Ricky Nelson first gained national attention as the son of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, a bandleader and singer. In 1952, the family moved to television with “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” becoming one of America’s longest-running sitcoms (1952-1966). The show portrayed an idealized version of American family life and made the Nelsons household names. Ricky essentially grew up on camera, with millions of viewers watching him mature from a child into a young adult.
In 1957, at the age of 16, Ricky began to strike out on his own as a musician. He had the perfect launching pad: the family TV show. He sang the Fats Domino song, “I’m Walking” on the show and it became a hit. Nelson quickly followed with hits like “Be-Bop Baby,” “Poor Little Fool,” “Lonesome Town,” and “Travelin’ Man.”
Between 1957 and 1962, Nelson placed 30 songs in the Top 40, rivaling Elvis Presley’s chart success during that period. He was clean-cut, had good looks, and a smooth delivery, giving him an appeal to teenage girls and their moms.
Within a few years, his star faded as new music took over the radio led by the Beatles, the Stones and Bob Dylan. By the early 1970’s, Nelson was relegated to playing on the oldies circuit as part of rock and roll revival shows that became popular. One of those shows took him to Madison Square Garden.
It turns out Ricky did not understand the memo. The promoters and the audience wanted a replica of who he once was: they wanted him to look and sound the same and sing the hits the way he first recorded them. Ricky had other ideas, playing new music and looking like a man of that day. Not surprisingly, the fans who came seeking nostalgia booed and booed loudly.
Ricky took that experience and turned it into a song, “Garden Party”. It is the song of a Stoic:
But it’s all right now
I learned my lesson well
You see you can’t please everyone
So, you got to please yourself
In a later verse, he describes Chuck Berry breaking loose on the stage, “looking like he should” and playing guitar like ringing a bell, a nod to Berry’s hideous song, “My Ding-a-Ling.”
Ricky sums up the lesson in a final verse:
If you gotta play at garden parties
I wish you a lot of luck
But if memories were all I sang
I rather drive a truck
As time has gone on, Ricky Nelson has undergone a bit of a revival as people recognize his talent and see him as forerunner of the merger of country and rock and the Americana sound. Dwight Yoakam touts his talents and virtues and last night, Bob Dylan closed out his set on the Outlaw Music Festival by playing “Garden Party.”
#Songoftheday #rickynelson #gardenparty #bobdylan
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