Beat Saber and Secret Garden: Tales of Displaced Fame

It is hard to imagine an article drawing parallels on two such disparate topics; a virtual reality video game and Bruce Springsteen’s 1995 ballad — but I assure you, there is a rather interesting connection.

In February 1995, Bruce Springsteen released a Greatest Hits album that featured a song called Secret Garden. Initially, this song peaked at #63 on the Billboard Hot 100 meaning it certainly didn’t set the world on fire. It was re-issued in April of 1997 and managed to jump to #19 on the same chart (and is The Boss’ last Top 20 hit in the United States to date).

Since songs tend to initially hit the charts and then progress downward, how is it that this song (after a couple of years later) managed to hit the Top 20?

Many might attribute the fact that the song was featured in the hit motion picture Jerry Maguire — and yes, the song was featured on the soundtrack so it was easy enough to get. Yet, Sony chose to release the song again just four months later as a two-track single — and it hit the Top 20.

It doesn’t add up until you factor in a rather interesting tale about this song.

Ken Benson, a program director in Portland, Oregon took Secret Garden and mixed it with famous lines from the Jerry Maguire film that the station had received as a Oscar…