The group first formed in 1985 when Liam Ó Maonlaí and Fiachna ó Braonáin (who had known each other as children in an Irish-speaking school) began performing as street musicians, or buskers, on the streets of Dublin, Ireland as "The Incomparable Benzini Brothers." They were soon joined by Peter O'Toole, and had won a street-entertainer award within a year. They renamed the group "Hothouse Flowers" and began writing songs and performing throughout Ireland. Rolling Stone magazine called them "the best unsigned band in Europe."
In 1986 Bono from the band U2, saw the Flowers performing on television and offered his support. They released their first single, "Love Don't Work This Way", on U2's Mother Records label, which quickly led to a deal with the PolyGram subsidiary London Records.
Their first album, People was released in early 1988 and was the most successful debut album in Irish history. It reached the number one slot in Ireland within a week and eventually reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart. The international success of the album received a great boost when a music video for the first single, "Don't Go", was played in the interval between contestants and the scoring in the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest.
The second album, Home was released in June of 1990. It was recorded sporadically whilst in the midst of extensive touring; with sessions in Dublin, London, a rented house with a mobile recording set-up in Carlow, Ireland, and one day of work with Daniel Lanois in New Orleans, whilst Bob Dylan was taking a break from his sessions with Lanois. The album did not have the overwhelming success of the first record, but it reached number 2 in Australia. The two singles from the album, "Give It Up" and "I Can See Clearly Now" (a cover of the Johnny Nash song performed by both Jimmy Cliff and Bill Withers) reached numbers 30 and 23 respectively in the UK Singles Chart.
Songs From the Rain was released in March 1993. Whilst it received excellent reviews and achieved some chart success in Australia and Ireland, worldwide sales were disappointing. In an attempt to boost record sales (and especially to break in to the American charts), the record label and the band's management kept the group on the road almost continuously for the entire year. By early 1994, Ó Maonlaí had decided that the group was suffering from physical, mental and creative exhaustion, and he called for a year-long sabbatical.
The year-long break turned into several years, as the band members recouped their energy and experienced changes in their personal lives, including divorces, marriages, the birth of children and the death of Ó Maonlaí's father. The group also split from their long-time manager, and Leo Barnes (saxophone) and Jerry Fehily (drums) left the group. O'Toole and ó Braonáin spent some of their time off from the Hothouse Flowers, recording and touring with Michelle Shocked and Ó Maonlaí worked with Tim Finn and Andy White, whilst also studying traditional Irish music.
In 1998 they released Born. Joined by Wayne Sheehy on drums and Rob Malone on bass, this album contained extensive songwriting contributions from O'Toole, who (freed from his bass responsibilities) played mostly guitar, bouzouki and keyboards on the recording. The music also incorporated more elements of electronic loops, synthesizers and studio effects.
By 1999 they had reached the end of their contract with London Records, and both the label and the band decided not to renew. The label head allowed the group the rights to record songs from their past London releases and produce a live record. Live' was self-released by the group later that year, taken mostly from an October 1998 show in Dublin Stadium (with one track from a November show in Tokyo). Sheehy and Malone left the group shortly after the release of the record. Dave Clarke, formerly of Blue in Heaven, joined on drums and O'Toole returned to the bass.
In 2000 London Records released a compilation of songs from their four previous albums titled Best of.
During the band's official hiatus between Songs From the Rain and Born, band memebers had both written songs individually, and sporadically got together to write collaboratively. Some of these songs were never released, while others altered significantly to become some of the tracks on Born. In 2003 the Flowers collected these unreleased recordings and issued them as Vaults:Volume 1.
In February 2004 the band released their latest album, Into Your Heart, produced by the band and John Reynolds. The first single, "Tell Me", reached the top 20 on the Irish charts. The record was released on the RubyMusic label in Europe and distributed by Redeye in the United States. They have toured extensively in support of the record, including a performance at the Glastonbury Festival in 2004.
Ó Maonlaí has done several tours as a solo acoustic performer, and released an album in 2005 called Rian.
Don't Go
Hothouse Flowers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the sun is shining down on the blossoms in the avenue
There's a buzzing fly hanging around the bluebells and the daisies
And there's a lot more loving left in this world
Don't go
Don't leave me now, now, now
While the sun smiles, stick around and laugh a while yeah
And I lie on warm and soft sandy beaches
And my toes are submerged in the water and it feels good
Children playing building castles on the shoreline
Like a painted little love and lord it feels so fine
Don't go
Don't leave me now, now, now
While the sun smiles, stick around and laugh a while yeah
There's white horses and they're coming at me at a pace now
And there's a blue sirocco blowing warm into my face
The sun is shining on the other side of the bridges
And The cars going by with smiles in the windows.
There's a black cat lying in the shadow of the gate-post
And the black cat keeps telling me that love is on it's way
Yeah there's a black cat lying in the shadow of the gate-post
And the black cat tells me that love is on it's way
Don't go
Don't leave me now, now, now
While the sun smiles, stick around and laugh a while yeah
Don't go
I can hear you coming now, now, now
Ah, no no no, don't go
The Hothouse Flowers' song "Don't Go" paints a vivid picture of a beautiful, sunny day filled with the smells and sights of nature. The opening lines describe the sensory experience of the smell of fresh cut grass and the sun shining down on the blooming flowers. The buzzing fly adds to the peaceful ambiance of the setting. The lyrics then transition to the beach, where the singer describes the feeling of warm sand and water on their toes. The sight of children playing and building sandcastles on the shoreline creates an atmosphere of carefree joy.
The main message of the song is captured in the chorus: "Don't go, don't leave me now, while the sun smiles, stick around and laugh awhile yeah." The singer pleads with someone not to leave because there is still love and happiness to be found in the world. The imagery of white horses and a blue sirocco blowing warm wind into the singer's face suggests that there are endless possibilities for new adventures and experiences in life. The black cat lying in the shadow of the gate-post is a symbol of good luck and the promise of love to come.
Overall, "Don't Go" is a song about appreciating the simple joys of life and not giving up on love, even when it seems like it may be out of reach. The lyrics remind the listener to live in the moment and be grateful for every beautiful day that comes our way.
Line by Line Meaning
There's smell of fresh cut grass and it's filling up my senses
The singer is enjoying the aromas of nature and feeling alive.
And the sun is shining down on the blossoms in the avenue
The singer observes the beauty of the sun shining on the flowers and trees.
There's a buzzing fly hanging around the bluebells and the daisies
The singer sees the details of nature, from the buzzing of a fly to the specific flowers around them.
And there's a lot more loving left in this world
The artist believes that there is still kindness and compassion in the world.
Don't go
The artist pleads with someone not to leave them.
Don't leave me now, now, now
The singer emphasizes the urgency in their request for the person not to leave.
While the sun smiles, stick around and laugh a while yeah
The singer encourages the person to enjoy the moment while they can.
And I lie on warm and soft sandy beaches
The artist describes a peaceful moment of lying on the beach.
And my toes are submerged in the water and it feels good
The artist is enjoying the sensation of their toes in the water.
Children playing building castles on the shoreline
The artist observes playful children building sandcastles.
Like a painted little love and lord it feels so fine
The singer comments on the beauty of the scene and how it makes them feel.
There's white horses and they're coming at me at a pace now
The artist describes a vision of white horses running towards them.
And there's a blue sirocco blowing warm into my face
The singer feels a warm breeze blowing in their face.
The sun is shining on the other side of the bridges
The singer sees the sunshine on the other side of the bridges.
And The cars going by with smiles in the windows.
The singer observes happy people driving by.
There's a black cat lying in the shadow of the gate-post
The artist notices a black cat resting in the shade.
And the black cat keeps telling me that love is on it's way
The artist imagines that the black cat is a sign that love is coming.
Yeah there's a black cat lying in the shadow of the gate-post
The singer repeats their observation of the black cat as a meaningful presence.
Don't go
The singer repeats their plea for the person not to leave.
Don't leave me now, now, now
The artist repeats their sense of urgency.
While the sun smiles, stick around and laugh a while yeah
The artist repeats their emphasis on enjoying the moment while they can.
Don't go
The artist repeats their plea once more as a final request.
I can hear you coming now, now, now
The singer senses that the person is about to leave despite their pleas.
Ah, no no no, don't go
The artist expresses their despair at the thought of being left alone.
Lyrics © BARDIS MUSIC, USA ATTN: PETER BARDON
Written by: Fiachna Seosamh O'Braonain, Liam Tadg O'Maonlai, Peter Mary O'Toole
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheIzzyloud
lyrics
There's smell of fresh cut grass
And it's filling up my senses
And the sun is shining down
On the blossoms in the avenue.
There's a buzzing fly hanging
Around the bluebells and the daisies
And there's a lot more loving left in this world.
Don't go
Don't leave me now now now
While the sun smiles
Stick around and laugh a while yeah.
And I lie on warm and soft sancly beaches
And my toes are submerged in the water
And it feels good.
Children playing building castles on the shoreline
Like a painted little love and lord
It feels so fine.
Don't go
Don't leave me now now now
While the sun smiles
Stick around and laugh a while yeah.
Uh Huh
Uh Huh
There's white horses and they're
Coming at me and they face now
And there's a blue sirocco
Blowing warm into my face.
The sun is shining on the other side of the bridges
The cars going by with smiles in the windows.
There's a black cat Iying in the
Shadow of the gate-post
And the black cat keeps telling me
That love is on it's way. Yeah
There's a black cat Iying in the
Shadow of the gate-post
And the black cat tells me that
Love is on it's way.
Don't go
Don't ieave me now now now
While the sun smiles
Stick around and laugh a while yeah.
Stick around and laugh a while. - Don't go! -
Don't go
Don't leave me now now now
While the sun smiles
Stick around and laugh a while yeah.
Uh huh
Uh huh
Don't go
Don't leave me now now now
While the sun smiles
Stick around and laugh a while yeah.
@whitestoneministry547
There's a smell of fresh cut grass
And it's filling up my senses
And the sun is shining down on the blossoms in the avenue.
There's a buzzing fly hanging around the bluebells and the daisies
And there's a lot more loving left in this world.
Don't go
Don't leave me now, now, now
While the sun smiles
Stick around and laugh a while, yeah
And I lie on warm and soft sandy beaches
And my, my toes are submerged in the water and it feels good.
Children playing, building castles on the shoreline
Like a painted little love, and Lord, it feels so fine
Don't go
Don't leave me now, now, now
While the sun smiles
Stick around and laugh a while, yeah
There's white horses and they're coming at me, in my face now
And there's a blue sirocco blowing warm into my face.
The sun is shining on the underside of the bridges
The cars going by with smiles in the windows
There's a black cat Iying in the shadow of the gate-post
And the black cat keeps telling me that love is on it's way, yeah
There's a black cat Iying in the shadow of the gate-post
And the black cat tells me that love is on it's way.
Don't go
Don't leave me now, now, now
While the sun smiles
Stick around and laugh a while, yeah
Stick around and laugh a while
(Don't go)
Don't go
Don't leave me now, now, now
While the sun smiles
Stick around and laugh a while, yeah
I can hear it coming near
Around at me now
Coming near me
Don't ever leave now
Don't go (don't go)
Don't leave me now, now, now
While the sun smiles
Stick around and laugh a while, yeah
(Woah, don't go)
I can hear you coming now, now now
(Don't go)
And I won't go (don't go)
Don't leave me now, now, now
While the sun smiles
Stick around and laugh a while, yeah
@ItsNotRealLife
1990
I was 39
Im 72 now
Jeez this brings back some great memories as a mature degree student im Liverpool
Funnily enough im going back there next year to retire
@neilsmith9220
Bumped into Hothouse Flowers one night at a hotel in the Docklands when I was working up that way. Got drinking and ended up having a sing song with them on the piano in the bar. Liam is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet, a real old soul. Not an ounce of self importance about him and genuinely friendly to everybody. I was very impressed with Liam and the band and had a great time. A top man.
@birgittaeriksson3589
Font cr0y för
@catherine711
av got the 12 inch single what a band paddy
@Irishmartin1971
Great story man , fair play to you what a band , great guys , great music
@relocatetoItaly
Nothing like them proper soul music of the 90s 00s
@dominicjames8559
Did you tell him 'don't go'?
@lorihaugen4020
Still brings joy nearly 35 years later!
@baylessnow
35 years?!!! I was 22. Fook me, where has my life gone?
@alanpengo3335
Same as me 85 to 90 what great music and party days ❤