Where the Wild Roses Grow

For the film, see Where the Wild Roses Grow (film).

"Where the Wild Roses Grow"
File:Wherethewildrosesgrow.jpg
Single by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue
from the album Murder Ballads
B-side	"The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane" "The Willow Garden"
Released	2 October 1995 (1995-10-02)
Format	CD 7" cassette
Recorded	1993–95
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	3:57
Label	Mute
Writer(s)	Nick Cave
Producer(s)	Tony Cohen Victor Van Vugt
Certification	Gold (Australia, Germany)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds chronology
"Red Right Hand" (1994) "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (1995) "Henry Lee" (1996)
Kylie Minogue chronology "Where Is the Feeling?" (1995) "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (1995) "Some Kind of Bliss" (1997) Music video "Where the Wild Roses Grow" on YouTube

"Where the Wild Roses Grow" is a duet by Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and pop singer Kylie Minogue. It is the fifth song and lead single from the band's ninth studio album, Murder Ballads (1996), released on Mute Records. It was written by the band's frontman Nick Cave and produced by Tony Cohen and Victor Van Vugt.

The song received a positive reception from music critics and became the band's most successful single worldwide reaching No. 3 in Norway, the top five in Australia, and the top twenty in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and New Zealand. It also received a limited promotional release in the United States. The song was certified Gold in Germany in 1996 for 250,000 copies sold, despite never reaching the top ten in that country. It charted again at the bottom of the German Top 100 in 2008 because of digital downloads after it was used in a soap opera. "Where the Wild Roses Grow" was also certified Gold in Australia for selling 50,000 copies.

Cave was inspired to write "Where the Wild Roses Grow" after listening to the traditional song, "Down in the Willow Garden", a tale of a man courting a woman and killing her while they are out together. Cave arranged this tale as second of two B-sides, "The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane" / "The Willow Garden", released on the CD-Maxi single version.

Although the song does not feature on a Minogue studio album, it can be found on her compilations Hits+, Greatest Hits 1987–1999, Ultimate Kylie and The Abbey Road Sessions. Minogue performed a chorus of the song during her Showgirl and Homecoming tours.

It reached number 8 in Triple J's Hottest 100 1995. In 2012, NME listed the song in the "100 Best Songs of the 1990s" at number 35.

Background

Cave described writing the song:

"Where The Wild Roses Grow" was written very much with Kylie in mind. I'd wanted to write a song for Kylie for many years. I had a quiet obsession with her for about six years. I wrote several songs for her, none of which I felt was appropriate to give her. It was only when I wrote this song, which is a dialogue between a killer and his victim, that I thought finally I'd written the right song for Kylie to sing. I sent the song to her and she replied the next day.

— Nick Cave, quoted in Molly Meldrum presents 50 Years of Rock in Australia (2007)

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue first performed the song publicly on 4 August 1995 in Cork, Republic of Ireland.

Song information

According to the sheet music edition published by OnlineSheetMusic.com, "Where The Wild Roses Grow" is written in the compound time signature of 6/8 and is set in the key signature of G minor, at a tempo of 56 beats per minute.

Music video

The video for this song, commissioned by Emma Davies for Mute Records, shot by director Rocky Schenck and produced by Nick Verden for Atlas Films, shows Kylie Minogue in character, apparently having been murdered by Nick Cave's character. We see her in ghost-like form and also in a river in a pose reminiscent of Millais' painting Ophelia. The video ends with Cave's character putting a rose in Minogue's mouth and closing her eyelids.

Live performances

Minogue performed the song on the following concert tours:

• Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour (performed as a medley with "Red Blooded Woman")
• Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour (performed as a medley with "Red Blooded Woman")
• For You, for Me (performed as a medley with "Red Blooded Woman")

Minogue appeared as a surprise guest at Coldplay's Enmore Theatre show in Sydney, Australia on 19 June 2014, where they performed the song as a duet.

Other version

A guide track with The Bad Seeds guitarist, Blixa Bargeld, singing Kylie Minogue's vocal part was released on the compilation B-Sides & Rarities.

Awards

• 1996 ARIA Awards: 'Single of the Year', 'Song of the Year' & 'Best Pop Release'.

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Where the Wild Roses Grow".

UK 7" single (MUTE 185)

1. "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (Cave) – 3:58
2. "The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane" (Cave) – 3:34

UK cassette single (CMUTE 185)

1. "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (Cave) – 3:58
2. "The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane" (Cave) – 3:34

EU CD single (CDMUTE 185)

1. "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (Cave) – 3:58
2. "The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane" (Cave) – 3:34
3. "The Willow Garden" (Traditional) – 3:57

Australian CD single (D1188)

1. "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (Cave) – 3:58
2. "The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane" (Cave) – 3:34
3. "The Willow Garden" (Traditional) – 3:57

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1995–96)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)	8
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)	3
Denmark (IFPI)	9
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)	8
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)	5
France (SNEP)	37
Germany (Official German Charts)	12
Ireland (IRMA)	6
Italy (FIMI)	20
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	9
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	9
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	11
Norway (VG-lista)	3
Poland (LP3)	3
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	3
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	11
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)	11

Year-end charts

Chart (1995)	Position
Australia (ARIA)	41
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	27
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)	61
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	94
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	76

Chart (1996)	Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	24

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)	Gold	35,000
Germany (BVMI)	Gold	250,000
^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Covers and parodies

• Anna Maria Jopek and Maciej Maleńczuk, both established Polish musicians, covered the translated version of the song ("Tam, gdzie rosną dzikie róże") as part of a collaboration with Nick Cave on the 1999 album Nick Cave i Przyjaciele.
• Gregorian on their 2004 album The Dark Side.
• Kamelot as a bonus track on the EU limited edition version of their 2010 album Poetry for the Poisoned.
• Fusspils 11 did a German translation on their album Elektro-Polizei: Alarm Für Fusspils 11!.
• Sara Noxx & Mark Benecke covered the song for Sara's 2011 single.
• Bodenski, a member of Subway to Sally, on his 2012 album Auto! with lyrics in German, together with his wife.
• Wayne Hussey and Julianne Regan on their joint album Curios in 2011.
• The CNK featuring Snowy Shaw on their 2012 album Révisionnisme.
• The Shirehorses as 'Dick Cave and the Bad Cheese ft. Riley Minogue' spoofed the song as "Hapless Boy Lard" on their 1997 album The Worst...Album in the World...Ever...EVER!.

External links

• Nick Cave – official website.
• Kylie.com – official website.
• critical analysis of video, Rachael Zeleny