Now this is a bit of an indulgent list and obviously highly subjective, so subjective that if I was asked tomorrow I might come up with an entirely different list. But today this is what I want to listen to.
Another Sunny Day – Belle & Sebastian.
Perfect song and top of the list because not only do I love it, today was sunny but best of all it includes the lyrics:
Another sunny day, I met you up in the garden
You were digging plants, I dug you, beg your pardon
I took a photograph of you in the herbaceous border
It broke the heart of men and flowers and girls and trees
How could you not love a song that references herbaceous borders?
My second choice also includes the words beg your pardon – it would appear people who write songs which mention plants are also very polite.
I never promised you a Rose Garden – Lynn Anderson.
As I’ve grown older my tastes have become more and more country and this is one of my favourite traditional country songs.
Although my third choice doesn’t beg anyone’s pardon whatsoever it is still good.
Cattle and Cane – The Go Betweens
The Go-Betweens are my favourite band of all-time and this is one of my favourite of their songs. The cane refers to sugar cane which is extensively grown in their native Queensland.
Harvest Moon – Neil Young
This was one of my nieces favourite songs when she was 3. I feel her tastes have probably deteriorated since. One Direction anyone? Anyway when she was 3 she had a discerning ear – this is one of my favourite Neil Young songs (and there are many). Unfortunately the link to gardening is fairly tenuous but then it was fairly tenuous with the above 3 as well…
Lime Tree Arbour – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
I’ve loved Nick Cave since my uni days (and yes the late 1980s were quite a while ago. Are the 80s vintage yet? or merely retro?). I kind of feel like he has matured as I have. This is from the first of his more mellow albums – A Boatman’s Call.
What would make your Top 5?*
* Please note that I reserve the right to ridicule any suggestion that Agadoo (Push pineapple, shake the Tree) would make anyone’s Top Anything.
Oh, this is so much fun! How about pretty much anything from Little Shop of Horrors, but perhaps “Grow for Me” http://youtu.be/JgVnpMkXOas might be the pick.
Or Push the little Daisies? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PAzqBUNlCs
But for a much less tenuous link, how about Pete Seegar’s Garden Song? It is really lovely. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u90qRE2F7CM
Inspired and highly idiosyncratic choices – absolutely love it. I especially love that you reminded me of the existence of both Little Shop of Horrors and better yet Ween – how could I have forgotten them. Thankyou!!!!
Oh, and I’d never heard of Belle and Sebastian, but that song is fabulous. Now I’m going to check out some of their other stuff – thanks!
I think if you enjoyed that you’ll like most of their work and there is quite a bit of it as they’ve been around awhile. I have to admit to listening to little else at the moment. Incidentally I’ve seen their CVs in the local library before.
Nice idea, I have a couple to add.
Firstly the original Kev Carmody or the Paul Kelly version of From little things big things grow (originally about the Wavehill walk off of Aboriginal cattlemen, but a definitely link to gardening). Actually this trio version with John Butler is pretty cool too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tHEGo-g3mw
I instantly thought of Peter, Paul and Mary’s Lemon Tree. Dad was big on the 60s folk music so we listened to plenty of PPM in the car on very long car trips.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLhYghzNfII
And one a bit more recent from one of my favourite bands and also a song that pretty much sums up my garden sometimes, Thistle and Weeds by Mumford and Sons. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_YJhmGKTxk
Finally this beautiful Simon and Garfunkle number Leaves that are Green.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FuZ0YvXEvU&feature=related
Okay I’ve wasted enough time on You Tube now. Love the post…. what are you going to come up with next week?
Waste of time – nah – great songs! I loved these choices and I absolutely agree that Simon and garfunkle number is absolutely beautiful. As for next week – not sure I’m starting to struggle a bit – I think I might go back to something food related and hope I get some sort of inspiration during the week.
The hair raises on the back of my neck at the mere mention of ” The cattle and the cane” without a single note being played. That it was written while the author was homesick and in London makes it even more remarkable in that it so easily evokes summer heat, the screech of cicadas, the rustle of dry grass, the smudge of cane rain, and the earthy smell of cattle dung.
Not to mention the creek and pop of a weatherboard home when the cool change comes in.
Thanks for making me think of all these things.
What a great comment. I know exactly what you mean although I can see how he was able to write it from London. When I lived there I came home pretty rarely but when I did I had a really heightened sensation of things like the space, the colours and the sounds of Australia. I still have them to a certain extent now but the aren’t as distinct as whenever I came home after extended periods away. I guess the familiarity dulls the sensation.