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

Rage Rage may refer to: * Rage (emotion), an intense form of anger Games * Rage (collectible card game), a collectible card game * Rage (trick-taking card game), a commercial variant of the card game Oh Hell * ''Rage'' (video game), a 2011 first- ...

'' (1988). It was written by vocalist Carol Decker and rhythm guitarist Ron Rogers, and produced by

Roy Thomas Baker Roy Thomas Baker (10 November 1946 – 12 April 2025) was an English record producer, songwriter and arranger who produced rock and pop songs. Life and career Baker was born in Hampstead, London on 10 November 1946. He began his career at De ...

. Released on 19 September 1988, "Secret Garden" reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart 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 television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'', ''

Going Live! ''Going Live!'' is a British children's television series that aired on BBC1 from 26 September 1987 to 17 April 1993. It was presented by Phillip Schofield and Sarah Greene. Other presenters included Trevor and Simon, Annabel Giles, Phillip ...

'', 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 ...

''. Craig Logan commented, "I really like this. It's rockier than their usual stuff and it's a good tune."

Matt Goss Matthew Weston Goss (born 29 September 1968) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer of 1980s pop group Bros (British band), Bros, which also featured his twin brother Luke Goss, Luke as the drummer.Frances Kindon ...

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 published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

'' 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." ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' wrote, "A fairly good song in a

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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 and still commonly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Pa ...

, 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 * Carol Decker – 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) 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 Wembley Arena, th ...

– saxophone on "This Girl" * Peter Thoms – trombone on "This Girl" *

John Thirkell John Thirkell is a British trumpet and flugelhorn player, who has appeared on hundreds of pop, rock, and jazz recordings. Through the 1980s and early 1990s, he was on at least one album in the UK Charts continuously, without a break, for over ...

, Simon Gardener – trumpet on "This Girl" Production *

– 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