"Flowers on the Wall" is a song made famous by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

group

The Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening act and backup singers fo ...

. Written and composed by

Lew DeWitt Lewis “Lew” Calvin DeWitt Jr. (March 12, 1938 – August 15, 1990) was an American country music singer, guitarist, and composer. He was a founding member of The Statler Brothers and the group's original tenor. Biography For most of his care ...

, the group's original tenor vocalist, the song peaked in popularity in January 1966, spending four weeks at number two on the ''Billboard'' magazine

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...

chart, and reaching number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. The song won the 1966 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary (R&R) Performance - Group (Vocal or Instrumental). The Statler Brothers re-recorded the song in 1975 for their first greatest-hits album for

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...

, ''The Best of The Statler Brothers''. The song is also featured on Nancy Sinatra's album ''Boots'' (1966).

Chart performance

Eric Heatherly version

Eric Heatherly recorded the song in 2000 on his debut album, ''

Swimming In Champagne ''Swimming in Champagne'' is the debut studio album by American singer Eric Heatherly, released in 2000. The album contains a cover of "Flowers on the Wall", originally recorded by the Statler Brothers in 1965. Heatherly's cover was released a ...

.'' Also released as his debut single, Heatherly's rendition reached number six on the Hot Country Songs charts and number 50 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Chart history

Year-end charts

In popular culture

* The song (its 1975 version) is used in the soundtrack to the 1994 film ''

Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Vin ...

''. In the film,

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero a ...

's character sings along to the line, "smoking cigarettes and watching ''

Captain Kangaroo ''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television progra ...

''" as he is driving. * In the 1995 film ''

Die Hard with a Vengeance ''Die Hard with a Vengeance'' is a 1995 American action thriller film directed by John McTiernan (who directed the first installment). It was written by Jonathan Hensleigh, based on the screenplay ''Simon Says'' by Hensleigh and on the chara ...

'', when Willis' character

John McClane John McClane is a fictional character and main protagonist of the ''Die Hard'' film series, based on Joe Leland from Roderick Thorp's action novel, '' Nothing Lasts Forever''. McClane was portrayed in all five films by actor Bruce Willis, and ...

is describing his suspension from the police force, he says he was "smoking cigarettes and watching ''Captain Kangaroo''." * The song was frequently employed as

bumper music Bumper music, or a bump, is a term used in the radio broadcasting industry to refer to short clips of signature songs or theme music used to buffer transitions between programming elements, typically lasting no longer than fifteen seconds. It is ...

on the syndicated radio talk show ''

Coast to Coast AM ''Coast to Coast AM'' is an American late-night radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics. Most frequently the topics relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was hosted by creator Art Bell from its inception in 1 ...

'', particularly in the earlier days when Art Bell was the host. *

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...

quotes the song's complete lyrics in his 1981 book ''

Palm Sunday Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Palm Sunday marks the first day of Hol ...

'', calling the song "yet another great contemporary poem by the Statler Brothers" and using it to describe "the present condition" of an American man who had recently departed his family. "It is not a poem of escape or rebirth. It is a poem about the end of a man's usefulness", he adds. * In a video by

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...

, a band of rats, The Ratler Brothers, sing the song while Beaker struggles with

insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...

after being the subject of an experiment that involved consuming a large amount of

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

. The line in the chorus "smoking cigarettes and watching ''

''" is changed to be about other activities. *

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'. Nancy Sinatr ...

covered the song for her album ''

Boots A boot is a type of footwear. Boot or Boots may also refer to: Businesses * Boot Inn, Chester, Cheshire, England * Boots (company), a high-street pharmacy chain and manufacturer of pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom * The Boot, Cromer St ...

''. *

Jean Shepard Ollie Imogene "Jean" Shepard (November 21, 1933 – September 25, 2016) was an American honky-tonk singer-songwriter who pioneered for women in country music. Shepard released a total of 73 singles to the Hot Country Songs chart, one of which ...

covered the song for her 1975 album ''Jean Shepard and the Second Fiddles'' * An instrumental version of the song was used in the New Zealand TV programme '' A Dog's Show''. * It is the theme song of the radio series '' Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting''. * Home Free covered the song in May 2020 to pay tribute to Harold Reid, who had passed away earlier that year in April.Home Free - Flowers On the Wall
/ref>

References

External links

Both the 1966 and1975 versions on YouTube
{{authority control 1965 singles 2000 debut singles The Statler Brothers songs Eric Heatherly songs Songs about loneliness Songs about flowers Song recordings produced by Keith Stegall RPM Top Singles number-one singles Columbia Records singles Mercury Records singles Songs written by Lew DeWitt 1965 songs Song recordings produced by Don Law