Gardening at Night

Song by R.E.M

"Gardening at Night"

Song by R.E.M.
from the EP  Chronic Town
Released| August 24, 1982 (1982-08-24)
Studio| Drive-In Studio
Genre|

* Alternative rock
* college rock
* jangle pop

Length| 3:29
Label| I.R.S.
Songwriter(s)|

* Bill Berry
* Peter Buck
* Mike Mills
* Michael Stipe

Producer(s)|

* Mitch Easter
* R.E.M.

"Gardening at Night" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. It was recorded for the band's 1982 debut EP Chronic Town.

## Writing

[edit]

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 was "three chords and a six-pack of beer."[1]

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":

> We were driving at night after a show (I don't remember where), and I was at the wheel of our old car, with a rental trailer in tow. One of my three passengers aimed a directive at me. Rather than inform me of his desire to evacuate his bladder, he instead suggested that I pull over so that he might engage in the task of roadside 'night gardening.' To four guys in their early twenties this was a glaring catalyst for a new song.

The song's title served as the inspiration for the name of the band's publishing company Night Garden Music. According to lead singer Michael Stipe: "[Some people think the lyrics] are about my father, some people think they're about drugs, and some people think they're about gardening at night. They're about all of them."[2]

## Versions

[edit]

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 European "I.R.S. Vintage Years" reissue of Dead Letter Office. A substantially slower electric version of the song appears on the bonus disc accompanying the special collector's edition of And I Feel Fine.

Six 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. A performance at Larry's Hideaway, Toronto, Ontario, from July 9, 1983, was released on the 2008 Deluxe Edition reissue of Murmur. A performance from Chicago's Aragon Ballroom from July 7, 1984 was released on the 2009 Deluxe Edition reissue of Reckoning. Finally, a performance from the band's 2007 rehearsal tour in Ireland was released on the Live At The Olympia In Dublin album.

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 20 or 30 presumably failed efforts.

## Personnel

[edit]

Personnel taken from Chronic Town’s 2022 reissue liner notes.[3]

R.E.M.

* Bill Berry – drums, maracas
* Peter Buck – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, electric sitar
* Mike Mills – bass guitar
* Michael Stipe – vocals

## See also

[edit]

* Lotion (EP) – "Gardening Your Wig" interpolates this song and Hüsker Dü's "Flip Your Wig"

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Black, Johnny (2004). Reveal: The Story of R.E.M. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-776-5.
2. ^ Hogan, Peter (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of R.E.M. Omnibus Press. p. 41\. ISBN 0-7119-4901-8.
3. ^ Chronic Town (CD liner notes). R.E.M. 2022.`{{cite AV media notes}}`: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

* v
* t
* e

R.E.M.

* Bill Berry
* Peter Buck
* Mike Mills
* Michael Stipe

* Bertis Downs
* Jefferson Holt

Studio albums|

* Murmur
* Reckoning
* Fables of the Reconstruction
* Lifes Rich Pageant
* Document
* Green
* Out of Time
* Automatic for the People
* Monster
* New Adventures in Hi-Fi
* Up
* Reveal
* Around the Sun
* Accelerate
* Collapse into Now

Live albums|

* R.E.M. Live
* Live at The Olympia
* Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions
* R.E.M. at the BBC
* Live at the Borderline 1991

Compilations|

* Dead Letter Office
* Eponymous
* The Best of R.E.M.
* The Automatic Box
* Singles Collected
* In the Attic
* In Time
* iTunes Originals
* And I Feel Fine
* Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011
* Complete Rarities (I.R.S. · WB)
* 7IN—83–88

EPs|

* Chronic Town
* Not Bad for No Tour
* Vancouver Rehearsal Tapes
* Live from London
* Reckoning Songs from The Olympia

Other albums|

* Man on the Moon
* r.e.m.IX

Singles|

* "Radio Free Europe"
* "Talk About the Passion"
* "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)"
* "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville"
* "Cant Get There from Here"
* "Driver 8"
* "Wendell Gee"
* "Fall on Me"
* "Superman"
* "The One I Love"
* "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"
* "Finest Worksong"
* "Orange Crush"
* "Stand"
* "Pop Song 89"
* "Get Up"
* "Losing My Religion"
* "Shiny Happy People"
* "Near Wild Heaven"
* "Radio Song"
* "Drive"
* "Man on the Moon"
* "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite"
* "Everybody Hurts"
* "Nightswimming"
* "Find the River"
* "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?"
* "Bang and Blame"
* "Crush with Eyeliner"
* "Strange Currencies"
* "Tongue"
* "E-Bow the Letter"
* "Bittersweet Me"
* "Electrolite"
* "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us"
* "Daysleeper"
* "Lotus"
* "At My Most Beautiful"
* "Suspicion"
* "The Great Beyond"
* "Imitation of Life"
* "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)"
* "I'll Take the Rain"
* "Bad Day"
* "Animal"
* "Leaving New York"
* "Aftermath"
* "Electron Blue"
* "Wanderlust"
* "#9 Dream"
* "Supernatural Superserious"
* "Hollow Man"
* "Man-Sized Wreath"
* "Until the Day Is Done"
* "Mine Smell Like Honey"
* "Überlin"
* "Oh My Heart"
* "We All Go Back to Where We Belong"

Other songs|

* "Sitting Still"
* "Gardening at Night"
* "Perfect Circle"
* "Pretty Persuasion"
* "7 Chinese Bros."
* "Begin the Begin"
* "Cuyahoga"
* "Ages of You"
* "Turn You Inside-Out"
* "Texarkana"
* "Country Feedback"
* "First We Take Manhattan"
* "Ignoreland"
* "Dark Globe"
* "Star 69"
* "New Test Leper"
* "All the Right Friends"
* "Out in the Country"

Videos|

* Succumbs
* Tourfilm
* Pop Screen
* This Film Is On
* Parallel
* Road Movie
* In View
* Perfect Square
* When the Light Is Mine
* R.E.M. Live
* Live from Austin, TX
* REMTV

Support and
side projects|

* Nathan December
* Buren Fowler
* Peter Holsapple
* Barrett Martin
* Scott McCaughey
* Bill Rieflin
* Ken Stringfellow
* Joey Waronker
* The Baseball Project
* Filthy Friends
* Hindu Love Gods
* The Minus 5
* Tanzplagen
* Tuatara
* Tired Pony

Related articles|

* Discography
* List of songs
* Awards
* Tours
* 170 College Avenue
* Peter Buck
* Athens Andover
* "I Belong to You"
* Hib-Tone
* Surprise Your Pig: A Tribute to R.E.M.
* Drive XV: A Tribute to Automatic for the People

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