"Secret Garden" is a song by British band T'Pau, released as the lead single from their second studio album, ''

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'' (1988). It was written by vocalist

Carol Decker Carol Ann Decker (born 10 September 1957) is an English singer and musician. She is the lead vocalist of the band T'Pau, which had international success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Although Decker is mainly associated with the group, she ...

and rhythm guitarist Ron Rogers, and produced by Roy Thomas Baker. Released on 19 September 1988, "Secret Garden" reached number 18 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and remained in the top 100 for seven weeks.

Background

Speaking to ''This Is Cornwall'' in 2013, Decker said of the song: "We had a lot of gay fans because of "Secret Garden", which is about being yourself. Who knew? It's an overused phrase but some of our songs are the soundtrack of people's lives."

Promotion

The song's music video was filmed in Symonds Yat, Ross-on-Wye. The band would also mime the song on the UK TV shows ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

'', ''

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'', and ''The Late Late Breakfast Show''. In Ireland, the band performed the song on '' The Late Late Show''.

Critical reception

On its release, "Secret Garden" was reviewed by Bros, as guest reviewers for ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

''. Craig Logan commented, "I really like this. It's rockier than their usual stuff and it's a good tune." Matt Goss added, "Her vocals have really improved on this, great harmonies, much much better vocals." Nancy Culp of ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' wrote, "Leaving behind their girlie wimpo ballads, T'Pau prove that between them, they have more than one set of balls. For a T'Pau record, this isn't bad, even if Carol does sound like Mickey Mouse." Andrew Stephens of ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' stated, "Brisk, tough and energetic, this song goes nowhere particularly inspiring but it is attractive with its basic spiritual emphasis, lying beneath an optimistic, not-too-commercial rock beat." ''

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'' wrote, "A fairly good song in a Pretenders mould. Very radio-friendly."

Track listings

7-inch single :A. "Secret Garden" – 4:05 :B. "This Girl" – 4:01 12-inch single and Japanese mini-album :A1. "Secret Garden" – 4:05 :B1. "This Girl" – 4:01 :B2. "You Never Notice Me" (live at

Hammersmith Odeon The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Palace. Located in Ha ...

, 30 March 1988) – 4:02 CD single # "Secret Garden" – 4:05 # "This Girl" – 4:01 # "You Never Notice Me" (live at Hammersmith Odeon, 30 March 1988) – 4:03 # "Crying" – 3:55

Personnel

T'Pau *

– lead vocals * Dean Howard – lead guitar * Ronnie Rogers – rhythm guitar * Michael Chetwood – keyboards * Paul Jackson – bass guitar * Tim Burgess – drums Additional musicians *

Gary Barnacle Gary Barnacle (born 1959 in Dover, England) is an English saxophonist, flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer, and producer. Barnacle is primarily noted for his session work and live work, including various Prince's Trust concerts at Wem ...

– saxophone on "This Girl" *

Peter Thoms Peter Thoms is an English musician and composer best known for playing keyboards and trombone for the synthpop band Landscape. Biography Landscape was formed in 1974 with Richard James Burgess (vocals, drums), Christopher Heaton (keyboards), An ...

– trombone on "This Girl" * John Thirkell, Simon Gardener – trumpet on "This Girl" Production * Roy Thomas Baker – producer (all tracks) * Stephen W. Tayler – mixing on "Secret Garden", "This Girl" and "You Never Notice Me" * Norman Goodman – engineer on "Secret Garden" and "This Girl" * T'Pau – mixing on "You Never Notice Me" * Jerry Napier – engineer on "Crying" Other * Chris West – back cover artwork * Mark Millington – sleeve design, art direction * Tim O'Sullivan – photography

Charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1988 singles 1988 songs Song recordings produced by Roy Thomas Baker Songs written by Carol Decker Songs written by Ron Rogers T'Pau (band) songs Virgin Records singles