Flame Trees

Album: Twentieth Century (1984)
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Songfacts®:

  • Flame trees are large trees found in parts of Australia that produce striking red blooms. There were lots of them in Grafton, where Cold Chisel keyboard player Don Walker lived as a youth. According to the band's official website, he drew inspiration for the song from these times, which was when he was forming his romantic dreams. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Duane - Adelaide, Australia
  • The song appears on Twentieth Century, an album released in 1984 after the band had broken up. By this time, they were well known in their native Australia but were frustrated because they couldn't make inroads in America. They ended up getting back together in 1997 but after releasing an album a year later, they only stayed active at odd intervals.

Comments: 5

  • Pucho from TasmaniaI went to school in Grafton and I always believed it was about Grafton. I wondered if the "factory worker" had worked at the match factory which closed in the late 70's. The Flame trees flowered at the same time as the Jacarandas (they were Queensland fire whee trees not the Illawara flame trees) they looked amazing together. I'd sometimes bump into Don Walker at the Piccolo bar in Kings Cross in the early '80s he was a easy going guy and easily one of the greatest Australian song writers.
  • Marty from SydneyMy all time favourite song
  • Myles from Brisbane Amazing song
  • Adrian from Perth"Do you remember, nothing stopped us on the field in our day." It only just occurred to me that this is a sporting reference, at least I think it is.
  • Ian James Watson from West End, Australiai am led to beleive steve prestwich had already left the band and a stand in drummer ( ray arnott ? ) was used.
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