pumpkin

Pumpkins: A History of Musical Gourds

While the gourd itself has a rich history dating back millennia, its impact on music is surprisingly recent. We aren’t talking about the gentle thump of a pumpkin as a percussion instrument, but the metaphorical use of the squash in song titles, lyrics, and even band names.

The earliest pumpkin-themed songs seem to emerge from the folk music tradition, with a smattering of “Pumpkin Pie” tunes and playful children’s ditties. However, it’s the 1960s and 70s that saw the pumpkin really start to sprout its musical roots.

Folk-rock was particularly enamored with the orange orb, with artists like Van Morrison crooning about “Moondance” and “Into the Mystic” (both of which were later covered by The Pumpkin Spice Boys, a short-lived group known for their “gourd-ly” harmonies).

The rock and roll era also took to the pumpkin, with The Doors singing about “The End” (although it’s a bit of a stretch to say this was pumpkin-themed). The 80s saw a surge in punk bands (like “The Pumpkins” and “The Gourds”) and a few country crooners who sang about the joys of pumpkin carving (it was Johnny Cash, not surprisingly, who recorded the first definitive “Pumpkin Carving Song”).

But it was in the 90s that the pumpkin reached its zenith in the music world. The emergence of grunge saw bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden experimenting with the pumpkin in their music. For example, Kurt Cobain was known to wear a pumpkin-shaped hat during live performances. This sparked a trend of pumpkin-themed fashion and even led to a few brief-lived pumpkin-rock festivals.

Funny Facts:

• The pumpkin is the only fruit that has its own rock band. The band, appropriately named “The Pumpkins,” was formed in 1987 and enjoyed moderate success with their single “Pumpkin Pie.” Sadly, they were unable to shake the accusations of being a one-hit wonder, as their second single “Pumpkin Seeds” flopped.
• Elvis Presley was once gifted a giant pumpkin by a fan. He was so impressed that he wrote a song about it called “I’m All Shook Up (By This Big Pumpkin).” The song, however, was never released.
• The world’s largest pumpkin was once used as a stage prop in a musical adaptation of Cinderella. The giant pumpkin, which weighed over 1,000 pounds, was used to transport Cinderella to the ball.

The musical journey of the pumpkin, while not a major movement in music history, is a testament to the human ability to find inspiration in even the most unexpected places. So next time you see a pumpkin, remember its musical legacy and perhaps hum a few bars of “Pumpkin Pie.”