Garden of Elysian

Album: Violet Street (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song starts with a young Taylor Rice and his girlfriend on top of one the hills in L.A.'s Elysian Park. As they sip cheap vodka the couple can hear the echoes of the crowd from Dodger Stadium down the road.

    In the time before we needed forgiveness
    You said, "Meet me after school at the top of Elysian"
    Sharing headphones and a plastic bottle of vodka
    In the distance, the crowd goin' wild in the stadium


    Writing in a Reddit AMA, Rice explained the lyrics came from imagining what his life would have like if he had stayed with an old lover from his childhood.

    "It can be wild to look back and think of how hopeless in love you were in school, I thought I'd never recover," he said. "Looking back you can't imagine having stayed with that person. when I was young I used to believe that love looked something like worship, but I know see it as being in a constant state of openness and evolution with your partner."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Prince

PrinceFact or Fiction

Prince is shrouded in mystery, making him an excellent candidate for Fact or Fiction. Is he really a Scientologist? Does he own an exotic animal?

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.