M'Lou Elkins
Yesterday, Rolling Stone premiered the track “Let The Flowers Grow,” an emotional masterpiece duet by music legends Peter Murphy (Bauhaus) and Boy George (Culture Club). Today, the song was released via Metropolis Records and is available on Bandcamp, which revealed the unexpected collaboration last week.
Recalls Peter, “I was recording my new album in Spain with Youth (Killing Joke). Whilst listening to a playback of a song during a lull, I heard a piece of music that was coming from his cell phone. It caught my ear for its melodic beauty as well as a Roy Orbison-like voice that sang the song.” Learning that it was an unfinished demo that Boy George had written, Peter was intrigued and asked Youth if he could work on the partial song. “In a matter of 20 minutes, we had ‘Flowers’ finished.”
“When I heard the mix, I was satiated in every way,” adds Boy George. “I have always loved Pete’s voice and his writing on this adds a beautiful darkness. The production feels very epic, like Scott Walker.”
The track is produced by Youth (Pink Floyd, Killing Joke, The Orb, Paul McCartney “The Firemen,” Faith No More, Alien Sex Fiend, Siouxsie and the Banshees), and aims to deliver a message of acceptance and hope. Originally written by Boy George, the song’s message was more about the personal acceptance of being gay. Yet once the track was fully developed, its lyrics extended beyond sexuality to also embrace race, gender, creed, and religion.
“With everything going on in the world about identity, [‘Let The Flowers Grow’] feels very powerful,” explains Boy George.
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