Forget What Others Think.
If you’re going to listen to anybody, listen to yourself—or Ricky Nelson.
“You can’t please everyone so you’ve got to please yourself.” Ricky Nelson, Garden Party
On October 15, 1971, Ricky Nelson was booed off the stage during Richard Nader’s Rock ‘n Roll Revival concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The incident resulted in Nelson writing the song “Garden Party,” his last #1 hit before he was killed in a plane crash.
“Garden Party” has since been recorded by many artists, including Dwight Yoakum, John Fogerty and Phish. While it’s been described as “easy listening,” the lyrics are some of Nelson’s harshest words about the music industry.
As he describes the concert itself, he writes: “If you go to a garden party, I wish you a lot of luck, but if memories were all I sang, I’d rather drive a truck.” This was supposedly a reference to Elvis Presley driving a truck in his early years after being told he’d never be a singer (Sam Phillips denies saying this).
Put in perspective, Nelson had as many #1 hits as U2 (U2 has only had two #1 American hits, both from The Joshua Tree).
While “Garden Party” is certainly bitter, it’s also Nelson realizing that audiences—even critics—can’t define you. When he says Mary Lou, another #1 hit, “belongs to me,” it’s a testament to his craft and talent. If people want to boo, let them boo. His recording career includes 30 Top-40 hits between ’57 and ’62 alone. Put in perspective, Nelson had as many #1 hits as U2 (U2 has only had two #1 American hits, both from The Joshua Tree).
So, okay, Nelson shouldn’t have been booed (they weren’t even booing him, by the way, they were booing the police). At least it gave him that moment of clarity. You can’t please everyone, so forget everyone. What you produce is far more important, and far more meaningful.
Roy Orbison refused to do “Golden Oldies” shows, claiming he was still “contemporary.” Even in his final years, artists including Bruce Springsteen and Tom Waits would cancel gigs to perform with Orbison. Rolling Stone placed him at number 37 on their list of the “Greatest Artists of All Time.”
Orbison could claim he was “contemporary” because his music — not the people judging him — stood the test of time.
Though he had many ups and downs in his career, songs like “Crying,” “Only the Lonely” and “Oh, Pretty Woman” remain classics, performed by numerous artists, including Linda Ronstadt’s haunting version of “Blue Bayou.”
Orbison could claim he was “contemporary” because his music—not the people judging him—stood the test of time. Even his last song “You Got It,” composed with Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty, was a hit, and Orbison, by then in his 50s, was very much a contemporary star.
If anything, these two artists showed what pleasing yourself can do. When Sam Phillips first signed Orbison at Sun Records (actually Monument Records at the time), he didn’t see Orbison being the next Elvis Presley or Jerry Lee Lewis. Something about Orbison just struck Phillips as unique. “He was certainly his own man,” Phillips once said, and there were enough hits to assure Orbison’s place in music industry.
Yet back in the early 70s, despite having written numerous classic songs like “Crazy,” he went into retirement, disenchanted with the music scene.
Another Nelson—Willie Nelson—is one of those artists we never think of being in a slump, or worried about audience approval. Yet back in the early 70s, despite having written numerous classic songs like “Crazy,” he went into retirement, disenchanted with the music scene.
It was while living in Austin Texas that Willie found a resurgence in country music known as “outlaw country.” He joined with other disenchanted artists like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson, forming the supergroup, The Highwaymen, and put out his own hits like “On The Road Again,” and “To All The Girls I’ve Known Before.”
In a tribute concert to him in 2014, Alison Krauss performed Nelson’s “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground,” possibly one of the most beautiful country songs ever written. Like his contemporaries, Nelson could claim a catalogue that needed no audience approval or applause. He was “his own man,” and certainly someone who pleased himself.
As much as we seek approval, these artists are proved one thing that demonstrates the reverse. All the applause in the world didn’t add or take away from the songs themselves. They stand for what they are, not what’s created in record sales or concert dates.
We don’t live in a right or wrong world, although the echos of our school life still make it seem so today.
It’s the same thing in everyday life. We all have a deep-seated need to please and be reassured we’re doing something right. If it’s not right, it’s wrong. Schools teach us this from an early age. Yet right and wrong are absolutes, and don’t take into account the nuances of life. We don’t live in a right or wrong world, although the echos of our school life still make it seem so today.
Let’s go back to Ricky Nelson for a minute. When he took the stage at that Rock ‘n Roll Revival show, he came to play his songs. Given his long career (starting at eight years old), the last thing he expected was to be booed. To have it happen in the company of peers like Chuck Berry must have been devastating. But being an artist, having talent, let him vocalize how he felt, and he turned it into a #1 hit with “Garden Party.”
Any artist appearing that night would have been jealous. They’d also know that Nelson did the one thing that was the ultimate revenge. He ignored the public’s approval. He “pleased” himself and it paid off.
“Forget who loves you and who doesn’t. Be who you are, believe in what you do. Everything else will take care of itself.”
Think about the other artists I’ve mentioned here. In the midst of disenchantment, discouragement and lack of approval, the real artists came back with something better. Orbison wrote “You’ve Got It,” Willie Nelson wrote “On the Road Again,” Ricky Nelson wrote “Garden Party.”
If you asked them how they did it, they’d say the same thing: “Forget who loves you and who doesn’t. Be who you are, believe in what you do. Everything else will take care of itself.”
We worry it won’t because we’re human and doubtful. We want an assessment of our worth in things like, well, “likes.” We think exposure is all that matters, yet it’s the least likely thing to make you relevant or happy. You make yourself happy. Can you imagine writing a song like “Angel Flying To Close To The Ground” and not being happy?
You don’t have to be satisfied. Never be satisfied.
Look at who you are, what you’ve done, and what you could do. You don’t have to be satisfied. Never be satisfied. But at least you have the basis, the foundation, to continue. That’s all that matters.
Robert Cormack is a freelance copywriter, novelist and blogger. His first novel “You Can Lead a Horse to Water (But You Can’t Make It Scuba Dive)” is available online and at most major bookstores (now available in paperback). Check out Yucca Publishing or Skyhorse Press for more details.
