Pleasing Yourself
Tricks of the artists, from Ricky to Willie and Roy.
“You can’t please everyone so you’ve got to please yourself,” Ricky Nelson
On October 15, 1971, Ricky Nelson was booed off the stage during Richard Nader’s Rock ‘n Roll Revival concert at Madison Square Garden. 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 the 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 before he got picked up by Sun Records.
If people want to boo, let them boo
While “Garden Party” is certainly bitter, it’s also Nelson realizing that audiences — even critics — can’t define you. When he tells us that Mary Lou — another #1 hit — “belongs to me,” it’s testament to his craft and talent. If people want to boo, let them boo. His recording career includes 30 to-40 hits between ’57 and ’62. Put in perspective, Nelson had as many #1 hits as U2 (only two #1 American hits, both from The Joshua Tree).
What you produce is far more important
Needless to say, 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.
Time for Blue Bayou
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.”
Though he had many ups and downs in his career, he bounced back again and again with hits like “Crying,” “Only the Lonely” and “Oh, Pretty Woman.”
Standing the test of time
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 still 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 history.
Bein’ an outlaw ain’t so bad
Another Nelson — Willie Nelson — is one of those artists we never think of being 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.” He joined with other disenchanted artists like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson, forming the supergroup, The Highwaymen. This resulted in two Nelson hits: “On The Road Again,” and “To All The Girls I’ve Known Before.”
Now there’s a guy pleasing himself
As much as we seek approval, these artists 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 tabulated in record sales or concert dates.
It’s the same in everyday life
We all have a 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. They don’t take into account nuances in life. We don’t live in a right or wrong world, although the echoes 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, he turned those feelings into a #1 hit with “Garden Party.”
Coming back with something better
Think of 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.”
Forget others
If you asked them how they did it, they’d say the same thing: “Forget who loves you and who doesn’t.” Or as Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) once wrote: “Those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”
Be who you are, in other words, believe in what you do.
Everything else will take care of itself.
But, will it?
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 Too Close To The Ground” and not being happy?
Never be satisfied
Look at who you are and what you’ve done, and what you could do. You don’t have to be satisfied. Never be satisfied. Just feel blessed in the knowledge that you can continue, and maybe win.
That’s all that matters.
If you’ve enjoyed my little missive, please consider subscribing. We do this for the love of writing, but it’s nice earning a few bob now and then. Supposedly, you can also tip. I’m not exactly sure how it works, but it’s an interesting idea.
Robert Cormack is a satirist, blogger and author of “You Can Lead A Horse to Water (But You Can’t Make It Scuba Dive).” You can join him every day by subscribing to robertcormack@medium.com/subscription.
