Flowers on the Wall
Encyclopedia
"Flowers on The Wall" is a song made famous by country music
group The Statler Brothers. Written and composed by the group's original tenor, Lew DeWitt
, the song peaked in popularity in January 1966, spending four weeks at No. 2 on the Billboard
magazine Hot Country Singles
chart, and reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart. The song was used in the soundtrack to the 1994 film Pulp Fiction
and as the title theme of the 2001-2002 BBC Radio 4 sitcom Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting
.
recorded the song in 2000 on his debut album, Swimming In Champagne
. Also released as his debut single, Heatherly's rendition reached No. 6 on the Hot Country Songs
charts and No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
. Bruce Willis
's character sings along to the line, "smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo
." In the 1995 film Die Hard with a Vengeance, when Willis's character John McClane
is asked what he has done during his suspension from the police force, he replies with the same line.
The song was frequently employed as bumper music
on the syndicated radio talk show Coast to Coast AM
, particularly in the earlier days when Art Bell
was the host.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
group The Statler Brothers. Written and composed by the group's original tenor, Lew DeWitt
Lew DeWitt
Lewis Calvin "Lew" DeWitt was an American country music singer and composer.For most of his career DeWitt sang tenor for The Statler Brothers...
, the song peaked in popularity in January 1966, spending four weeks at No. 2 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine Hot Country Singles
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart, and reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart. The song was used in the soundtrack to the 1994 film Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
and as the title theme of the 2001-2002 BBC Radio 4 sitcom Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting
Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting
Linda Smith’s A Brief History of Timewasting was a BBC Radio 4 situation comedy series written by and starring the late Linda Smith. It ran for two series of six episodes each from July 2001 until July 2002....
.
Chart positions
| Chart (1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 4 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 38 |
Eric Heatherly version
Eric HeatherlyEric Heatherly
Eric Heatherly is an American country music artist. In 2000, he debuted with a cover of The Statler Brothers' "Flowers on the Wall", the first of three singles from his debut album Swimming in Champagne, which was issued in 2000 on Mercury Nashville Records...
recorded the song in 2000 on his debut album, Swimming In Champagne
Swimming in Champagne
Swimming in Champagne is the debut album of American country music artist Eric Heatherly. It features a cover of "Flowers on the Wall", originally recorded by The Statler Brothers in 1965...
. Also released as his debut single, Heatherly's rendition reached No. 6 on the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts and No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
Chart positions
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 50 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 3 |
In popular culture
The song is used in the soundtrack to the 1994 film Pulp FictionPulp fiction
Pulp fiction may refer to:* pulp magazines, short stories presented in a magazine format, printed on cheaply made wood-pulp paper* Pulp Fiction, a 1994 film directed by Quentin Tarantino...
. Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
's character sings along to the line, "smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo is a children's television series which aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for nearly 30 years, from October 3, 1955 until December 8, 1984, making it the longest-running children's television program of its day...
." In the 1995 film Die Hard with a Vengeance, when Willis's character John McClane
John McClane
John McClane is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Die Hard film series, portrayed by Bruce Willis.-Development and description:...
is asked what he has done during his suspension from the police force, he replies with the same line.
The song was frequently employed as bumper music
Bumper music
Bumper music, or a bump, is a term used in the radio broadcasting industry to refer to short clips of signature or theme music used to buffer transitions between programming elements. Bumper music is commonly employed when a syndicated program takes a break for local station identification or...
on the syndicated radio talk show Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM is a North American late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently...
, particularly in the earlier days when Art Bell
Art Bell
Arthur W. "Art" Bell, III is an American broadcaster and author, known primarily as one of the founders and the original host of the paranormal-themed radio program Coast to Coast AM. He also created and formerly hosted its companion show, Dreamland...
was the host.