Flower by Soundgarden

Album: Ultramega OK (1988)

License This Song

lyrics

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

One of the earliest Soundgarden songs, this was released as their second single and included on Ultramega OK, which was their only album released on the independent label SST (making Soundgarden a true "Indie Band" at the time).

The song was composed by their guitarist Kim Thayil, with lyrics added by lead singer Chris Cornell. In our interview with Thayil, he explained that in their early years, Cornell would often have lyrics written, which he would then match to tracks he thought would work with them.
The song is about a beautiful young girl who suddenly finds herself old and gray. Chris Cornell uses "vain" and "veins" to imply that vanity and drug abuse led to her demise, as at the end of the song the flowers hit her grave.
Kim Thayil used an interesting technique to create the unusual opening sounds. He put his guitar right next to the amplifier and blew across the strings in time with the drums. This produced a sitar-like effect that Thayil later used in other songs.

Comments: 3

Teri from CaI still have this cassette. One of the three I bought back in the beginning.
David from Mcalester, OkI think "Flower" is about a young girl who becomes a stripper. Lives a troubled, hard life(she was on borrowed self esteem/ she's early gray) . And dies an early death due too drug abuse (along her veins/as flowers hit her grave).
Tim from Somewhere In, GaI think this song is about a popular, wealthy stuck up prep school girl. The mention of "being treated like a queen" and "in her uniform" and other similar lyrics in the song make me interpret the song this way.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Take Me to ChurchHozier

Hozier recorded his vocals for "Take Me To Church" in his attic at 3 a.m. one January morning in 2013

O.P.P.Naughty by Nature

The Naughty by Nature hit "O.P.P." doesn't have any curse words, but many oversensitive radio stations played a "clean" version with the word "kitten" edited out, surely the first time that word was censured.

Here I Go AgainWhitesnake

"Here I Go Again" was a #1 hit for Whitesnake in 1987, but it was first released in 1982 with the lyric, "Like a hobo I was born to walk alone."

SOSRihanna

A section of verse lyrics in Rihanna's "SOS" is made up of titles from '80s hits - check out the part that starts, "Take me on, I could just die up in your arms tonight."