Flowers in the Rain

"Flowers in the Rain" is a song by English rock band the Move. The song was released as a single and reached number two in 1967 on the UK Singles Chart, and number four in Ireland.

It achieved its own place in pop history by being the first record to be played on BBC Radio 1 when the station was launched on 30 September 1967. (Technically, both George Martin's specially commissioned "Theme One" and Johnny Dankworth's "Beefeaters" were the first tracks to be heard on the station. "Beefeaters" was Tony Blackburn's theme tune for Daily Disc Delivery and so it was heard before "Flowers in the Rain". )

The song was written by the Move's guitarist/vocalist Roy Wood. As with many of Wood's early songs, the basis of "Flowers in the Rain" was a book of fairy tales which Wood authored while at The Moseley College of Art. The distinctive instrumental arrangement, including oboe, clarinet, cor anglais and French horn, was suggested by assistant producer Tony Visconti.

Promotional stunt
In a promotional stunt for the record, — typical of the band's manager Tony Secunda — a postcard was released with a cartoon of a naked then-Prime Minister Harold Wilson in bed with his secretary Marcia Williams. Wilson sued, and the High Court ordered that all royalties from the song be donated to a charity of Wilson's choice. This arrangement, which remains in force, saw royalties go to the Spastics Society and Stoke Mandeville Hospital during the period of the single's chart success. In the 1990s, The Observer newspaper reported the royalties had exceeded £200,000 and that the Harold Wilson Charitable Trust had extended the range of beneficiaries to include, among others, the Oxford Operatic Society, Bolton Lads Club and the Jewish National Fund for Israel.

Personnel

 * Carl Wayne – lead vocals
 * Roy Wood – lead guitar, со-lead vocals
 * Trevor Burton – rhythm guitar
 * Ace Kefford – bass guitar
 * Bev Bevan – drums
 * Tony Visconti – string arrangements

Covers

 * On 25 September 2007, BBC Radio 4 featured a programme called The Story of Flowers in the Rain, hosted by Tony Blackburn, on the court action and its related history, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the song.