Sunday November 7, 2021 “Don’t Go” Hothouse Flowers

This group was founded as a Dublin street-performance act called the Incomparable Benzini Brothers by schoolmates Liam O'Maonlai (vocals, keyboards) and Fiachna O'Broainain (guitar), the former of whom had played in the My Bloody Valentine forerunner Congress. After winning the Street Entertainers of the Year award in 1985, the Incomparable Benzini Brothers added bassist Peter O'Toole (not the actor but that would have been interesting), saxophonist Leo Barnes, and drummer Jerry Fehily and changed their name to Hothouse Flowers.

If it was a choice between the Incomparable Benzini Brothers versus Hothouse Flowers, my vote would have been for the Benzini guys...how about you?

"Don't Go" is the first single released by the group from their 1988 debut album People. It is their most successful single worldwide, reaching the top ten in New Zealand and Sweden as well as the top 40 in several other European countries...not that big a hit in the US but it was number seven on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 16 on the Album Rock Tracks chart.

Hothouse Flowers briefly joined the rock group Def Leppard to form The Acoustic Hippies from Hell, once again demonstrating their penchant for weird names.

Stay safe and well...and give this interesting tune a listen if you are not familiar with it. They were after all the Street Entertainers of the Year in 1985...in Dublin.

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 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