Where the Wild Roses Grow
Encyclopedia
"Where the Wild Roses Grow" is an alternative
-rock
song written by Australian singer-songwriter Nick Cave
for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
' ninth album
Murder Ballads
(1996), with guest vocals by Australian pop-singer Kylie Minogue
. The song was produced by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Tony Cohen
and Victor Van Vugt and received a positive reception from music critic
s. The song was released as the album's first single
in October 1995
and became the band's most successful single worldwide reaching #3 in Norway
, the top five in Australia, and the top twenty in the United Kingdom
, Ireland
, Germany
and New Zealand
. It also received a limited promotional release in the United States.
The song was certified Gold
in Germany in 1996 for 250,000 copies sold, despite never reaching the top ten in that country. It charted again at the bottom of the German Top 100 in 2008 because of digital downloads after it was used in a soap opera. "Where the Wild Roses Grow" was also certified Gold in Australia for selling 50,000 copies.
Cave was inspired to write "Where the Wild Roses Grow" after listening to the traditional song, "Down in the Willow Garden
", a tale of a man courting a woman and killing her while they are out together. Cave arranged this tale as second of two B-sides, "The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane" / "The Willow Garden", released on the CD-Maxi single version.
Although the song does not feature on a Minogue studio album, it can be found on her compilations Hits+
, Greatest Hits 1987-1999
and Ultimate Kylie
. Minogue performed a chorus of the song during her Showgirl and Homecoming tours.
It reached number 8 in Triple J's Hottest 100 1995.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue first performed the song publicly on 4 August 1995 in Cork
, Ireland
.
. A large python courses over her body, symbolizing her death. He puts a rose in her mouth, and closes her eyes. The video was shot by director Rocky Schenck
.
with The Bad Seeds guitarist, Blixa Bargeld
, singing Kylie Minogue's vocal part was released on the compilation B-Sides & Rarities.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
-rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
song written by Australian singer-songwriter Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
' ninth album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Murder Ballads
Murder Ballads
Murder Ballads is the ninth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in 1996 on Mute Records. As its title suggests, the album consists of new and traditional murder ballads, a genre of songs that relays the details of crimes of passion."Where the Wild Roses Grow," a duet featuring...
(1996), with guest vocals by Australian pop-singer Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
. The song was produced by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Tony Cohen
Tony Cohen
Tony Cohen is an acclaimed Australian record producer and sound engineer based in Melbourne, best known for his work with The Birthday Party and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in the 1980s...
and Victor Van Vugt and received a positive reception from music critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
s. The song was released as the album's first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in October 1995
1995 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1995.- January–February :*January 18 – Jerry Garcia crashes his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California, USA, but is not injured in the accident....
and became the band's most successful single worldwide reaching #3 in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, the top five in Australia, and the top twenty in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It also received a limited promotional release in the United States.
The song was certified Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in Germany in 1996 for 250,000 copies sold, despite never reaching the top ten in that country. It charted again at the bottom of the German Top 100 in 2008 because of digital downloads after it was used in a soap opera. "Where the Wild Roses Grow" was also certified Gold in Australia for selling 50,000 copies.
Cave was inspired to write "Where the Wild Roses Grow" after listening to the traditional song, "Down in the Willow Garden
Down in the Willow Garden
"Down in the Willow Garden", also known as "Rose Connelly" is a traditional Appalachian murder ballad about a man facing the gallows for the murder of his lover: he gave her poisoned wine, stabbed her, and threw her in a river. It originated in the 19th century, probably in Ireland, before becoming...
", a tale of a man courting a woman and killing her while they are out together. Cave arranged this tale as second of two B-sides, "The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane" / "The Willow Garden", released on the CD-Maxi single version.
Although the song does not feature on a Minogue studio album, it can be found on her compilations Hits+
Hits+
Hits+ is the second major compilation album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, which was released on November 7, 2000 by Deconstruction Records. The album was the last compilation album which was released by the record label at the time, because Minogue had released her then Parlophone...
, Greatest Hits 1987-1999
Greatest Hits 1987-1999
Greatest Hits 1987–1999 is a 2003 compilation album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. The album was a budget release, released only in Australia during the same month as Minogue's ninth studio album Body Language. The track list is an extension of her 1992 Greatest Hits compilation, adding the...
and Ultimate Kylie
Ultimate Kylie
Ultimate Kylie is the third compilation album by Australian singer and songwriter Kylie Minogue, which was released in November 2004 by Parlophone Records. This collection superseded Kylie's 1992 Greatest Hits compilation and the 2000 compilation Hits+. It was released with the Copy Control...
. Minogue performed a chorus of the song during her Showgirl and Homecoming tours.
It reached number 8 in Triple J's Hottest 100 1995.
Background
Cave described writing the song:Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue first performed the song publicly on 4 August 1995 in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
Music video
Minogue, as Elisa Day, is admired, then murdered by Nick Cave's character. The chorus of the song suggests either that she's come to be known as the "Wild Rose" rather than as Elisa Day by people who recall her murder or that her body has never been found, and her ghost lingers at the place of the murder, but people, seeing only the roses, talk about them, when Elisa Day believes they talk to, or about, her (e.g., "They call me the Wild Rose; but my name was Elisa Day; why they call me it, I do not know; for my name was Elisa Day"). Cave's character is entranced by Elisa's beauty and hates the idea of its fading, so he kills her in order to preserve the memory of her beauty forever. He visits her home, and becomes obsessed with her. The next day, he brings her a beautiful red rose, then asks her if she'd like to see where such beauty could come from. On the final day, he takes Elisa to the river, where he gives her a farewell kiss, then kills her with a rock. A small rabbit comes to visit her body. He then places her in the river where the wild roses grow, in the pose of Millais' painting OpheliaOphelia (painting)
Ophelia is a painting by British artist Sir John Everett Millais, completed between 1851-52. Currently held in the Tate Britain in London, it depicts Ophelia, a character from Shakespeare's play Hamlet, singing before she drowns in a river in Denmark....
. A large python courses over her body, symbolizing her death. He puts a rose in her mouth, and closes her eyes. The video was shot by director Rocky Schenck
Rocky Schenck
Rocky Schenck is an American music video director and photographer. He has worked with such artists as Adele, Nick Cave, Joni Mitchell, The Cramps, Alice in Chains, Redd Kross, Godsmack, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Rod Stewart, and Van Halen, among others...
.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Where the Wild Roses Grow".European 2-Track CD Single
- "Where the Wild Roses Grow"
- "The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane"
International CD Maxi
- "Where the Wild Roses Grow"
- "The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane"
- "The Willow Garden"
Live performances
Kylie performed the song on the following concert tours:- Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour (performed as a medley with "Red Blooded WomanRed Blooded Woman"Red Blooded Woman" is a pop-R&B song written by British songwriters Johnny Douglas and Karen Poole for Kylie Minogue's ninth studio album, Body Language . It also was produced by Douglas and received a mixed reception from music critics...
") - Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour (performed as a medley with "Red Blooded WomanRed Blooded Woman"Red Blooded Woman" is a pop-R&B song written by British songwriters Johnny Douglas and Karen Poole for Kylie Minogue's ninth studio album, Body Language . It also was produced by Douglas and received a mixed reception from music critics...
") - For You, For Me TourFor You, For Me TourThe For You, For Me Tour was the ninth concert tour by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. This is Minogue's first concert tour in North America. The concert has received very favorable reviews from music critics...
(performed as a medley with "Red Blooded WomanRed Blooded Woman"Red Blooded Woman" is a pop-R&B song written by British songwriters Johnny Douglas and Karen Poole for Kylie Minogue's ninth studio album, Body Language . It also was produced by Douglas and received a mixed reception from music critics...
")
Charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
2 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 5 |
| UK Singles Chart | 11 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 3 |
| French Singles Chart | 37 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 11 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 9 |
| German Single Chart. | 12 |
| Belgium Singles Chart | 3 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 6 |
| Denmark Singles Chart | 12 |
| Austria Singles Chart | 4 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 11 |
| Norway Singles Chart | 3 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 8 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 18 |
Year-End Charts
| Year | Country | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Australian Singles Chart | 41 |
Sample
Awards
- 1996 ARIA AwardsARIA Music Awards of 1996The 10th Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 30 September 1996 at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre...
: 'Single of the Year', 'Song of the Year' & 'Best Pop Release'.
Covers
- GregorianGregorian (band)Gregorian is a German band headed by Frank Peterson that performs Gregorian chant-inspired versions of modern pop and rock songs. The band features both vocal harmony and instrumental accompaniment.- Band history :...
on their 2004 album The Dark Side. - KamelotKamelotKamelot is an American symphonic power metal band from Tampa, Florida. The band was formed by Thomas Youngblood and Richard Warner in 1991. Norwegian vocalist Roy Khan joined for the album Siége Perilous, and shared song-writing duties with Youngblood until his departure in April 2011.As of 2010,...
as a bonus track on the EU limited edition version of their 2010 album Poetry for the PoisonedPoetry for the PoisonedPoetry for the Poisoned is the ninth studio album from metal band Kamelot. It was released on the earMUSIC label, a subdivision of Edel, on September 10, 2010 in Europe, and four days later in North America by the band's own label, KMG Recordings. It was the last release to feature longtime...
. - Fusspils 11Fusspils 11Fusspils 11 is the name of a German aggrotech, industrial, and EBM musical project collaboration of Ravenous and Funker Vogt members Gerrit Thomas, Jens Kaestel, Björn Böttcher, Tim Fockenbrock, Kai Schmidt, and Peggy Johanson. Their two albums to date have been completely in German.-External...
did a German translation on their album Elektro-Polizei: Alarm Für Fusspils 11! - Sara NoxxSara NoxxSara Noxx is a German musician and artist. She is one of the award winners of the 1997 Zillo band contest.Her single "Stupid" reached #2 on Belgium's sales charts.In 2001, after a three year break, Exxtasy was released....
& Mark BeneckeMark BeneckeMark Benecke is a German forensic biologist.Benecke was born in Rosenheim . After receiving a Dr. rer. medic. at Cologne University in 1997, he worked in the Chief Medical Examiner's Office in Manhattan, New York from 1997–1999. , he works internationally on forensic cases as a freelance expert...
covered the song for Sara's 2011 single.
Other version
A guide trackGuide track
A guide track or ghost track is a recorded selection of music or song used as an aid in sound recording, filmmaking and performance. It is closely related to the click track, and the two are typically used in conjunction....
with The Bad Seeds guitarist, Blixa Bargeld
Blixa Bargeld
Blixa Bargeld is a composer, author, actor, singer, musician, performer and lecturer in a number of artistic fields...
, singing Kylie Minogue's vocal part was released on the compilation B-Sides & Rarities.
External links
- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds — official website.
- Kylie.com — official website.