''So Long Ago the Garden'' is an album recorded by

Larry Norman Larry David Norman (April 8, 1947 – February 24, 2008) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Christian rock music and released more than 100 album ...

, released in 1973. It is the second album in what came to be known as his "trilogy," which began with the album '' Only Visiting This Planet'' and concluded with ''

In Another Land "In Another Land" is a song by the Rolling Stones, released in December 1967 as the first single from the album ''Their Satanic Majesties Request'', and credited solely to Bill Wyman. In America, London Records released it as a single a week ...

''. ''So Long Ago the Garden'' was controversial because Norman's previously blatant

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

beliefs were more veiled on this album. In the song "Shot Down", on the album ''In Another Land'', Norman responded to accusations by fellow Christians that he had abandoned his faith in search of fame and fortune.

History

On August 7, 1973, Norman entered AIR studios in London to record his favorite album, the second album in his Trilogy, ''So Long Ago the Garden'' which was produced by The Triumvirate of British producers Rod Edwards, Roger Hand, Jon Miller. According to John J. Thompson, "lyrically, as the title suggests, the album reflects on the nature of the human condition. The songs deal with characters ... knee deep in the madness of life without God". In a 1980 interview, Norman explained the purpose of ''So Long Ago the Garden'':

It is my favourite album, and one of the most banned and misunderstood albums that I've recorded. Christians don't seem to be as aware of, or as sensitive to, the dire state of humanity as they are about the pleasant growth of their Christian walk. ''So Long Ago The Garden'' was as definitive a statement as I could make about the emptiness of our lives without Christ, just how lonely and wretched we truly are. I alternated songs. One song would talk about a man trying to find satisfaction and true love, and expecting a woman to somehow fill all of his needs and be his whole world. The next song would be Lonely By Myself. Strictly about a man looking for something, and he doesn't know what it is. We know it's God, and he knows it's something like great universal love, but he can't find it, and it causes him
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