Ricky Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band Playing 'Garden Party'

Garden Party was released September 16, 1972 and was a #1 Adult Contemporary hit for two weeks.

Garden Party is about a concert at Madison Square Garden where Ricky Nelson perceived that the crowd was upset that he wasn't playing some of his older songs. There was some booing, but there is also a report that the crowd was booing cops for removing a rowdy part of the crowd, and that they were not booing Ricky Nelson.

The key phrase in the lyrics that refers to the booing in the crowd is, "When I sang a song about a honky-tonk (a newer song), it was time to leave. But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well. You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself."


"Everybody called him Ricky," said his son Matthew in an interview in 2005 with CNN Host Larry King. He called himself Rick for a while when he reached age 21. When his inspiration singer-songwriter Carl Perkins called him Ricky upon their meeting, Nelson said, "Well, if it's cool enough for Carl Perkins, it's cool enough for me." He went back to "Ricky" right before his death.

Ricky Nelson was killed in a plane crash December 31, 1985.

Google: Ricky Nelson family CNN Larry King 2005

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