Graphic by ella sylvie
In 2019, eclectic music fans and vinylheads everywhere were treated to the revival of a cult classic: “Mother Earth’s Plantasia.”
Originally released in 1976, “Plantasia” is the work of the late Mort Garson, a pioneer in electronic and easy-listening music known for his use of Moog synthesizers. The album was distributed to a very specific demographic; for unclear reasons, “Plantasia” was only given to individuals who purchased a houseplant from Mother Earth, a plant shop in Los Angeles, or those who bought a Simmons mattress from Sears. However, this was only half of the intended audience. Just below the title on the jacket of the record, it’s clear that “Plantasia” is not just “warm earth music for plants” — it’s also for “the people who love them.”
Upon its rerelease, music reviewers across the internet scrambled to tell the story of this quirky plant-based album and its influential creator. They were right to do so — the album is fascinating and entirely enjoyable. (Though I may be biased, as I am part of the target demographic listed on the cover of the LP.) There is something for every plant, with tracks like “Ode to an African Violet,” “You Don’t Have to Walk a Begonia,” “Music to Soothe the Savage Snake Plant,” and, my personal favorite, “Swingin’ Spathiphyllums.”
[Embed link to YouTube video of song]
Reflective of healthy leaves, meandering vines and gorgeous flowers, the music of “Plantasia” is a vibrant musical rendition of the houseplants we hold so dear. Despite being an electronic album, “Plantasia” covers several genres, offering a plant — and synth — -based spin on swing, blues and orchestral styles of music. Though unclear if “Plantasia” was meant to be a concept album, with each track we feel as though we’re moving through the world — or perhaps kingdom — of “Plantasia.” The eponymous first track embodies the feeling of taking those first steps into a whimsical, foliage-filled world with a proud synth fanfare seeming to celebrate the meeting of human and plant realms. That description sounds unnecessarily flowery (pun intended), but I’m not sure there’s a better way to describe the borderline otherworldly vibe “Plantasia” gives.
Every track has that glittery, blippy, electronic feel, fitting nicely with the idea that this is music for plants themselves. Certainly, if plants were to make their own music, it would not sound exactly like our human tunes. Although we don’t know for sure what music plants make or enjoy (questions that companies like PlantWave are trying to answer), I would imagine an album with the goal of appealing to both “plants and the people who love them” would combine their respective musical styles. “Plantasia” is just whimsical enough to potentially be what a plant would regularly listen to, but still sticks to obvious trends of human electronic music, fulfilling the album’s tagline.
However, what I find to be most interesting about “Plantasia” isn’t how me or my plants respond to its bright synth tones (none of my houseplants have perished since I played it for them, so I’d say they’re fans), but rather how audiences nowadays have repurposed it and other plant-based or plant-focused tunes into a new environmental aesthetic.
The aestheticization of being an Earth-lover or environmentally friendly is nothing new, and “Plantasia” itself is an example. Born in a post-hippy era characterized by pseudoscience like “The Secret Life of Plants,” it’s only natural the album was distributed at Mother Earth, likely headed to homes with natural wood furnishings and an overwhelming number of houseplants. Setting the overwhelming problematics of things like greenwashing and pseudoscientific “wellness” movements aside, the present-day equivalent of the ’70s aesthetic is similarly grassroots, and there are examples everywhere. Plant-based diets are extremely common; more and more homes are chock-full of various houseplants; and initiatives to grow native flora in yards and gardens instead of perfectly-cut grass have been picking up steam. It seems that young people everywhere dream in green in one way or another — a dream that’s only continuing to grow in popularity.
These plant-based initiatives were born out of both a love for the look of plants and the environment itself, and the increasingly widespread nature of these initiatives is almost certainly thanks to social media and the virtual spread of ideas overall. While digging through the bins of a local record store is still a glorious pastime, Sacred Bones Records’ reissue of the album is what brought it to most younger listeners. Unlike in 1976, “Plantasia” is available to all listeners now that it’s on all streaming platforms, and many of those listeners come from platforms like TikTok. A quick search on the app for “Plantasia” yields thousands of videos of plant lovers showing off their houseplants, gardens and overall love for nature (or love for being one with nature).
Though this particular brand of environmentalism definitely pulls in supporters due to its aesthetic (and perhaps its overall “vibe”), there is no doubt that it fits squarely in the category of environmentalism. To say the state of the world’s climate is at the front of the collective mind of today’s youngest generations would be an understatement. In order to want to save — or at the very least preserve — something, you have to love it, and if that love for our planet takes the form of a particularly green aesthetic, so be it.
 https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/stevie-wonder-stevie-wonders-journey-through-the-secret-life-of-plants/ |  https://www.discogs.com/release/3685789-Roger-Roger-De-La-Musique-Et-Des-Secrets-Pour-Enchanter-Vos-Plantes/image/SW1hZ2U6NzA2NzA3NQ== |
While it’s unclear whether our plants really do hear (or enjoy) the music we play for them, the human tendency to anthropomorphize has clearly never gone away. “Plantasia” is not the only collection of music made for plants; in the same year, Ann Chase released “A Chant For Your Plants” (spoken-word poetry about plants and spirituality with “Gymnopédie No. 1” playing in the background), and Baroque Bouquet did the same with “Plant Music.” These were followed in 1978 by Roger Roger’s “De La Musique et Des Secrets pour Enchanter Vos Plantes,” and in 1979 by “Stevie Wonder’s Journey Through ‘The Secret Life of Plants’” — the soundtrack to a documentary based on the previously mentioned book. If this timeline and the revived prevalence of plant aesthetics are any indication, it’s safe to say that these plant-based albums certainly will not be the last of their kind.
really enjoyed this!! i also loved reading the article while the music played from the youtube video, amazing touch :)))
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