2241 – Elton John – Empty garden (Hey, hey Johnny) (1982)

 

Escrita por Elton John e Bernie Taupin, foi gravada entre setembro e outubro de 1981 e lançada em 9 de abril de 1982 no disco Jump up, o décimo sexto disco de Elton John. Saiu também no compacto que tinha Take me down to the ocean como Lado B. Foi produzida por Chris Thomas. É um tributo à John Lennon, que havia sido assassinado 15 meses antes. Chegou ao número 13 no Billboard Hot 100 e número 51 no Reino Unido. Chegou ao níumero 8 no Canadá, número 14 na Nova Zelândia e número 29 na Irlanda. John Lennon e Elton John eram bons amigos e em 1974 John Lennon apareceu na versão cover de Elton John de Lucy in the sky with Diamonds. John Lennon então teve colaboração de Elton John em Whatever gets you thru the night, e John Lennon prometeu aparecer ao vivo no show de Elton John se whatever gets you chegasse ao número 1. E ela chegou. No dia de ação de graças de 1974, Elton John e John Lennon cantaram juntos I saw her standing there e Lucy in the sky with Diamonds no Madison Square Garden, em New York City. O título Empty garden se refere ao Madison Square Garden vazio. E na música ele fala em metáfora dos esforços, conquistas e ausência de Lennon. A letra fala de um jardineiro (gardener) como tendo retirado as ervas daninhas de lágrimas e crescido uma boa safra. O refrão Can’t you come out to play se refere à Dear Prudence, do Álbum Branco. Elton John tocou piano elétrico Yamaha CP70, cantou e tocou harpsichord. James Newton Howard tocou sintetizador. Richie Zito tocou violão. Dee Murray tocou baixo e Jeff Porcaro tocou bateria.

 

A letra:

 

What happened here
As the New York sunset disappeared
I found an empty garden among the flagstones there
Who lived here
He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop
And now it all looks strange
It's funny how one insect can damage so much grain

And what's it for
This little empty garden by the brownstone door
And in the cracks along the sidewalk nothing grows no more
Who lived here
He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop
And we are so amazed, we're crippled and we're dazed
A gardener like that one no one can replace

And I've been knocking but no one answers
And I've been knocking most of the day
Oh and I've been calling, oh hey hey Johnny
Can't you come out to play

And through their tears
Some say he farmed his best in younger years
But he'd have said that roots grow stronger, if only he could hear
Who lived there
He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop
Now we pray for rain, and with every drop that falls
We hear, we hear your name

And I've been knocking but no one answers
And I've been knocking most of the day
Oh and I've been calling, oh hey hey Johnny
Can't you come out to play

And I've been knocking but no one answers
And I've been knocking most all the day
Oh and I've been calling, oh hey hey Johnny
Can't you come out, can you come out to play, Johnny
Can't you come out to play in your empty garden, Johnny
Can't you come out to play in your empty garden, Johnny
Can't you come out to play in your empty garden, Johnny
Can't you come out to play in your empty garden, Johnny
Can't you come out to play in your empty garden, Johnny
Can't you come out to play in your empty garden, Johnny

 

A versão de Elton John:

 

 

A versão de Mike Massé: