Where the Wild Roses Grow

"Where the Wild Roses Grow"
Single by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue
from the album Murder Ballads
B-side
Released 2 October 1995 (1995-10-02)
Format
Recorded 1993–95
Genre Alternative rock
Length 3:57
Label Mute
Writer(s) Nick Cave
Producer(s)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds chronology
"Red Right Hand"
(1994)		 "Where the Wild Roses Grow"
(1995)		 "Henry Lee"
(1996)
Kylie Minogue chronology
"Where Is the Feeling?"
(1995)		 "Where the Wild Roses Grow"
(1995)		 "Some Kind of Bliss"
(1997)
Music video
"Where the Wild Roses Grow" on YouTube

"Where the Wild Roses Grow" is a duet by Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and pop singer Kylie Minogue. It is the fifth song and lead single from the band's ninth studio album, Murder Ballads (1996), released on Mute Records. It was written by the band's frontman Nick Cave and produced by Tony Cohen and Victor Van Vugt.

The song received a positive reception from music critics and became the band's most successful single worldwide reaching No. 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,[1] 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, Ultimate Kylie and The Abbey Road Sessions. Minogue performed a chorus of the song during her Showgirl and Homecoming tours.

It reached number 8 in Triple J's Hottest 100 1995. In 2012, NME listed the song in the "100 Best Songs of the 1990s" at number 35.[2]

Background

Cave described writing the song:

"Where The Wild Roses Grow" was written very much with Kylie in mind. I'd wanted to write a song for Kylie for many years. I had a quiet obsession with her for about six years. I wrote several songs for her, none of which I felt was appropriate to give her. It was only when I wrote this song, which is a dialogue between a killer and his victim, that I thought finally I'd written the right song for Kylie to sing. I sent the song to her and she replied the next day.[3]
— Nick Cave, quoted in Molly Meldrum presents 50 Years of Rock in Australia (2007)

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue first performed the song publicly on 4 August 1995 in Cork, Republic of Ireland.[4]

Song information

According to the sheet music edition published by OnlineSheetMusic.com, "Where The Wild Roses Grow" is written in the compound time signature of 6/8 and is set in the key signature of G minor, at a tempo of 56 beats per minute.[5]

Music video

The video for this song, commissioned by Emma Davies for Mute Records, shot by director Rocky Schenck and produced by Nick Verden for Atlas Films, shows Kylie Minogue in character, apparently having been murdered by Nick Cave's character. We see her in ghost-like form and also in a river in a pose reminiscent of Millais' painting Ophelia. The video ends with Cave's character putting a rose in Minogue's mouth and closing her eyelids.[6]

Live performances

Minogue performed the song on the following concert tours:

Minogue appeared as a surprise guest at Coldplay's Enmore Theatre show in Sydney, Australia on 19 June 2014, where they performed the song as a duet.[7]
Sample of "Where the Wild Roses Grow"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Other version

A guide track with The Bad Seeds guitarist, Blixa Bargeld, singing Kylie Minogue's vocal part was released on the compilation B-Sides & Rarities.

Awards

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Where the Wild Roses Grow".

UK 7" single (MUTE 185)
  1. "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (Cave) – 3:58
  2. "The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane" (Cave) – 3:34
UK cassette single (CMUTE 185)
  1. "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (Cave) – 3:58
  2. "The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane" (Cave) – 3:34
EU CD single (CDMUTE 185)
  1. "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (Cave) – 3:58
  2. "The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane" (Cave) – 3:34
  3. "The Willow Garden" (Traditional) – 3:57
Australian CD single (D1188)
  1. "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (Cave) – 3:58
  2. "The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane" (Cave) – 3:34
  3. "The Willow Garden" (Traditional) – 3:57

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1995–96) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[9] 2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[10] 4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[12] 8
Denmark (IFPI)[13] 9
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[14] 8
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[15] 5
France (SNEP)[16] 37
Germany (Official German Charts)[17] 12
Ireland (IRMA)[18] 6
Italy (FIMI)[19] 20
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[20] 9
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] 9
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22] 11
Norway (VG-lista)[23] 3
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 3
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 11
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[26] 11

Year-end charts

Chart (1995) Rank
Australia (ARIA)[27] 41
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[28] 27
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[29] 61
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[30] 94
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[31] 76
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[32] 13
Chart (1996) Rank
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[33] 24
Germany (Official German Charts)[34] 65

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[35] Gold 35,000^
Germany (BVMI)[36] Gold 250,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Covers and parodies

References

  1. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Where the Wild Roses Grow')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  2. ↑ "100 Best Songs Of The 1990s (40-31)". NME. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  3. ↑ Jenkins, Jeff; Ian Meldrum (2007). Molly Meldrum presents 50 Years of Rock in Australia. Melbourne, Vic: Wilkinson Publishing. p. 227. ISBN 978-1-921332-11-1. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  4. ↑ Maes, Maurice. "Nick Cave Songs – 1996". Home.vianetworks.nl. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  5. ↑ "Where The Wild Roses Grow Sheet Music by Nick Cave". OnlineSheetMusic.com. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "Where The Wild Roses Grow". EMI Music. YouTube. 12 March 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  7. ↑ Shedden, Iain (26 June 2014). "Kylie, Coldplay duet". The Australian. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  8. ↑ "Winners by Year – 1996: 10th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  9. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds + Kylie Minogue – Where The Wild Roses Grow". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds + Kylie Minogue – Where The Wild Roses Grow" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds + Kylie Minogue – Where The Wild Roses Grow" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  12. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds + Kylie Minogue – Where The Wild Roses Grow" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  13. ↑ "Hits of the World". Billboard. 107 (50): 85. 16 December 1995. ISSN 0006-2510.
  14. ↑ "Hits of the World". Billboard. 108 (2): 47. 13 January 1996. ISSN 0006-2510.
  15. ↑ "Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds + Kylie Minogue: Where The Wild Roses Grow" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  16. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds + Kylie Minogue – Where The Wild Roses Grow" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  17. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds + Kylie Minogue – Where The Wild Roses Grow". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  18. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Where the Wild Roses Grow". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  19. ↑ "Indice per Interprete: C" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  20. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds + Kylie Minogue - Where The Wild Roses Grow search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds + Kylie Minogue – Where The Wild Roses Grow" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  22. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds + Kylie Minogue – Where The Wild Roses Grow". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  23. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds + Kylie Minogue – Where The Wild Roses Grow". VG-lista. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  24. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds + Kylie Minogue – Where The Wild Roses Grow". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  25. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds + Kylie Minogue – Where The Wild Roses Grow". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  26. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1995-10-14" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  27. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Singles 1995". ARIA Charts. ARIA. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  28. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1995" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  29. ↑ "Rapports annuels 1995" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  30. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1995" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  31. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1995" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  32. ↑ Årslista Singlar – År 1995 at the Wayback Machine (archived 3 April 2015). Hitlistan.se.
  33. ↑ "Jahreshitparade 1996" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  34. ↑ (German) Jahrescharts – 1996 at the Wayback Machine (archived 9 May 2015). Offiziellecharts.de. GfK Entertainment Charts.
  35. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1995 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  36. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Where the Wild Roses Grow')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
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