Among the hundreds of artists he's worked with include Phil Ochs, Tim Buckley, Haruomi Hosono, The Byrds, Rufus Wainwright, Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, U2, Joanna Newsom, Inara George, Keith Moon, Frank Zappa, Harpers Bizarre, Little Feat, Ringo Starr, Silverchair, and Skrillex.
In addition to producing, Parks has released seven studio albums of his own recordings: Song Cycle, Discover America, Clang of the Yankee Reaper, Jump!, Tokyo Rose, Songs Cycled, and with Brian Wilson, Orange Crate Art. He has also released a live album, Moonlighting: Live at the Ash Grove. His first official release was the 1966 single Number Nine, a modernized version of Beethoven's 9th backed with Do What You Wanta.
Parks has also established himself in film scores, and over the years has directed, arranged, produced, and composed soundtracks for a great number of motion pictures and television shows.
During his childhood, Parks became extremely fond of old-style American music, most notably the sounds of Tin Pan Alley. This interest in Depression-era songwriting would correlate heavily with his artistic goals and interests during the 1960s and beyond. He was also deeply affected by musicians Spike Jones and Les Paul, which led him to develop an interest with studio experimentation in the form of pop music.
The All Golden
Van Dyke Parks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Left on Silver Lake he keeps a small apartment top an Oriental food store there
He returned from Alabama to see what he could see
Off the record he is hungry though he works hard in his Alabama country fair
I should think he'd fade away the way that Bohemians often bare the frigid air
He returned from Alabama to see what he could see
Nowadays them country boys don't cotton much to one two three four
Rest your team. Work out in the All Golden
You will know why hayseeds go back to the country
Constant calm might still our stately union. Nowadays a Yankee dread not take his time to wend to sea
Forget to bear your arms in the All Golden
You will know why hayseeds go back to the country
Might as well not 'low for one more go round
That's all folks
Them hayseeds go back to the country
Ja git it? Alright
The All Golden by Van Dyke Parks is a complex song that uses multi-layered metaphors to convey its meaning. The song is about a man who left his hometown in Alabama to find success elsewhere. He is not your typical country boy as he doesn’t conform to conventional norms. He keeps a small apartment above an oriental food store at Silver Lake.
The first two verses paint a picture of a man who is a little bit out of place. He works hard, but he is hungry for something more. He returned from Alabama to see what he could see. The third and fourth verses are a commentary on the state of the country at the time. Parks talks about the constant commentary by the wayside and how country boys don’t cotton much to one two three four. The All Golden is a metaphor for success, and Parks suggests that to find success, you need to work hard and not be afraid to go back to the country, where you come from.
The song has a complicated structure with multiple layers and metaphors. The constant commentary by the wayside refers to the constant chatter of people who don’t know what they are talking about. The reference to the All Golden suggests that one needs to work hard to achieve success. The song also has some political undertones with references to Yankees and the need to bear arms.
Line by Line Meaning
He is not your run-of-the-mill garden variety Alabama country fare
He is not your typical, ordinary country boy from Alabama
Left on Silver Lake he keeps a small apartment top an Oriental food store there
He lives by Silver Lake and has a small apartment above an Asian grocery store
He returned from Alabama to see what he could see
He came back from Alabama to explore new opportunities
Off the record he is hungry though he works hard in his Alabama country fair
Unofficially, he is ambitious despite working hard at his job in Alabama
I should think he'd fade away the way that Bohemians often bare the frigid air
One might expect him to give up on his dreams like Bohemians who struggle in the cold
He returned from Alabama to see what he could see
He moved back to explore new opportunities and experiences
Constant commentary by the wayside
People are always talking and judging him
Nowadays them country boys don't cotton much to one two three four
Country boys nowadays don't conform to traditional ways of life
Rest your team. Work out in the All Golden
Relax and take a break at the All Golden, a place to exercise and rejuvenate
You will know why hayseeds go back to the country
Visiting the All Golden will help one understand why people return to the rustic countryside
Constant calm might still our stately union. Nowadays a Yankee dread not take his time to wend to sea
Peace can strengthen our proud nation. Nowadays, a northerner doesn't take time to travel to the coast
Forget to bear your arms in the All Golden
Leave your weapons behind when visiting the All Golden
You will know why hayseeds go back to the country
One will understand why people return to rural life by visiting the All Golden
Might as well not 'low for one more go round
There's no point in continuing down the same path
That's all folks
That's the end
Them hayseeds go back to the country
Those country people return to their rural roots
Ja git it? Alright
Do you understand? Okay
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: VAN DYKE PARKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
rareblues78daddy
I saw Van back in 2000, and this is one of the songs he played live. Just him and a keyboard. It was fucking amazing! So glad I got to meet and speak with this genius! By the way, he was about the nicest person you'd ever hope to meet, if you've ever wondered... plus he signed my copy of "Song Cycle" with his traditional VDP caricature!
NOLEM
This song is the embodiment of falling asleep, having a wild dream, then waking up from it.
lorde yayaya
This has always gone over my head but i still love it
Noh Mercy
would pay good money for an instrumental version of this
UndergroundHero
Strange song, but fantastic. Love that intro!
Jeff Farrell
This song really picks up. 1:38 - 3:00 is my favorite part.
NOLEM
1:32
John Wilmerding
Good job sharing this precious music!
Marvin Gershowitz
I've owned between 12 and 20 copies of this Recording
Cassettes, LP, 8 Track, 4 Track and of course CD.....
I've always had a hard time listening to the recording end to end in one sitting, but to me this is like a true LSD Trip, as I imagine, since I've never taken LSD. ::grin::
Yes I've owned virtually all the recordings Van Dyke released on his own.
Manuel Tavares
The intro is amazing ... the rest is pure genius also :)