Blooming Beats: When The Stones Cultivated ‘Flowers’
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
June 26, 2024
On this day, dear horticultural enthusiasts, we find ourselves transported back to the heady summer of 1967, when The Rolling Stones, those wild weeds of rock and roll, unleashed a most intriguing botanical specimen upon the musical landscape.
I speak, of course, of their compilation album Flowers, a bouquet of sound that burst into bloom on this very date, 57 years ago.
Now, you may wonder why a gardening aficionado such as myself would deign to discuss such matters of popular music.
But, my darlings, is not music the garden of the soul?
And are not The Rolling Stones the most tenacious of perennials, weathering decades of changing musical climates?
This particular album, Flowers, is a curious hybrid indeed.
Like a master gardener grafting new varieties onto established stock, the Stones included three previously unreleased tracks amidst their familiar hits. "My Girl", "Ride On, Baby", and "Sittin' on a Fence" - each a fresh bloom in this rock and roll herbarium.
One can't help but draw parallels between the curation of this album and the art of constructing a well-balanced flower bed. The familiar favorites provide a sturdy backbone, while these new additions offer unexpected pops of color and fragrance, delighting the senses in novel ways.
Imagine, if you will, tending to your garden on a warm June day in 1967.
The earth is rich beneath your fingers, the air sweet with the scent of summer blooms.
And from a nearby open window drifts the strains of this freshly pressed vinyl, its melodies mingling with the buzzing of bees and the rustle of leaves.
While Flowers may not offer advice on deadheading or proper mulching techniques, it does remind us of the power of names and imagery in capturing the public's imagination.
Just as a well-chosen plant name can evoke a sense of place or emotion, so too can an album title set the stage for the listening experience.
And let us not forget, my fellow gardeners, that rock and roll, much like our beloved flora, requires careful cultivation to thrive.
Both demand attention, nurturing, and occasionally, a bit of pruning to achieve their full potential.
So on this day, as we commemorate the release of Flowers, perhaps we might take a moment to appreciate the unexpected intersections of music and horticulture.
After all, is not a well-composed garden a symphony for the eyes, just as a finely crafted album is a garden for the ears?
Now, if you'll pardon me, I believe it's time to put needle to vinyl and trowel to soil.
For in both music and gardening, the greatest joys are often found in the doing.
