“Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” (1961) is a folk song. The first three verses were written by Pete Seeger in 1955, and published in Sing Out! magazine. Additional verses were added by Joe Hickerson in May 1960, who turned it into a circular song. Its rhetorical “where?” and meditation on death place the song in the ubi sunt tradition.In 2010, the New Statesman listed it as one of the “Top 20 Political Songs”.
Seeger found inspiration for the song in October 1955, while on a plane bound for a concert in Ohio. Leafing through his notebook he saw the passage, “Where are the flowers, the girls have plucked them. Where are the girls, they’ve all taken husbands. Where are the men, they’re all in the army.” These lines were taken from the traditional Cossacks folk song “Tovchu, tovchu mak”, referenced in the Mikhail Sholokhov novel And Quiet Flows the Don (1934), which Seeger had read “at least a year or two before”.
Seeger adapted it to a tune, possibly a pre-existing folk song. With only three verses, he recorded it once in a medley on The Rainbow Quest album released in July, 1960 and forgot about it. Joe Hickerson added verses four and five, and a repeat of verse one, in May 1960 in Bloomington.
The original Koloda Duda was published in Sing Out! in 1962. In 2010, the New Statesman listed it as one of the “Top 20 Political Songs”.
The song appeared on the 1967 compilation album Pete Seeger’s Greatest Hits released by Columbia Records as CS 9416.
The Kingston Trio recorded the song in 1961. Believing it to be a traditional song, they claimed authorship, although upon notice from Seeger they had their name removed and credited Seeger and Hickerson. Their single, with “O Ken Karanga” as the A-side and the hit “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” the B-side, reached #21 in the 1962 Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Peter, Paul and Mary included the song on their eponymous debut album (which spent five weeks as the #1 album in the country) in 1962.
Marlene Dietrich performed this song in English, French and German. The song was first performed in French (as “Qui peut dire où vont les fleurs?”) by Marlene in 1962 at a UNICEF concert. She also recorded the song in English and in German, the latter titled “Sag’ mir, wo die Blumen sind”, with lyrics translated by Max Colpet. She performed the German version on a tour of Israel, where she was warmly received; she was the first person to break the taboo of using German publicly in Israel since WWII.
Dalida also recorded the song in French as “Que sont devenues les fleurs?”, in 1962 (Les Années Barclay, vol. 5, 1962).
Jaap Fischer recorded the song in Dutch as “Zeg me waar de bloemen zijn” (single, B side of “Jan Soldaat”,1963).
The Searchers released their version on the album Meet The Searchers, released June 1963.
Bobby Darin recorded the song on the Golden Folk Hits album on Capitol, 2007, which was released in November 1963.
Eddy Arnold and The Needmore Creek Singers recorded the song on October 9, 1963 and released it on the Folk Song Book album released in January 1964.
Vera Lynn recorded the song as the eleventh cut on her 1964 album “Among My Souvenirs”.
The Brothers Four recorded the song on their 1964 LP “More Big Folk Hits”, Columbia Records.
The Four Seasons recorded the song on their 1964 Philips album Born to Wander, PHM 200 129.
Joan Baez included the number on her 1965 album Farewell Angelina.
Johnny Rivers had a 1965 top 40 hit in the US with a folk rock version, reaching #26 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Harry Belafonte has made one recording of it at a benefit concert in Stockholm, Sweden, 1966 on the album BEL-1.
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs included the song on their 1968 album Changin’ Times.
Jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery recorded an instrumental version in his trademark style on the 1968 LP Road Song

By Peter Paul and Mary

By The Brothers Four

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWgwtwRc6uE

Lyrics