I Wish I was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) - wikipedia I Wish I was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) `` I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) '' Single by Sandi Thom from the album Smile... It Confuses People B - side `` A Light as Bright as Ours '' `` May You Never '' `` No More Heroes '' `` Something in the Air '' Released 3 October 2005 22 May 2006 ( re-release ) Format CD single, maxi single, 7 '' single, digital download Recorded 2005 Genre Pop, folk pop, gospel Length 2 : 30 Label BMG Songwriter ( s ) Tom Gilbert, Sandi Thom Sandi Thom singles chronology `` I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) '' ( 2005 ) `` What If I 'm Right '' ( 2006 ) `` I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) '' ( 2005 ) `` What If I 'm Right '' ( 2006 ) Re-issued cover art Cover art for 2006 release `` I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) '' is the début single by Scottish singer - songwriter Sandi Thom. The song was written by Thom and Tom Gilbert. Contents 1 Inspiration 2 Music video 3 Reception 3.1 Sales 3.2 Criticism 4 Track listings 5 Charts and certifications 5.1 Charts 5.2 Certifications 6 Release history 7 References 8 External links Inspiration Thom has said on her website that she wrote the song after being robbed of her mobile phone and other belongings one evening, leaving her completely lost and without any way of contacting her family, friends, or the bank. She says, `` I wondered if that had happened to me back in the days of the hippies what would I have done and would I have freaked out so much ? '' ( sic ) However, there have been much discussion on various websites about the inspiration for the song. There were rumours that she was an anarchist, or that she wrote it out of her love for Woodstock. Music video The music video was shot in Bethnal Green in London. Reception Sales The song was originally released in October 2005 by Viking Legacy Records, reaching number 55 in the UK Singles Chart. It was re-released in May 2006 on Sony 's RCA Records label, and went on to be the UK 's fifth best selling single of the year. Also successful in Australia, it was on the ARIA Charts for ten weeks at number - one, and finished the year as the country 's highest selling single and accrediting double platinum. Although only physically released in the United Kingdom on 22 May 2006, download sales the week before are counted for the purpose of charts, and it achieved number fifteen on this basis in the general charts ( and number seven in the download - only chart ). The physical release had three formats : two CD versions ( one featuring the radio mix and `` A Light as Bright as Ours '', another featuring the radio mix, the album mix, a further remix, `` May You Never '' and the music video ), and also as a 7 '' vinyl record backed with Stranglers cover `` No More Heroes ''. The single sold 39,797 copies in the week ending 3 June 2006, enough to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart, knocking Gnarls Barkley 's `` Crazy '' off the top spot after it was withdrawn following a nine - week run. The song was nominated for `` Record of the Year '', but lost to `` Patience '' by Take That. Criticism Thom has been the subject of criticism by many artists within the recording world, most notably from Lily Allen, The Fratellis and The Automatic. James Frost and Robin Hawkins from The Automatic stated that `` If she was a punk rocker with flowers in her hair she 'd get the shit kicked out of her by other punk rockers, for having flowers in her hair. (... ) I have n't found anyone who 's told me they like that song and bought it. '' Charlie Brooker also heavily criticised the intense public relations efforts to make the single popular. Track listings Original release, CD 1 `` I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) '' `` Little Remedy '' ( Also included on Smile... It Confuses People. ) Original release, CD 2 `` I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) '' `` Something in the Air '' `` No More Heroes '' `` I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) '' ( Video ) Re-release, CD 1 `` I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) '' ( Radio Mix ) `` A Light as Bright as Ours '' Re-release, CD 2 `` I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) '' ( Radio Mix ) `` I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) '' ( Album Version ) `` I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) '' ( Mutiny 's Rockers & Lovers Mix ) `` May You Never '' `` I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) '' ( Video ) Re-release, 7 '' `` I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) '' ( Radio Mix ) `` No More Heroes '' Charts and certifications Charts Chart ( 2006 ) Peak position Australia ( ARIA ) Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40 ) 27 Germany ( Official German Charts ) 16 France ( SNEP ) 8 Ireland ( IRMA ) Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) 36 New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) Sweden ( Sverigetopplistan ) Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade ) 62 UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) Certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales Australia ( ARIA ) Platinum 70,000 Ireland ( IRMA ) Platinum 15,000 United Kingdom ( BPI ) Gold 400,000 Sweden ( GLF ) Gold 10,000 shipments figures based on certification alone Release history 3 October 2005 ( UK ) 22 May 2006 ( UK re-issue ) 20 June 2006 ( US ) 22 July 2006 ( Australia, New Zealand ) References Jump up ^ `` ST Track Inspiration : Punk Rocker ''. sandithom.com. Jump up ^ Top 40 Singles of 2006, from BBC Radio One website Jump up ^ `` Monster Stink ''. BBC.co.uk. 27 June 2006. Retrieved 2007 - 12 - 12. Jump up ^ Brooker, Charlie ( 9 June 2006 ). `` Supposing... Sandi Thom is the musical antichrist ''. The Guardian. London. Jump up ^ `` Australian-charts.com -- Sandi Thom -- I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) ''. ARIA Top 50 Singles. Jump up ^ `` Austriancharts.at -- Sandi Thom -- I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) '' ( in German ). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Jump up ^ `` Musicline.de -- Sandi Thom Single - Chartverfolgung '' ( in German ). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Jump up ^ `` Lescharts.com -- Sandi Thom -- I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) '' ( in French ). Les classement single. Jump up ^ `` Chart Track : Week 23, 2006 ''. Irish Singles Chart. Jump up ^ `` Nederlandse Top 40 -- Sandi Thom search results '' ( in Dutch ) Dutch Top 40. Jump up ^ `` Charts.org.nz -- Sandi Thom -- I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) ''. Top 40 Singles. Jump up ^ `` Swedishcharts.com -- Sandi Thom -- I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) ''. Singles Top 100. Jump up ^ `` Swisscharts.com -- Sandi Thom -- I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) ''. Swiss Singles Chart. Jump up ^ `` Sandi Thom : Artist Chart History ''. Official Charts Company. Jump up ^ `` ARIA Charts -- Accreditations -- 2006 Singles ''. Australian Recording Industry Association. Jump up ^ `` Irish single certifications -- I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) ''. Irish Recorded Music Association. Jump up ^ `` British single certifications -- Sandi Thom -- I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) ''. British Phonographic Industry. Enter I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) in the search field and then press Enter. Jump up ^ `` Guld - och Platinacertifikat − År 2006 '' ( PDF ) ( in Swedish ). IFPI Sweden. External links Official website Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Sandi Thom Albums Smile... It Confuses People The Pink & the Lily Merchants and Thieves Singles `` I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ( With Flowers in My Hair ) '' `` What If I 'm Right '' `` Lonely Girl '' `` The Devil 's Beat '' `` Saturday Night '' `` This Ol ' World '' `` Gold Dust '' `` House of the Rising Sun '' `` Maggie McCall '' Related articles Discography RCA Records Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=I_Wish_I_Was_a_Punk_Rocker_(With_Flowers_in_My_Hair)&oldid=808045100 '' Categories : 2005 singles 2006 singles Debut singles Number - one singles in Australia UK Singles Chart number - one singles Irish Singles Chart number - one singles Sandi Thom songs Hidden categories : CS1 Swedish - language sources ( sv ) Use dmy dates from June 2011 Use British English from June 2011 Articles which use infobox templates with no data rows Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2015 Wikipedia articles needing clarification from August 2016 Singlechart usages for Australia Singlechart usages for Austria Singlechart usages for Germany Singlechart usages for France Singlechart usages for Ireland Singlechart called without artist Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for Dutch40 Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for Sweden Singlechart usages for Switzerland Singlechart usages for UKsinglesbyname Certification Table Entry usages for Australia Certification Table Entry usages for Ireland Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom Certification Table Entry usages for Sweden Talk Contents About Wikipedia Nederlands Português Edit links This page was last edited on 31 October 2017, at 15 : 11. 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Question: who sang i wish i was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
Answer: Sandi Thom