Flowers show up in music for all kinds of reasons, like in tracks about love, loss, growth, beauty, and even humor. Some songs use them to represent romance or heartbreak, while others literally celebrate flowers and gardens. You’ll find that and more on this list, from rock ballads to country favorites.
Be sure to check out the Songs About Flowers Playlist at the bottom of this page.
Best Songs About Flowers
1. “Flowers” – Miley Cyrus
Lyric Sample: “I can buy myself flowers, write my name in the sand.”
Cyrus celebrates self-love and independence following a breakup, proclaiming that she can provide herself with all the care and affection she needs. She uses the act of buying flowers to show her newfound freedom and contentment.
Related: “Flowers” Song Meaning
2. “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” – Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond
Lyric Sample: “You don’t bring me flowers, you don’t sing me love songs.”
This melancholy 1970s duet captures the slow fading of romance in a long-term relationship. The lack of flowers symbolizes the loss of those small, thoughtful gestures that once kept the passion alive.
Related: Grammy for Record of the Year
3. “Roses Are Red (My Love)” – Bobby Vinton
Lyric Sample: “Roses are red, my love, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, my love, but not as sweet as you.”
This classic ’60s ballad takes the childhood rhyme and spins it into a love declaration. I personally first heard it in Goodfellas, but it was well-known long before that film came out.
Related: Best Songs with “Red” in the Title
4. “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” – Poison
Lyric Sample: “Every rose has its thorn, just like every night has its dawn.”
Poison’s hit rock ballad is all about post-breakup feelings. The rose is used as a metaphor to show that even the most beautiful things can hurt you.
5. “Kiss from a Rose” – Seal
Lyric Sample: “Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey.”
Seal uses the image of a rose to describe love that’s both alluring and dangerous in this ’90s hit. No one knows for sure what it’s really about, but it’s certainly one of the most famous flower songs.
Related: “Kiss from a Rose” Song Meaning
6. “Wildflowers” – Tom Petty
Lyric Sample: “You belong among the wildflowers, you belong in a boat out at sea.”
Petty encourages a free spirit to embrace her own wildflower nature and find a place where she can truly be herself. The folk-rock track is an ode to independence and finding beauty in being untamed.
7. “Sunflower” – Post Malone & Swae Lee
Lyric Sample: “Needless to say, I keep her in check, she was a bad-bad, nevertheless.”
Featured in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, this 2018 pop hit uses a sunflower as a symbol of loyalty and devotion in a turbulent relationship. It’s easily one of the most successful “flower” songs of the last decade.
Related: “Sunflower” Song Meaning
8. “Dead Flowers” – The Rolling Stones
Lyric Sample: “Send me dead flowers to my wedding, and I won’t forget to put roses on your grave.”
This early ’70s country rock tune is a bitter request for dead flowers instead of living ones from an ex. It’s about class, heartbreak, and defiance all rolled into one.
9. “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” – Pete Seeger
Lyric Sample: “Where have all the flowers gone? Young girls have picked them, every one.”
This folk standard uses the disappearance of flowers to ask a much larger question about loss and the recurring cycles of war. Seeger’s simple yet haunting message made it one of the most famous anti-war songs of the 20th century.
Related: Songs About Nature
10. “Black Roses” – Clare Bowen
Lyric Sample: “Now you only bring me black roses, and they crumble in the dust when they’re held.”
Created for the Nashville TV series, this ballad uses black roses to show how love has turned toxic and lifeless. It’s about a woman who chooses to leave after being caught in a painful cycle of lies and broken promises.
11. “Lotus Flower” – Radiohead
Lyric Sample: “Slowly we unfurl as lotus flowers, ’cause all I want is the moon upon a stick.”
This 2011 electronic track is about wanting to break free from a difficult relationship. The lotus flower symbolizes the slow process of growth and opening up after being restricted.
12. “Edelweiss” – Rodgers & Hammerstein
Lyric Sample: “Small and white, clean and bright, you look happy to meet me.”
From The Sound of Music, this classic tune is a tribute to a small white flower native to the Austrian Alps. The beauty of the Edelweiss represents love for one’s homeland.
Related: “Edelweiss” Song Meaning
13. “Paper Roses” – Marie Osmond
Lyric Sample: “Oh, how real those roses seem to be.”
“Paper Roses” is about love that looks beautiful on the surface but feels fake underneath. Marie Osmond’s version became one of the biggest country-pop hits of the ’70s.
14. “Daisies” – Katy Perry
Lyric Sample: “They tell me that I’m crazy, but I’ll never let ’em change me, ’til they cover me in daisies.”
“Daisies” is an empowering pop song about staying true to yourself even when facing doubt. Perry turns daisies into a symbol of resilience and self-belief, pushing back against criticism.
15. “Wildflower” – Skylark
Lyric Sample: “Let the rain fall down upon her, she’s a free and gentle flower, growing wild.”
This 1972 soul classic compares a woman’s strength and fragility to a wildflower, growing freely despite hardship. It honors her resilience and independence, showing how beauty can thrive even in the toughest conditions.
16. “Desert Rose” – Sting
Lyric Sample: “This desert flower, no sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this.”
Sting blends English pop with Arabic influences in this ’90s hit. The desert rose is a beautiful yet elusive woman.
17. “Blue Orchid” – The White Stripes
Lyric Sample: “You’re given a flower, but I guess that there’s just no pleasing you.”
This 2005 blues-rock track is about someone who is intentionally manipulating or twisting something pure. It’s about a deceptive person who thrives on getting a strong reaction from others.
Related: Songs with “Blue” in the Title
18. “(Nothing But) Flowers” – Talking Heads
Lyric Sample: “There was a factory, now there are mountains and rivers.”
This 1980s pop-rock track is about a future where civilization has collapsed, leaving nothing but flowers. The song’s ironic tone contrasts modern convenience with environmental renewal.
19. “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” – Lainey Wilson
Lyric Sample: “I’m four-fifths of reckless and one-fifth of jack, I push like a daisy through old sidewalk cracks.”
Wilson celebrates resilience and untamed spirit using wildflowers and wild horses as metaphors. The song is about independence, strength, and the ability to thrive even in challenging or unpredictable circumstances.
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20. “Roses” – OutKast
Lyric Sample: “I know you’d like to think your sh*t don’t stank, but lean a little bit closer.”
OutKast’s witty 2003 hip-hop track is about a girl who is beautiful on the surface but lacks substance. She’s definitely not a sweet-smelling rose.
21. “Bed of Roses” – Bon Jovi
Lyric Sample: “I want to lay you down in a bed of roses, for tonight I sleep on a bed of nails.”
This ’90s ballad is about a man trying to make up for mistakes and be there for the woman he loves. It’s easily one of the biggest “flower” love songs of that decade.
Related: “Bed of Roses” Song Meaning
22. “Flower” – Kylie Minogue
Lyric Sample: “Distant child, my flower, are you blowing in the breeze?”
Minogue sings about her hopes of becoming a mother in this 2012 pop song. She pictures a future where her bond with a child blossoms.
23. “Sunflower” – Rex Orange County
Lyric Sample: “Sunflower still grows at night, waiting for a minute till the sun’s seen through my eyes.”
This 2017 indie-pop song uses a sunflower as a symbol of hope and support in difficult times. It’s about leaning on someone who helps you feel grounded and cared for.
24. “The Rose” – Bette Midler
Lyric Sample: “I say love, it is a flower, and you, its only seed”
This 1980s classic compares love to a rose, something that can be beautiful but also painful. It’s about how fear can hold us back from experiencing love, but when we take the chance, love can grow and heal us.
Related: “The Rose” Song Meaning
25. “Rose Garden” – Lynn Anderson
Lyric Sample: “I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden.”
This 1970 Grammy-winning country hit reminds listeners that love and life come with both joys and challenges. Anderson uses the rose garden as a metaphor for balancing happiness with the inevitable difficulties.
Related: CMA – Single of the Year
26. “Flower Shops” – ERNEST ft. Morgan Wallen
Lyric Sample: “I’ll buy violets and daisies to hide all the crazy, it’s gonna take all you’ve got.”
This 2021 country song is a regretful track where the singers acknowledge that their poor behavior has driven their partners away. They desperately rely on an excessive amount of flowers as a last-ditch effort to apologize.
27. “China Roses” – Enya
Lyric Sample: “One told me of China Roses, one a thousand nights and one night.”
Enya uses China Roses to represent mystery and beauty in this atmospheric track. It’s a unique track about love, life, and the world around us.
28. “Two Dozen Roses” – Shenandoah
Lyric Sample: “If I had two dozen roses and an older bottle of wine, would it change your mind?”
This ’80s country hit is about a man wishing he could fix a broken relationship with grand gestures. He wonders if bringing two dozen roses and fine wine would be enough for her to come back to him.
29. “Marigold” – Nirvana
Lyric Sample: “All in all the clock is slow, six color pictures all in a row of a marigold.”
Written and sung by Dave Grohl, “Marigold” feels like being stuck in a waiting room where time drags and thoughts loop. The flower is a singular point of focus for him as he waits.
30. “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” – Tiny Tim
Lyric Sample: “Knee deep in flowers, we’ll stray, we’ll keep the showers away.”
Tiny Tim’s version of this 1920s love song turned it into something both sweet and unsettling. His high-pitched voice and quirky delivery made it oddly memorable.
31. “Flowers” – Lauren Spencer Smith
Lyric Sample: “I guess the flowers aren’t just used for big apologies, I guess I should’ve been more cautious how you spoke to me.”
This 2022 breakup song inverts the usual meaning of flowers, transforming them into a symbol of insincere apologies and emotional manipulation. It’s a piano ballad about realizing your worth after being mistreated.
32. “Supermarket Flowers” – Ed Sheeran
Lyric Sample: “I fluffed the pillows, made the beds, stacked the chairs up, folded your nightgowns neatly in a case.”
This ballad was written after Sheeran’s grandmother passed away, told from his mother’s point of view. It’s an emotional goodbye, focusing on the painful task of clearing out her belongings.
Related: “Supermarket Flowers” Song Meaning
33. “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)” – Scott McKenzie
Lyric Sample: “If you’re going to San Francisco, you’re gonna meet some gentle people there.”
This 1960s folk song became possibly the song of the hippie movement and the Summer of Love. It’s all about peace, love, and unity, using flowers as a symbol of the era’s free-spirited culture.
34. “Wildflowers” – Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, & Emmylou Harris
Lyric Sample: “When a flower grows wild, it can always survive, wildflowers don’t care where they grow.”
This 1987 country song uses wildflowers to represent independence and resilience. It celebrates breaking free from expectations, following your own path, and thriving wherever life takes you.
35. “Crimson and Clover” – Tommy James and the Shondells
Lyric Sample: “Now I’ve been waiting to show her, crimson and clover.”
This psychedelic 1960s hit is about the euphoric feeling of young love and attraction. The repeated lines and hypnotic melody give it a trance-like effect, like being completely absorbed by someone.
Related: “Crimson and Clover” Song Meaning
36. “Flowers” – Sweet Female Attitude
Lyric Sample: “I’ll bring you flowers in the pouring rain, living without you is driving me insane.”
This 2000s UK dance hit uses flowers to show love and affection. It’s a promise to bring comfort and happiness to someone, even through hard times.
37. “Roses” – Finn Askew
Lyric Sample: “I bought you five roses, won’t you come to my show?”
In this 2020 R&B track, Finn Askew uses roses as a way to show his interest to a woman named Rose. He showers her with compliments and promises to show her a great time.
38. “Flowers in Your Hair” – The Lumineers
Lyric Sample: “Romanticized the time I saw flowers in your hair.”
This 2012 song looks back on young love and the moments that stay with us. The flowers in her hair represent innocence, nostalgia, and the lasting impact of early romance.
39. “Roses for Mama” – Red Sovine
Lyric Sample: “Roses for mama, today’s her birthday.”
This 1970s country story-song follows a man whose plans are changed after he meets a boy trying to buy flowers for his mother. The man is moved and decides to visit his mom instead of going on vacation.
Related: Funeral Songs for Mom
40. “Flowers in December” – Mazzy Star
Lyric Sample: “Send me your flowers of your December, send me your dreams of your candy wine.”
This melancholic alt-rock song is about two people who love each other but pretend not to care because of their insecurities. It’s about wanting someone to know how you feel without having to say it.
41. “Dead Flowers” – Miranda Lambert
Lyric Sample: “They’re sittin’ in the vase, but now they’re dead.”
Lambert uses sad images like burned-out Christmas lights and withered flowers left in a vase to symbolize a failing relationship in this 2009 country ballad. It’s about a love that has died but is still lingering.
Conclusion
From love to heartbreak to social change, flowers have found their way into songs across every genre. Whether they’re used as symbols of renewal or reminders of loss, these tracks show how flowers can be used in plenty of ways in music.
If you liked this list, you might also enjoy Songs About Nature, Songs About Peace, or Songs About Mothers.
