"Flowers in December" is a song by American alternative rock band

Mazzy Star Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Santa Monica, California, from remnants of the group Opal (band), Opal. Founding member David Roback's friend Hope Sandoval became the group's vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal ...

, released in October 1996 as the lead single from their third studio album ''

Among My Swan ''Among My Swan'' is the third studio album by American band Mazzy Star, released on October 29, 1996 by Capitol Records. Although ''Among My Swan'' did not contain any US Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hits like its predecessor, ''So T ...

''. It was written by

Hope Sandoval Hope Sandoval (born June 24, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, and the lead singer of Mazzy Star and Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions. She has also toured and collaborated with other artists, including the Jesus and Mary Chain and Ma ...

and

David Roback David Edward Roback (April 4, 1958 – February 24, 2020) was an American guitarist, songwriter and producer, best known as a founding member of the alternative rock band Mazzy Star. Early life and education Roback was born on April 4, 1958, an ...

, and produced by Roback. "Flowers in December" reached 40 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for two weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the single, directed by

Kevin Kerslake Kevin Kerslake is an American filmmaker, photographer, and music video director. He has directed documentaries on Joan Jett ('' Bad Reputation''), DJ AM (''As I AM: The Life and Times of DJ AM''), The Ramones ('' We're Outta Here!''), Nirvana ...

Critical reception

Upon its release, ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' named "Flowers in December" their "single of the week" and commented, "David Roback and Hope Sandoval's dreamy acoustics have become even more poppier with gorgeous melodies, plenty of minor chord changes and a delicate violin whispering in the background." Kristy Barker of ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' picked it as one of the magazine's "single of the week" and stated that it "nearly manage to "move eras much" as Mazzy Star's "Fade into You" and "Blue Flower". She continued, "Strings that sound like sighs back Sandoval's forlorn oice but then a great honking mouth organ comes in and spoils it all". She was more positive towards the "Delicatessen-like" "Hair and Skin", noting she "fell in love" with the track, which is "all fuzzy guitars and stop-start minor-chord organ, and Hope, sounding more desolate than ever". In a review of ''Among My Swan'', Chris Molanphy of ''

CMJ New Music Monthly CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...

'' commented, "...amid Hope Sandoval's wispy voice and David Roback's plinking guitars, there's a brightness trying to emerge. You hear it in the chimes that ring over "Disappear," and in Sandoval's wistful harmonica on "Flowers in December." In a 2013 retrospective on the band's career, Emily Mackay of ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a " rock inkie", the ''NME'' would become a maga ...

'' considered the song "lovely but not the album's best moment".

Track listings

UK CD1 and 7-inch single # "Flowers in December" – 4:56 # "Tell Your Honey" – 4:31 # "Hair and Skin" – 3:42 UK CD2 # "Flowers in December" – 4:56 # "Ride It On" (live) – 3:09 # "Had a Thought" – 2:24 European maxi-CD single # "Flowers in December" – 4:56 # "Tell Your Honey" – 4:31 # "Hair and Skin" – 3:42 # "Ride It On" (live) – 3:09

Personnel

Mazzy Star *

– vocals, harmonica, co-production *

– guitar, production, engineering * William Cooper – strings, engineering * Jill Emery – bass * Keith Mitchell – drums Additional personnel * Dale Everingham – engineering * Eddy Schreyer – mastering * Andy Caitlan, John Eagle – sleeve photography

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1996 songs 1996 singles Capitol Records singles Mazzy Star songs Music videos directed by Kevin Kerslake