Lavender (Marillion song)

1985 single by Marillion

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"Lavender"

Single by Marillion
from the album  Misplaced Childhood
B-side| "Freaks"
Released| 27 August 1985
Recorded| March–May 1985
Studio| Hansa Ton (Berlin, Germany)
Length| 3:40 (7-inch)
Label| EMI
Songwriter(s)| Fish, Mark Kelly, Steve Rothery, Pete Trewavas, Ian Mosley
Producer(s)| Chris Kimsey for Wonderknob Ltd
Marillion singles chronology
| "Kayleigh"
(1985)  | "Lavender"
(1985)  | "Heart of Lothian"
(1985)

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"Lavender" is a song by the British neo-prog band Marillion. It was released as the second single from their 1985 UK number one concept album Misplaced Childhood. The follow-up to the UK number two hit "Kayleigh", the song was their second Top Five UK hit, entering the chart on 7 September 1985, reaching number five and staying on the chart for nine weeks.[1] None of the group's subsequent songs have reached the Top Five and "Lavender" remains their second highest-charting song. As with all Marillion albums and singles between 1982 and 1988, the cover art was created by Mark Wilkinson.

## Inspiration and composition

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The song features a number of verses that are reminiscent of the folk song "Lavender's Blue". The song forms part of the concept of the Misplaced Childhood album. Like "Kayleigh" it is a love song, but whereas "Kayleigh" was about the failure of an adult relationship, "Lavender" recalls the innocence of childhood:

> The childhood theme also brought up the idea of utilising an old children's song and "Lavender" was an obvious contender as one of the original pop songs of its time.[2]

The opening lines "I was walking in the park dreaming of a spark, when I heard the sprinklers whisper, shimmer in the haze of summer lawns" deliberately recall the title track of Joni Mitchell's album The Hissing of Summer Lawns.

Unusually for a rock song from the mid-1980s, "Lavender" features a traditional grand piano rather than an electronic keyboard or electric piano. In the music video, keyboardist Mark Kelly is seen playing a Bechstein but the original sleeve notes of the Misplaced Childhood album state that a Bösendorfer was used for the recording.

On the album Misplaced Childhood, "Lavender" is a short track of barely two and a half minutes, forming part of a longer suite that continues into the likewise multi-portioned track "Bitter Suite", which repeats Lavender's musical motif at the end. In order to be suitable for a single release, the track therefore needed to be re-arranged and extended. As a result, the 7" version is significantly longer than the album version (3:40 as opposed to 2:27), whereas the 12" version – entitled "Lavender Blue" – is 4:18.

## Legacy

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The song features on several Marillion compilation albums, including A Singles Collection (1992), The Best of Both Worlds (1997) and The Best of Marillion (2003). A CD replica of the single was also part of a collectors box-set released in July 2000 which contained Marillion's first twelve singles and was re-issued as a 3-CD set in 2009 (see The Singles '82–88').

The song was used in the first episode of BBC black comedy Nighty Night during a scene in which Julia Davis performs a dance for Angus Deayton.[citation needed]

The song was used in Season 1, Episode 6 of Showtime's On Becoming a God in Central Florida, "American Merchandise," directed by Julie Anne Robinson.

## Track listing

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### 7" Single

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#### Side A

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1. "Lavender " – 3:40

#### Side B

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1. "Freaks" – 4:10

### 12" Single

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#### Side A

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1. "Lavender Blue" – 4:20

#### Side B

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1. "Freaks" – 4:10
2. "Lavender " – 3:40

### Marillion – The Singles "82–88"

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1. "Lavender" – 3:40
2. "Freaks" – 4:10
3. "Lavender Blue" – 4:20

## Personnel

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* Fish – vocals
* Steve Rothery – guitars
* Mark Kelly – keyboards
* Pete Trewavas – bass
* Ian Mosley – drums

## Charts

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### Weekly charts

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| Chart (1985)  | Peak
position

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Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[3] | 18
Ireland (IRMA)[4] | 5
UK Singles (OCC)[5] | 5
West Germany (Official German Charts)[6] | 39

### Year-end charts

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| Chart (1985)  | Position

|

UK Singles (OCC)[7] | 90

## References

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1. ^ David Roberts British Hit Singles and Albums, Guinness World Records Limited
2. ^ "Misplaced Childhood Sleeve Notes". fish-thecompany.com. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
3. ^ "European Top 100 Singles". Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 41\. 14 October 1985. p. 13.
4. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Lavender". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
5. ^ "Marillion: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
6. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Marillion – Lavender" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
7. ^ "Top 100 Singles". Music Week. 18 January 1986. p. 10.

## External links

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* Music video on YouTube
* Live performance from 1987 on YouTube

* v
* t
* e

Marillion

* Steve Rothery
* Mark Kelly
* Pete Trewavas
* Ian Mosley
* Steve 'h' Hogarth

* Mick Pointer
* Brian Jelliman
* Doug 'Rastus' Irvine
* Fish
* Diz Minnett
* Andy Ward
* John 'Martyr' Marter
* Jonathan Mover

Studio albums|

* Script for a Jester's Tear
* Fugazi
* Misplaced Childhood
* Clutching at Straws
* Seasons End
* Holidays in Eden
* Brave
* Afraid of Sunlight
* This Strange Engine
* Radiation
* marillion.com
* Anoraknophobia
* Marbles
* Somewhere Else
* Happiness Is the Road
* Less Is More
* Sounds That Can't Be Made
* Fuck Everyone and Run (F E A R)
* An Hour Before It's Dark

Compilations|

* Brief Encounter
* B'Sides Themselves
* A Singles Collection
* The Best of Both Worlds
* The Best of Marillion
* The Singles '82–88'
* With Friends from the Orchestra

Live albums|

* Real to Reel
* The Thieving Magpie
* Made Again
* Unplugged at the Walls
* Front Row Club Issue 1
* Anorak in the UK
* Early Stages
* Live from Loreley
* Recital of the Script

Remix albums|

* Tales from the Engine Room

Singles|

* "Market Square Heroes"
* "He Knows You Know"
* "Garden Party"
* "Punch and Judy"
* "Assassing"
* "Kayleigh"
* "Lavender"
* "Heart of Lothian"
* "Lady Nina"
* "Welcome to the Garden Party"
* "Incommunicado"
* "Sugar Mice"
* "Warm Wet Circles"
* "Freaks (Live)"
* "Hooks in You"
* "The Uninvited Guest"
* "Easter"
* "Cover My Eyes (Pain and Heaven)"
* "Man of a Thousand Faces"
* "You're Gone"
* "Don't Hurt Yourself"
* "The Damage" (live)
* "Thankyou Whoever You Are"/"Most Toys"
* "Carol of the Bells"

Related articles|

* Marillion discography
* Brave (film)
* John Helmer
* Mark Wilkinson
* Crowdfunding
* Fan-funded music

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

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