There are multiple artists using this name.

1. Dead Flowers are an A… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists using this name.

1. Dead Flowers are an Alternative-rock-pop band from Auckland, New Zealand that released material through Wildside records in the 90's.

Dead Flowers were signed by Wildside records in 1992, they released their first single 'Lisa' which reached 27 on the New Zealand charts. Later in the year they released their debut album 'Skin of A Stone' which was recorded at Phil Rudd's (AC/DC) recording studio in Tauranga, NZ. In December '93 they released their second album 'Sweetfish'. Their third and final album was a self titled album that was released early 1998.

2. Now defunct, Dead Flowers were for many years Newcastle's kings of acid rock. Their career began inauspiciously enough with the privately pressed TV single which, to be honest, was not especially good, consisting of two grungey hard rock tracks with little hint of the psychedelic mayhem to come.

After four years of local obscurity, they were picked up by Brian Sutton's Mystic Stones label for one of its earlier releases. The resultant album Smell The Fragrance does not capture the band at their best by any means. It contained plenty of good songs - Absolution, Crackdown and the drug anthem Piece Of Sky - but one had to ask "Where's the psychedelia?". The band sounded at this time like an updated, druggy Black Sabbath or an English Monster Magnet. If the idea sounds tempting, then go for it, but there was better to come. The track Crackdown also appeared on the Underground Newcastle compilation in an exclusive "grunge" mix.

1992's Moontan is something of an acid rock classic. It opens with the storming Chocolate Staircase which uses the riff from Pink Floyd's Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun A powerfully contrasting track follows in the spacey, almost ambient, Spiral Eye before the band turn the amps up to eleven again for Filling In Time. The heavy riffing of Thought World brings side one to a close. Side two begins with another near ambient track Gaia's Love Hole which despite the awful title is an awesomely beautiful piece of music; the word "ambient" should hold no negative connotations here: this is layers of liquid guitar and brushed cymbals with pulsating bass, and delicate flute (provided by Teapot from Cheops). There follows three tracks more in the heavy, doom-laden style of their first LP. Moontan is strongly recommended. A different version of Chocolate Staircase also appeared on the Delerium compilation Fun With Mushrooms which brought the band to the attention of a wider audience.

Moontan had turned Dead Flowers into one of the hottest properties on the psychedelic scene, and Delerium scooped them for their third LP Altered State Circus which was recorded at Dave Anderson's Foel studios. This contains all the elements which made Moontan so indispensable, but there was a noticeable improvement in the production and musicianship (not that it was bad before by any means). The music was even druggier than previously and the sleeve artwork amongst the most spectacularly psychedelic ever. The music showed the band developing the ambient textures of the previous album in six slow burning, extended tracks. Highlights are The Elephant's Eye Was Eerie (eh?), the title track Altered State Circus and Slouch Factor 9. The only half way weak track was Free the Weed a rather unfocused protest song. The CD contained an extra track, the excellent thirteen minute Vodafone In Oz. Although not an improvement on Moontan the band had instead tried a slightly different musical direction and the album is recommended. The deeply laid back Warmth Within (Chemical Binoculars) was featured on the Pick 'n' Mix Delerium sampler album.

The band split following the release of Altered State Circus. Steev Swayambhunath branched out into ambient dance music, forming a band called Cubic Space Collective. (Chris Williams)

I Wanna Know
Dead Flowers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

People talking shadows walking underneath the city glow
I really really want I really really want
Lover called me waiting for me she's crazy cause she cannot smoke
I really really want I really really want
Is this your place is this your show
I really want I wanta know
Is this your face is this your goal
I really want I wanta know

This morning's waking starts with shaking blame it on the alcohol
I really really want I really really want
So please forgive me ig you see me stumbling through the rigmarole

I really really want I really really want
You happy people must be kidding
I obviously do not know
I really really, I really really want
To find some feeling here some pleasure yeah

To call my own
I really really want, I really want

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dead Flowers' song "I Wanna Know" convey the sense of confusion and disorientation. The opening line presents the image of people talking and shadows walking underneath the city glow, suggesting that the singer is surrounded by activity and yet disconnected from it. The repeated refrain of "I really really want" creates a sense of urgency and desire, as if the singer is searching for something important but cannot identify what it is. The references to a lover who cannot smoke and the singer's own drinking suggest that the sense of confusion may be caused by addiction or other forms of substance abuse.

The middle lines of the song present a series of questions: "Is this your place is this your show / Is this your face is this your goal." These questions suggest that the singer is searching for a sense of identity and purpose. The reference to "the rigmarole" suggests that the singer may feel trapped by social conventions or expectations. The final verse presents a contrast between the singer's sense of confusion and the happiness of others. The line "You happy people must be kidding / I obviously do not know" suggests that the singer cannot understand how others can be content when they seem to have everything the singer wants.

Overall, the lyrics of "I Wanna Know" suggest a search for meaning and identity in the midst of chaos and confusion. The repetition of the phrase "I really really want" creates a sense of urgency and desire, while the frequent references to addiction and substance abuse suggest that the search may be complicated by these factors. The questions about place, show, face, and goal suggest that the singer is trying to find a sense of identity and purpose, and the contrast with happy people at the end suggests that the singer may feel like an outsider or misfit.

Line by Line Meaning

People talking shadows walking underneath the city glow
In the bustling and bright city, there are those who are talking and walking without direction or purpose, lost in the shadows of their own existence.

Lover called me waiting for me she's crazy cause she cannot smoke
My significant other tried to reach me and is waiting for me, but she struggles with addiction and cannot resist the harmful habit of smoking.

Is this your place is this your show
I am questioning whether this is someone else's domain and if they are in charge, as I feel out of place and unsure of my standing.

Is this your face is this your goal
I am pondering if the visage before me is someone I know or if they have ulterior motives or motivations that I am not aware of.

This morning's waking starts with shaking blame it on the alcohol
I woke up this morning feeling shaky and unsteady, attributing it to my overindulgence in alcoholic drinks the previous night.

So please forgive me if you see me stumbling through the rigmarole
I apologize in advance if you witness me struggling and stumbling through the complexity and confusion of everyday life.

You happy people must be kidding, I obviously do not know
I cannot understand the happiness of those around me, as I am weighed down by my own inner turmoil and confusion.

To find some feeling here some pleasure yeah, to call my own
I desperately yearn to experience joy and personal fulfillment, to attain something that is uniquely my own and not borrowed from others.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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