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.
Love Don't Work This Way
Hothouse Flowers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything seemed so fine
Holdin′ hands and roses
I really thought you were mine
Love don't work this way
Love don′t work this way
Gonna hide my face
Gonna call your name
All over the place
I love you darling
You know I do
My whole life
Revolves 'round you
Love don't work this way
Love don′t work this way
Then you started to change honey
Stopped looking my way
So I thought a lot
Dream a lot
Dreamt a lot
Thought a lot
I had to say
Love don′t work this way
Love don't work this way
Gonna grow my hair
Gonna hide my face
Gonna call your name
All over the place
I love you darling
You know I do
My whole life
Revolves ′round you
Love don't work this way
Love don′t work this way
The lyrics of Hothouse Flowers's song "Love Don't Work This Way" convey a sense of disillusionment and betrayal in a relationship that once seemed perfect. The singer reminisces about the initial stages of the relationship, where everything felt wonderful and full of promise. Holding hands and exchanging roses, it seemed like a love that would last forever. However, as the song progresses, the tone shifts as the singer realizes that things have changed, and the love they once shared no longer seems to be reciprocated.
The repeated refrain of "Love don't work this way" serves as a poignant reminder of the harsh reality that love is not always easy or straightforward. Despite the singer's efforts to cling on to the love they once had, it becomes clear that the relationship is unraveling. The lyrics speak to the frustration and confusion that comes with realizing that love is not always enough to sustain a relationship, especially when one person begins to drift away.
The second verse delves deeper into the emotional turmoil experienced by the singer as they grapple with the changing dynamics of their relationship. The lyrics express a sense of desperation as the singer contemplates the ways in which they can try to salvage the love they once shared. The imagery of growing hair, hiding their face, and calling out the beloved's name allude to a sense of longing and a desire to reconnect with the person they love.
As the song reaches its conclusion, the lyrics circle back to the central theme of unrequited love and the inability to make things work as they once did. The singer's declaration of love and devotion is juxtaposed with the realization that their life revolves around someone who may no longer feel the same way. The cyclical nature of the chorus reinforces the idea that despite the singer's efforts, love simply doesn't work in the way they had hoped. Overall, the lyrics of "Love Don't Work This Way" paint a poignant picture of love's complexities and the heartbreak that can come when things don't go as planned.
Line by Line Meaning
When I first met you darling
At the beginning of our relationship
Everything seemed so fine
Everything appeared to be going well
Holdin′ hands and roses
Showing affection and giving gifts
I really thought you were mine
I believed you belonged to me
Love don't work this way
Love doesn't function like this
Gonna grow my hair
I will change my appearance
Gonna hide my face
Avoiding confrontation or attention
Gonna call your name
Trying to get your attention
All over the place
In every possible way
I love you darling
My feelings for you are strong
You know I do
You are aware of my love
My whole life
My entire existence
Revolves ′round you
Centers around you
Then you started to change honey
You began to act differently
Stopped looking my way
No longer paying attention to me
So I thought a lot
I contemplated deeply
Dream a lot
I had many hopes and wishes
Dreamt a lot
I imagined scenarios in my mind
Thought a lot
I gave a lot of consideration
I had to say
I had to express my feelings
Writer(s): Fiachna O' Braonian, Hothouse Flowers, Jeremiah Fehily, Leo Barnes, Liam ó Maonlaí, Liam O'maolai, Maria Doyle, Peter O'toole, S. Barnes
Contributed by Benjamin K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
nlgbbbblth
On CD? Yes. The A - Z Of Irish Rock.
Scorpius
Great song, probably my favourite by the Flowers
nlgbbbblth
Way better than the LP version. Thanks.
67 mark
+nlgbbbblth Totally agree with you...the album version is terrible compaired to this...this is full of soul and energy...
Simon Norris
saw this by chance in spain some time in late 87, showcasing new bands at the time. I was annoyed the album version was different...havent seen this vid for 30 years!
Alfonso Super
excellent Irish group
Daragh Quigley
Maria Doyle :)