"Scarlet Begonias" is a song by the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, ...

. The lyrics were written by Robert Hunter and the music by Jerry Garcia. The live debut of "Scarlet Begonias" came on March 23, 1974 at the Cow Palace in

Daly City Daly City () is the second most populous city in San Mateo County, California, United States, with population of 104,901 according to the 2020 census. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, and immediately south of San Francisco (sharing its ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The song begins in

Grosvenor Square Grosvenor Square is a large garden square in the Mayfair district of London. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from the duke's surname "Grosvenor". It was developed for fashionable ...

in London and also references " Tea for Two" from '' No, No, Nanette'' by Irving Caesar and Vincent Youmans. The third stanza uses gambling/loss imagery that occurs in many Grateful Dead songs. The line "As I picked up my matches and was closing the door" uses the symbolism of playing poker with matchsticks to indicate a very low stakes gamble that was made for fun. The line "Everybody's playing in the Heart of Gold Band" was used by

Keith Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons i ...

and Donna Godchaux to name their new group " Heart of Gold Band" when they left Grateful Dead in 1979. The recording first appears on the 1974 release '' From the Mars Hotel''. When " Fire on the Mountain" was incorporated into the band's repertoire in 1977, "Scarlet Begonias" would often be paired with it when played live, resulting in what would be nicknamed "Scarlet > Fire".

Covers

* A version of the song appears on the Sublime album '' 40oz. to Freedom'' (1992), which samples

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the hono ...

's " Funky Drummer" prominently and features a rapped interlude written by

Bradley Nowell Bradley James Nowell (February 22, 1968 – May 25, 1996) was an American musician and the lead singer and guitarist of the ska punk band Sublime. Born and raised in Belmont Shore, Long Beach, California, Nowell developed an interest in mus ...

. *

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffe ...

released a version of the song on his album '' License to Chill'' in 2004. * A bluegrass version of the song appeared on the 2008 album ''

Rex (Live at the Fillmore) ''Rex (Live at the Fillmore)'' is the thirteenth album by Keller Williams, recorded live on February 8, 2006 at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, Colorado. " Fire On The Mountain" (Garcia, Hunter / Mickey Hart, Hunter) Notes References "Kelle ...

'' by

Keller Williams Keller Williams is an American singer, songwriter and musician who combines elements of bluegrass, folk, alternative rock, reggae, electronica/dance, jazz, funk, along with other assorted genres. He is often described as a 'one-man jam-ban ...

with Keith Moseley and Jeff Austin. Keller performs the song frequently as part of his solo concerts.Keller Williams album for REX charity
, ''news.jamradio.org'', May 7, 2008, Retrieved May 15, 2008. * After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, it was (and still is) performed in concert by Dead spin-off bands Phil Lesh & Friends,

Bob Weir & RatDog RatDog is an American rock band. The group began in 1995 as a side project for Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir. After the Dead disbanded later that year, RatDog became Weir's primary band. They performed some Grateful Dead songs, a mix ...

, Dead & Company, Rhythm Devils,

BK3 BK3 were an American rock band led by Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann. Kreutzmann formed the band in 2008 with Max Creek guitarist Scott Murawski and Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge. Formation Bill Kreutzmann and Scott Murawsk ...

, Mickey Hart Band and Donna Jean Godchaux Band, as well as the Dead, and Furthur. * Phish played "Scarlet >

Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames ...

" at their very first show under the name Blackwood Convention at Harris-Millis Hall at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the Unite ...

on December 2, 1983. *

Thievery Corporation Thievery Corporation is an American electronic music duo consisting of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton. Their musical style mixes elements of dub, acid jazz, reggae, Indian classical, Middle Eastern music, hip hop and Brazilian music, including ...

played a version in Chicago, IL, on July 2, 2015, as part of 'The Music Never Stopped' series, with Loulou Ghelichkhani on vocals. *Bikini Trill released a version of the song on their debut EP 'Wassup, We Good?' in 2018. *

Jazz Is Dead Jazz Is Dead may refer to * Jazz Is Dead (band): a Grateful Dead instrumental cover band *Jazz Is Dead (record label) Jazz Is Dead is a record label and live music project based in Los Angeles, founded by Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. ...

included a jazz interpretation of the song in their 1998 album, Blue Light Rain.

Notes

External links

Dead.net
the official homepage of the Grateful Dead.

{{Authority control 1974 songs Grateful Dead songs Songs with lyrics by Robert Hunter (lyricist) Songs written by Jerry Garcia Sublime (band) songs