Confessions of a Fanboy

In kindergarten, my ambition was to open a “school for jokers.” Even at 6-years old, I thought I was funny. I had a handful of jokebooks and one of them had this little gem:

If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims.

Here at Confessions of a Fanboy, May flowers bring playlists. This playlist is a collection of flower songs.

It sucks that I have to disclaim these things — especially because some asshole will ignore it — but here goes: this is not a collection of the greatest flower songs of all time nor is it an exhaustive list of flower songs. It’s a list of flower songs that I like. Here are a few of my favorite flowers. Take a listen and then tell me about some of your favorites.

• “Wild Flowers” | Ryan Adams | Gold |

  A good song that probably would have sounded more at home if it had shown up on Jacksonville City Nights or even Cold Roses. Great instrumentation and playing on a song where Adams’ vocal isn’t always on target.

• “A Chain of Flowers | The Cure | Join the Dots |

  Robert Smith is never mentioned among the great guitarists of all time –or even his time — but he created a sound that really is unlike any other.

• “Soulflower” | Heather Duby | Post to Wire |

  Ethereal voice, beats, keyboard, and space. Airy. Heather Duby has one of those voices I just love to listen to.

• “Wallflower” | Bob Dylan | Bootleg Sessions Vol. 1-3|

  I don’t like country music per se, but there are some songs that incorporate country elements that I really like. This little nugget is a great little waltz.

• “The Wallflower (Dance With Me Henry)” | Etta James |Definitive Collection|

  A #1 hit, this is not my favorite Etta James song but I don’t need much of an excuse to listen to her sing. Whenever I get ready to say, “I don’t like R&B,” an alarm goes off in my head. Etta James reminds me of what R&B is, was, and could be again.

• “Wild Flowers” | Mark Lanegan | The Winding Sheet|

  This is a good cut from Lanegan’s first solo record. I’ll bet $50 he couldn’t hit these notes anymore. I can’t believe he could hit them then.

• “Wildflowers” | Tom Petty | Wildflowers |

  The opening song to Tom Petty’s best album. This is just so beautiful and perfect.

• “Flower” | Liz Phair | Exile in Guyville |

  Ahhh, yes. This one. Liz Phair taunts the boys with one of the filthiest, most sexually explicit, most over-the-top songs I’ve ever heard. I bet even the most hardcore rapper would blush hearing this one.

• “The Flowers of Guatemala” | R.E.M. | Life’s Rich Pageant |

  This might be my favorite I.R.S.-era album.

• “Dead Flowers” | The Rolling Stones | Sticky Fingers |

  This classic from Sticky Fingers is all the more topical because of the Kentucky Derby reference.

• “Wallflower” | Splender | Halfway Down the Sky |

  A good album track from Splender’s debut (produced by Todd Rundgren). Halfway Down the Sky sounds like a debut, but I thought it had the sound of potential and they were never heard from again. Pity.

• “Flowers” | Irma Thomas | After the Rain |

  Irma Thomas is a recent discovery of mine (I’m running out of time to get that review written!). This song combines country, gospel, and R&B and that combination works better than I ever could have imagined. I don’t know which is the match and which is the gasoline, but the mixture of the two create a blazing fire.

• Forget the Flowers” | Wilco | Being There |

  Just over a week until Wilco’s new album hits stores. In the meantime, a great piece of alt-country from their classic Being There. I just love this song!

  Filed under: Bob Dylan, R.E.M., Rolling Stones, The Concept Album Mix Tape, Tom Petty