A Bouquet of Flower Songs
La Feria de las Flores – Los Lobos. As you will see, there are few rules for my mix-making, but if possible the first song should introduce the theme. Here the introduction is in the title and not the lyrical content. The singer is travelling to the eponymous festival of flowers, and he is packing his pistol. For him, “flower” has two meanings: the petaled wonders featured at the fair, and also the girl he hopes to find there.
Acony Bell – Gillian Welch. Taxonomically, the Acony Bell has no relatives in the Northwest, not even distant ones. Functionally, it harbingers spring like our Snowdrop.
Swee’Pea’s Lullaby – Robin Williams. If it is good, a song about a person named after a flower qualifies for a flower mix (according to my rules). This one was written by Harry Nilsson for the quirky, criminally under-appreciated Robert Altman movie Popeye. If you are in the mood for more, check out Olive Oil’s song: “He Needs Me”. It’s pure sweetness. Better yet, watch the movie.
Violet – Thao & the Get Down Stay Down. The person addressed in the song could be named after the color and not the flower, but the song still qualifies (by my rules) because of the possible flower connection.
Power Flower – Stevie Wonder. Written for a documentary based on the book The Secret Life of Plants. The dubious science in the book should not be held against the song (or Stevie Wonder).
Happiness is a Thing Called Joe – Ella Fitzgerald. I’ll always remember this song as the one that was played on the radio (shout out to KEXP!) when the 2020 presidential election was finally called. There’s a single (wonderful) flower-related line that is rhymed with the title line: “he’s got a smile that makes the lilac want to grow”.
Rare Thing – Francis Quinlan. “All afternoon you inhale every bouquet you meet/ I have to stop myself and admit I am happy.”
Yekerma Sew – Mulatu Astatke. This song qualifies because of its connection to the movie Broken Flowers. Ragged bouquets in hand, Bill Murray visits a series of old girlfriends, trying to solve a mystery. His neighbor sets him up with a mix-tape of Ethiopian classics, including this one, to listen to while he is on the road.
I Remember Everything – Brandi Carlile. A hero of mine sings one of the last songs of another hero, John Prine. The line: “How I miss you in the morning light, like roses miss the dew”
Donald and Lydia – John Prine. The man himself, singing one of his first songs, maybe one that he composed as he walked his mail route. Carlile followed by JP recreates the experience Cheryl and I had hearing him follow Nanci Griffith at a 5th Avenue show. As we got back to our seats after the break, it took me a second to realize that he had started. After listening to Griffith’s clear, powerful voice for 45 minutes, I didn’t immediately recognize what Prine was doing as singing. That was thousands of cigarettes after he recorded Donald and Lydia in a voice that already had its share of rasp and croak. But there is so much tender humanity in that rasp and croak!
“but dreamin’ just comes natural,
Like the first breath of a baby
Like sunshine feedin’ daisies
Like the love hidden deep in your heart”
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go – Shawn Colvin. Another clear-voiced diva sings a song by a gravelly voiced troubadour. “Purple clover, Queen Anne’s Lace/ Crimson hair across your face/ You could make me cry but you don’t know …”
Danza de Gardenias – Natalia Lafourcade. The word repeated in the song – florecerá – means “will bloom”, e.g. “the ancient charm in your spirit will bloom again”.
Lilacs – Waxahatchee. Flowers and impermanence: “And the lilacs drank the water/ And the lilacs die/ … Marking in the slow, slow passing of time”.
Lilacs in the Rain – The Ravens. I discovered this song when I was looking up the one by Waxahatchee. These guys remind me of the Ink Spots. The Ravens are a group from the 40s that started a trend of bands named after birds.
Down in Bermuda – Jonathan Richman. A break in the melancholy for some joy from Jonathan. Spotify has a live version of the song that is only for the hard core JoJo fan so it’s not included. You can find the Rockin’ and Romance version on the internet, however.
Dead Flowers – Townes Van Zandt. A cover – and an improvement on – the Rolling Stones song. All this flowers and death – I apologize if it is too much of a downer. There is a long tradition of it, however. Consider Buson (~1750):
Wind blows
they scatter and it dies
fallen petals
Give Me Flowers When I’m Living – the Knitters. I imagine this as a reply to the previous song. The Knitters are a side project of John Doe and Xcene Cervanka of the band X, singing in the venerable punk to country crossover tradition.
For the Roses – Joni Mitchell. Joni Mitchell, a passion from our youth.
I get these notes
On butterflies and lilac sprays
From girls who just have to tell me
They saw you somewhere
How Many Times – Esther Rose. Not about a rose, but sung by a Rose.
Stoplight Roses – Nick Lowe. More roses and ruefulness! Nick Lowe is a master craftsman. You won’t look at a roadside flower stand in the same way after hearing this.
All Green – Clem Snide. I had to find a way to fit some Clem Snide into the mix because Cheryl loves them. The flower connection: there’s a rose on the cover of the album.
Virgenes del Sol – Manzanita y su Conjunto. Psychedelic cumbia from Peru. Virgenes del Sol is a poetic reference to newly bloomed flowers (I made that up; if it is not true it should be).
June Hymn – The Decembrists. One of the few songs in my knowledge that includes a celebration of bulbs. The harmony on “Will I bring myself to write” (sung with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, I believe) chokes me up every time.
One Day Like This – Elbow. Some uplift for the last song. Only a personal connection here: it’s sometimes going through my mind when I start out to spend a day around the garden.
Drinking in the morning sun
…
Shaking off a heavy one
Heavy like a loaded gun
…
Oh, anyway, it's looking like a beautiful day