The music-and-movies hard drive went to Heaven this weekend, so I’ve been ripping all of the CDs into the new hard drive this week. (Hey, kids. Back up your stuff. Especially those iTunes downloads. I’m choking on a hefty bill for all that.)

Anyway, as I peruse the albums, I was freshly taken by “Empty Garden” by Elton John. It’s from the “Jump Up” album in 1982. The song is a tribute to John Lennon, but Bernie Taupin’s lyrics never veer into schlock.

I think it’s Elton at his best. Perfect arrangement, vocals and production. Perfect cocaine-fueled creativity.

I submit the official video for your enjoyment. It has that sad, it’ll-be-cheaper-if-we-just-shoot-it-on-video look to it.* That’s fairly common for music videos of that early era. I think “Empty Garden” reached No. 13 or No. 15 on the charts before plummeting into your local adult contemporary radio station or grocery store speaker. Don’t discount it, though. It is pop magic, through and through. Just listen for those wonderful, inspired harmony vocals at the very end and hear what I’m talking about.

*In contrast to the budget-conscious production of the “Empty Garden” video, Elton’s 1978 video for the single “Ego” was the most expensive music video to date. Fun fact #19632!