Instead, they got Rick Nelson doing country rock with his new band. The singer had grown and was not interested in only trotting out the oldies he was associated with from his days on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. 

Putting a Stop to All That Nostalgia

But it’s all right now
I learned my lesson well
You see, you can’t please everyone
So you got to please yourself

Nelson was asked about the incident countless times in interviews. His best answer was in the lyrics of the song. 

[RELATED: Matthew Nelson Looks Back at ‘After The Rain’ 30 Years Down The Road]

In 1974, he told Zig Zag, “It’s a pleasant tune and catchy. After the people have heard it a few times, they begin to listen more to the words and discover what it’s about. Some people, though, think that the song is about some desire I might have to return to the Fifties. It’s really just the opposite, of course—I’m trying to put a stop to all that.”

People came from miles around
Everyone was there
Yoko brought her walrus
There was magic in the air
And over in the corner
Much to my surprise
Mister Hughes hid in Dylan’s shoes
Wearing his disguise

The lyrics mention Yoko and her walrus, meaning John Lennon, and Mr. Hughes, which was the name George Harrison used when he traveled. Promoter Richard Nader felt people in attendance were not there to hear contemporary music, they were there to escape it. 

Long-Haired “Little Ricky?!”

The ’70s brought about a wave of ’50s nostalgia. Happy Days, American Graffiti, and Sha Na Na all harkened back to a simpler time. The touchstone of all of those projects was music. As America watched Ricky Nelson grow up before their very eyes on the weekly sit-com, they projected a certain image on him. The idea of “little Ricky” growing long hair and singing “hippie music” didn’t sit well with certain folks.

Played them all the old songs
I thought that’s why they came
No one heard the music
We didn’t look the same
I said hello to Mary Lou
She belongs to me
When I sang a song about a honky-tonk
It was time to leave

Nelson sang a few of his old hits, but then he sang his 1969 single, the Bob Dylan song “She Belongs to Me,” and “Honky Tonk Women” by The Rolling Stones. Some reported he left the stage before the show was over. The singer always denied that in interviews. Later accounts attributed the booing to security removing a drunk fan. It was never clear exactly what happened.

Up There With Anybody

Nelson had been through the ups and downs of celebrity. He told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in 1971, “I went through being a pop idol, and it was a lot of fun. But hopefully, it’s getting to the point where I can stand up musically with anybody.”

Someone opened up a closet door
And out stepped Johnny B. Goode
Playing guitar like a-ringin’ a bell
And lookin’ like he should
Now if you gotta play at garden parties
I wish you a lotta luck
But if memories were all I sang
I’d rather drive a truck

By 1983, Nelson had been asked about the incident for over a decade.

He shared this with talk show host Alan Thicke: “I talked myself into doing the show, and we went on and played the show. I didn’t realize at that time, I think it was a little different than it is now. I think there is more credibility given to a lot of the artists back then at this point. But, it was kind of camp to laugh at the people on there. You had to have a certain look, and I didn’t think my hair was long at all at that time. You know, I remember seeing pictures of myself. My hair was real long at that time, and so was everybody else’s. So, we didn’t really look like we belonged there, and I didn’t feel like I belonged there. But it wasn’t a negative experience. It was kind of a learning process.”

But it’s all right now
I learned my lesson well
See, you can’t please everyone
So you got to please yourself

In an ironic twist, Nelson spent most of the final 10 years of his life performing with a band more in line with his early recordings and playing the hits associated with his early career. He and his entire band were killed in a plane crash on December 31, 1985.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images