Flame Trees
Encyclopedia
"Flame Trees" is a song by Australian pub rock
band Cold Chisel
from their 1984
album Twentieth Century. It is one of their best known songs, and was written by drummer
Steve Prestwich
and organist
Don Walker
. It reached number 26 on the Australian charts.
where he had lived as a youth, and of his romantic dreams. The music had already been written, on a bass, by Prestwich. He said, "When I heard Don's lyrics, I told him, 'Mate, I don't know if they're right for the music.' I've grown used to them now."
The reference to flame trees instead of the jacaranda
s for which Grafton is famous, due to its annual Jacaranda Festival, is partly because of a contemporary television miniseries, the BBC's The Flame Trees of Thika
, starring Hayley Mills
, "an old flame of the lyricist's dreams". However, Grafton is well-known for its many specimens of the Australian native rainforest tree Brachychiton acerifolius
http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/asp/photosearch/photo.asp?12932-a012-a012X2443000131 (also known as the Illawarra Flame Tree or Kurrajong), which along with the more pervasive, introduced poincianas
and the town's famous (also introduced) jacaranda
s, set its streets ablaze every spring.
The video of the song (directed by Kimble Rendall
) was filmed in Oberon, New South Wales
. It portrays a young man returning to his home town, meeting old friends, and remembering a past lover. The members of Cold Chisel have bit parts, except for Barnes, who only appears courtesy of some footage from The Last Stand. Barnes said, "The band was arguing so much that Flame Trees and the making of the clip, well, they never even told me, that's why I wasn't in it - the band weren't even talking to me at that point."
Australian film Little Fish
, the song is sung by The Sacred Heart School Choir from Cabramatta. The children in the choir appear in the film performing the song during a pivotal scene, and their version is repeated during the closing credits. This version was released as a single in 2006.
Don Walker said of this version, "A children's choir like that, it can't miss; they'll break your heart no matter what they sing." Of the scene in the movie, Walker said it was, "uncomfortable to watch for anyone who's ever shared accommodation where heroin is part of the commerce."
Singer Sarah Blasko
also recorded a cover version which was released as a stand-alone download-only single on the Australian iTunes Music Store
and it was later included on the 2007 tribute album Standing on the Outside: The Songs of Cold Chisel
. The Blasko version of "Flame Trees" was voted in at number 15 in the 2005 Triple J Hottest 100 songs
.
The song was featured in a documentary on the "Choir of Hard Knocks", a Melbourne choir comprising a group of homeless people. It was also performed by The Whitlams
Tim Freedman
on 'The Panel' Jimmy Barnes recorded an acoustic version of the track on his 1993 album Flesh and Wood
.
The song was also covered by The Killjoys
in 1994 on a compilation CD titled Earth Music, which featured many prominent artists covering well known songs.
Pub rock (Australia)
Pub rock is a style of Australian rock and roll popular throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and still influencing contemporary Australian music today....
band Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel is a rock band that originated in Adelaide, Australia. It is one of the most acclaimed Australian rock bands of all time, with a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s and huge sales that continue to this day, although its success and acclaim was almost completely restricted to...
from their 1984
1984 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1984.-Janury-March:*January 21 – "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood reaches number one in the UK singles chart, despite being banned by the BBC; it spends a total of forty-two weeks in the Top 40.*January 27 – Michael Jackson's...
album Twentieth Century. It is one of their best known songs, and was written by drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Steve Prestwich
Steve Prestwich
-External links:* *...
and organist
Electronic organ
An electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds....
Don Walker
Don Walker (musician)
Don Walker is an Australian musician and songwriter known for writing many of the hits for Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel. He played piano and keyboard with the band from 1973 to 1983, when they disbanded. He has since continued to record and tour, both solo and with Tex, Don and Charlie,...
. It reached number 26 on the Australian charts.
Background
According to the band's official website, Walker's inspiration for the lyrics was a combination of his memories of GraftonGrafton, New South Wales
The city of Grafton is the commercial hub of the Clarence River Valley. Established in 1851, Grafton features many historic buildings and tree-lined streets. Located approximately 630 kilometres north of Sydney and 340 km south of Brisbane, Grafton and the Clarence Valley can be reached...
where he had lived as a youth, and of his romantic dreams. The music had already been written, on a bass, by Prestwich. He said, "When I heard Don's lyrics, I told him, 'Mate, I don't know if they're right for the music.' I've grown used to them now."
The reference to flame trees instead of the jacaranda
Jacaranda
Jacaranda is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of South America , Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. It is also found in Asia, especially in Nepal...
s for which Grafton is famous, due to its annual Jacaranda Festival, is partly because of a contemporary television miniseries, the BBC's The Flame Trees of Thika
The Flame Trees of Thika
The Flame Trees of Thikais a British television mini-series of seven 50-minute episodes made by Euston Films for Thames Television in 1981. It was adapted by John Hawkesworth from the 1959 book of the same title by Elspeth Huxley, and is set in and around the town of Thika in Kenya's Central Province...
, starring Hayley Mills
Hayley Mills
Hayley Mills is an English actress. The daughter of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and sister of actress Juliet Mills, Mills began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Tiger Bay , the Academy Juvenile Award...
, "an old flame of the lyricist's dreams". However, Grafton is well-known for its many specimens of the Australian native rainforest tree Brachychiton acerifolius
Brachychiton acerifolius
Brachychiton acerifolius, commonly known as the Illawarra Flame Tree, is a large tree of the family Malvaceae native to subtropical regions on the east coast of Australia. It is famous for the bright red bell-shaped flowers that often cover the whole tree when it is leafless...
http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/asp/photosearch/photo.asp?12932-a012-a012X2443000131 (also known as the Illawarra Flame Tree or Kurrajong), which along with the more pervasive, introduced poincianas
Royal Poinciana
Delonix regia is a species of flowering plant from the Fabaceae family, Caesalpinioideae subfamilia, noted for its fern-like leaves and flamboyant display of flowers. In many tropical parts of countries around the world it is grown as an ornamental tree and in English it is given the name Royal...
and the town's famous (also introduced) jacaranda
Jacaranda
Jacaranda is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of South America , Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. It is also found in Asia, especially in Nepal...
s, set its streets ablaze every spring.
The video of the song (directed by Kimble Rendall
Kimble Rendall
Kimble Rendall is an Australian director, musician and writer mostly known for his Second unit direction of Matrix Reloaded , Matrix Revolutions , I, Robot , Casanova and Ghost Rider...
) was filmed in Oberon, New South Wales
Oberon, New South Wales
-See also:*Oberon Correctional Centre*Mount Trickett*Mount Bindo*Shooters Hill-External links:***...
. It portrays a young man returning to his home town, meeting old friends, and remembering a past lover. The members of Cold Chisel have bit parts, except for Barnes, who only appears courtesy of some footage from The Last Stand. Barnes said, "The band was arguing so much that Flame Trees and the making of the clip, well, they never even told me, that's why I wasn't in it - the band weren't even talking to me at that point."
Recording credits
- Jimmy BarnesJimmy BarnesJames Dixon Swan , better known as Jimmy Barnes, is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer-songwriter. His father Jim Swan was a prizefighter and his older brother John Swan is also a rock singer. It was actually John who had encouraged and taught Jim how to sing as he wasn't really interested at...
- lead vocals - Don Walker - organ, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Ian MossIan MossIan Moss is an Australian rock musician, best known as the guitarist and occasional singer of Cold Chisel. In that group's initial ten year career, Moss recorded eight albums, three of which were No. 1 national hits. His solo career began with a No. 1 album and single and five ARIA Awards...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals - Steve Prestwich - drums
- Phil SmallPhil SmallPhillip "Phil" James Small is an Australian bassist from pub rock band Cold Chisel. He has written songs for Cold Chisel including, "My Baby" for the 1980 album East, "Notion For You" off the Teenage Love album and "The Game"....
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Megan Williams - backing vocals
Cover versions
In the 20052005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
Australian film Little Fish
Little Fish (film)
Little Fish is a 2005 Australian film directed by Rowan Woods and written by Jacquelin Perske. It was filmed in and around Sydney, in Cabramatta and in Fairfield...
, the song is sung by The Sacred Heart School Choir from Cabramatta. The children in the choir appear in the film performing the song during a pivotal scene, and their version is repeated during the closing credits. This version was released as a single in 2006.
Don Walker said of this version, "A children's choir like that, it can't miss; they'll break your heart no matter what they sing." Of the scene in the movie, Walker said it was, "uncomfortable to watch for anyone who's ever shared accommodation where heroin is part of the commerce."
Singer Sarah Blasko
Sarah Blasko
Sarah Elizabeth Blaskow , is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. After fronting Sydney-based band Acquiesce from the mid-1990s, Blasko developed her solo career from 2002. In 2007, she won the 'Best Pop Release' for What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have at the ARIA Music Awards, which...
also recorded a cover version which was released as a stand-alone download-only single on the Australian iTunes Music Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
and it was later included on the 2007 tribute album Standing on the Outside: The Songs of Cold Chisel
Standing on the Outside (album)
Standing on the Outside: The Songs of Cold Chisel is a tribute album dedicated to the songs of Australian band Cold Chisel. The album features 18 songs recorded by Australian and New Zealand artists The Living End, Dallas Crane, Pete Murray, Ben Lee, Thirsty Merc, Evermore, Paul Kelly, Troy...
. The Blasko version of "Flame Trees" was voted in at number 15 in the 2005 Triple J Hottest 100 songs
Triple J Hottest 100, 2005
The 2005 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on 26 January 2006. It was the thirteenth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J....
.
The song was featured in a documentary on the "Choir of Hard Knocks", a Melbourne choir comprising a group of homeless people. It was also performed by The Whitlams
The Whitlams
The discography of The Whitlams consists of six studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, and eighteen singles.-Studio albums:-Live albums:-Compilation albums:-Singles:-Videos:-Music videos:-Awards:...
Tim Freedman
Tim Freedman
Timothy "Tim" James Freedman is the mainstay lead singer and keyboardist of the Australian band The Whitlams formed in 1993...
on 'The Panel' Jimmy Barnes recorded an acoustic version of the track on his 1993 album Flesh and Wood
Flesh and Wood
Flesh and Wood is the seventh album by Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes. The album was recorded using only acoustic instruments and includes various duets with artists including Diesel, Archie Roach, Joe Cocker, Ross Wilson, Tommy Emmanuel, Don Walker, Deborah Conway and The Badloves.-Track...
.
The song was also covered by The Killjoys
The Killjoys
The Killjoys was a band formed in Melbourne, Australia, in the late 1980s. The core of the band was Anna Burley and Craig Pilkington . The Killjoys attracted a wide following in the vibrant Melbourne pub scene at the time....
in 1994 on a compilation CD titled Earth Music, which featured many prominent artists covering well known songs.