Gardening at Night
Encyclopedia
"Gardening at Night" is a song by R.E.M.
It was recorded in 1982 for the band's EP
Chronic Town
.
The song is said to have been written on a mattress in the front yard of the Oconee Street church in Athens, Georgia
. At that point in the band's career, Peter Buck
has stated that their musical modus operandi at that point was "three chords and a six-pack of beer."
In the booklet of the 2006 And I Feel Fine... The Best of the I.R.S Years 1982–1987 Bill Berry
wrote the following of "Gardening at Night":
Four different studio recordings of the song have been officially released. The original Chronic Town
version can be found on the CD edition of Dead Letter Office
, on the 2006 R.E.M. compilation And I Feel Fine: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 and more recently in the band's 2011 career-spanning greatest hits compilation Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011
. A version featuring an earlier vocal take appears on the 1988 compilation Eponymous
. An acoustic version of the song appears as a bonus track on the Dutch "I.R.S. Vintage Years" reissue of Dead Letter Office. Finally, a substantially slower electric version of the song appears on the bonus disc accompanying the special collector's edition of And I Feel Fine.
Four live versions have been officially released–the first, recorded on July 13, 1983, appeared on the Dutch "I.R.S. Years" reissue of the band's debut album, Murmur
. The second appeared as a B-side of the 12-inch "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville
" single in 1984. The third appeared on a promotional CD called The Alternative Radio Sampler. Finally, a performance at Larry's Hideaway, Toronto, Canada, from July 9, 1983 was released on the 2008 Deluxe Edition reissue of Murmur.
R.E.M. performed the song at their 2007 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
. Singer Michael Stipe
dedicated the song to his father. Stipe also mentioned that the band considered this their first "real" composition, after twenty or thirty presumably failed efforts.
The song would be interpolated with Hüsker Dü
's "Flip Your Wig
" on Lotion
's self-titled EP
as "Gardening Your Wig".
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
It was recorded in 1982 for the band's EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Chronic Town
Chronic Town
Chronic Town is the debut EP by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1982 on I.R.S. Records. Chronic Town is the first illustration of R.E.M.'s signature musical style: jangling guitars, chords played in arpeggio, murmured vocals, and obscure lyrics.-Background and recording:After...
.
The song is said to have been written on a mattress in the front yard of the Oconee Street church in Athens, Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
. At that point in the band's career, Peter Buck
Peter Buck
Peter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
has stated that their musical modus operandi at that point was "three chords and a six-pack of beer."
In the booklet of the 2006 And I Feel Fine... The Best of the I.R.S Years 1982–1987 Bill Berry
Bill Berry
William "Bill" Thomas Berry is a retired American musician, multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. In addition to his drumming duties, Berry played many other instruments including guitar, bass guitar, and piano, both for songwriting and on R.E.M....
wrote the following of "Gardening at Night":
Four different studio recordings of the song have been officially released. The original Chronic Town
Chronic Town
Chronic Town is the debut EP by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1982 on I.R.S. Records. Chronic Town is the first illustration of R.E.M.'s signature musical style: jangling guitars, chords played in arpeggio, murmured vocals, and obscure lyrics.-Background and recording:After...
version can be found on the CD edition of Dead Letter Office
Dead Letter Office (album)
Dead Letter Office is a rarities and B-sides collection by R.E.M., released in 1987. The album is essentially a collection of many additional recordings R.E.M. made pre-Murmur to Lifes Rich Pageant that were outtakes or released as flip sides to their singles internationally...
, on the 2006 R.E.M. compilation And I Feel Fine: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 and more recently in the band's 2011 career-spanning greatest hits compilation Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011
Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011
Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011 is a 2011 greatest hits album from alternative rock band R.E.M. Intended as a coda on their career, this is the first compilation album that features their early work on independent record label I.R.S. Records in addition to their 10 studio...
. A version featuring an earlier vocal take appears on the 1988 compilation Eponymous
Eponymous (album)
Eponymous is the first greatest hits and the second compilation album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1988. It was their last authorized release on I.R.S. Records, to whom they had been contracted since 1982, having just signed with Warner Bros. Records...
. An acoustic version of the song appears as a bonus track on the Dutch "I.R.S. Vintage Years" reissue of Dead Letter Office. Finally, a substantially slower electric version of the song appears on the bonus disc accompanying the special collector's edition of And I Feel Fine.
Four live versions have been officially released–the first, recorded on July 13, 1983, appeared on the Dutch "I.R.S. Years" reissue of the band's debut album, Murmur
Murmur (album)
Murmur is the debut album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1983 on I.R.S. Records. Murmur drew critical acclaim upon its release for its sound, defined by singer Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics, guitarist Peter Buck's jangly guitar style, and bassist Mike Mills' melodic...
. The second appeared as a B-side of the 12-inch "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville
(Don't Go Back To) Rockville
" Rockville" was the second and final single released by R.E.M. from their second studio album Reckoning. The song failed to chart on either the Billboard Hot 100 or the UK Singles Charts....
" single in 1984. The third appeared on a promotional CD called The Alternative Radio Sampler. Finally, a performance at Larry's Hideaway, Toronto, Canada, from July 9, 1983 was released on the 2008 Deluxe Edition reissue of Murmur.
R.E.M. performed the song at their 2007 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
. Singer Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe
John Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
dedicated the song to his father. Stipe also mentioned that the band considered this their first "real" composition, after twenty or thirty presumably failed efforts.
The song would be interpolated with Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü was an American rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer Grant Hart....
's "Flip Your Wig
Flip Your Wig
Flip Your Wig is the fourth album by the American punk rock band, Hüsker Dü, and its last release on SST Records. By the time of this release in 1985, they had signed a major-label record deal. However, the band felt they owed one more album to SST and delivered Flip Your Wig...
" on Lotion
Lotion (band)
Lotion was a Manhattan indie rock band formed in 1991 by brothers Bill and Jim Ferguson , drummer Rob Youngberg, and vocalist Tony Zajkowski.-Career:...
's self-titled EP
Lotion (EP)
Lotion is a 1994 extended play by the band of the same name released through Big Cat Records.-Track listing:All songs composed by Lotion, except where noted#"Around" – 6:04#"Juggernaut" – 3:07...
as "Gardening Your Wig".