Where Have All the Flowers Gone ? - Wikipedia Where Have All the Flowers Gone ? For the 2008 documentary, see Where Have All the Flowers Gone ? ( film ). 1960 release on The Rainbow Quest LP, Folkways, FA 2454, by Pete Seeger Columbia Hall of Fame 45 rpm single release as 13 - 33088 featuring the November 1962 version. August 1965. `` Where Have All The Flowers Gone ? '' Song Language English Composer ( s ) Pete Seeger Lyricist ( s ) Pete Seeger and Joe Hickerson `` Where Have All the Flowers Gone ? '' is a modern folk - style song. The melody and the first three verses were written by Pete Seeger in 1955 and published in Sing Out ! magazine. Additional verses were added in May 1960 by Joe Hickerson, 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 ''. The 1964 release of the song as a Columbia Records 45 single, 13 - 33088, by Pete Seeger was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002 in the Folk category. Contents 1 Composition 2 Versions 3 Grammy Hall of Fame 4 See also 5 References 6 Bibliography Composition Seeger found inspiration for the song in October 1955 while he was on a plane bound for a concert at Oberlin College, one of the few venues which would hire him during the McCarthy era. 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 Cossack folk song `` Koloda - Duda '', referenced in the Mikhail Sholokhov novel And Quiet Flows the Don ( 1934 ), which Seeger had read `` at least a year or two before ''. Seeger created a song which was subsequently published in Sing Out in 1962. He recorded a version with three verses on The Rainbow Quest album ( Folkways LP FA 2454 ) released in July 1960. Later, Joe Hickerson added two more verses with a recapitulation of the first in May 1960 in Bloomington, Indiana. In 2010, the New Statesman listed it as one of the `` Top 20 Political Songs ''. The song appeared on the compilation album Pete Seeger 's Greatest Hits ( 1967 ) released by Columbia Records as CS 9416. Pete Seeger 's recording from the Columbia album The Bitter and the Sweet ( November 1962 ), CL 1916, produced by John H. Hammond was also released as a Columbia Hall of Fame 45 single as 13 - 33088 backed by `` Little Boxes '' in August, 1965. Versions 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. Seeger acknowledged their success with this song. 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 and # 4 on the Easy Listening 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 the 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. Her version peaked # 32 in German charts. Dalida also recorded the song in French as `` Que sont devenues les fleurs ? '', adapted by Guy Béart 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 ). Conny van den Bos recorded the song in Dutch `` Waar zijn al die bloemen toch ? '', released 1963. The Searchers released their version on the album Meet The Searchers, released June 1963. The Springfields featuring Dusty Springfield released a version in German in 1963. Bobby Darin recorded the song on the Golden Folk Hits album on Capitol, 2007, which was released in November 1963. Roy Orbison recorded a version of the song which appears on the album The Connoisseur 's Orbison. 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, CL - 2213. The Four Seasons recorded the song on their 1964 Philips album Born to Wander, PHM 200 129. Lars Lönndahl recorded the song in 1964 with Swedish lyrics Inga blommor finns det mer, translated in 1962 by Beppe Wolgers. Joan Baez included the German version ( Sagt Mir wo die Blumen sind ) 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 and # 9 in Canada. Grady Martin released an instrumental version in 1965 on his Instrumentally Yours album. 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. Walter Jackson recorded a R & B version in Chicago for Okeh records in 1967. Jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery recorded an instrumental version in his trademark style on the 1968 LP Road Song In 1969, Rufus Harley recorded a jazz instrumental version on his trademark bagpipes, but the track was never commercially released until it was included in his posthumously released limited edition collection Courage - The Atlantic Recordings in 2006. The Landsmen released the song as a 45 single on Arvee. Bill Anderson recorded the song on his eponymous 1971 album. American R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire covered the song on the 1972 album Last Days and Time. Richie Havens recorded the song in 1972. Yellow Magic Orchestra recorded the song in 1980 and released it in the 1999 compilation album `` YMO GO HOME ! '' Hannes Wader recorded a German version as the final track for his 1982 album Daß nichts bleibt wie es war. City recorded a German version in their 1983 album Unter der Haut. Bernie Sanders covered the song on his 1987 album We Shall Overcome. A Russian version of the song was recorded in 1998 by Oleg Nesterov, a lead singer of Megapolis, and later performed in duet with Masha Makarova ( Masha i Medvedi ) in a music video. Olivia Newton - John recorded the song on her 2004 album Indigo : Women of Song. Country singer Dolly Parton has also recorded a rendition of the song, on her 2005 album Those Were the Days. Chris de Burgh has recorded a new version which is featured on his 2008 album Footsteps. The song was sung at the funeral of Harry Patch, the last British soldier of the First World War, in Wells Cathedral on August 9, 2009. The Folkswingers recorded an instrumental version of the song for their second album 12 String Guitar ! Vol. 2. A Polish - language version was sung by Sława Przybylska ( Polish title : `` Gdzie są kwiaty z tamtych lat ? '' ) A Czech - language version of the song ( `` Řekni, kde ty kytky jsou '' ) was also created and recorded by several popular artists, such as Judita Čeřovská ( cz ), Marie Rottrová ( cz ), or Marta Kubišová. Čeřovská 's version was one of the OST songs of Czech film Rebelové. Croatian folk band Zlatni Dukati performed a version of the song entitled `` Iznad polja makova '' ( `` Above the fields of poppy '' ) during the Croatian War of Independence. A piano version of the song by Scottish pop singer and songwriter Jimmy Sommerville appears on his 2009 album Suddenly Last Summer. Kirsten Hasberg, of Kassel Germany, recorded a parody entitled Sag, die Energiewende, wo ist sie geblieben ? about the German transition to renewable energies and `` energy democracy. '' Erzsi Kovács, Hungarian pop singer recorded a version in Hungarian Classical guitarist Sharon Isbin recorded an instrumental version in her 2009 album Journey to the New World. British Folk - Rock group The Tansads included a version on their 1995 live album Drag Down The Moon. German Avant - garde group Einstürzende Neubauten recorded a German version of the song for their 2014 album Lament. Lara Veronin, Russian - Taiwanese - American singer recorded a version for the 2012 Taiwanese drama Alice in Wonder City. The Armistice Pals recorded a version in 2014 that was released as a commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of World War One and as a tribute to Pete Seeger, who had died earlier that year. The voice of Pete Seeger is heard in the recording along with that of his half - sister Peggy Seeger. The Hi - Marks, a popular 1970s group in New Zealand, recorded a version on their first album Showtime Spectacular. Serbian actor Dragan Maksimović performed a part of this song in the movie Mi nismo anđeli ( `` We are not Angels '' ) recorded in 1992 in Yugoslavia. Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias included a version on their 1978 album Skite. Adhunik Bengali singer Anjan Dutt covered the song in his 2001 album Rawng Pencil. Kabir Suman translated the song to Bengali ( Kothaye Gelo Tara ). Suman and Seeger performed the English and Bengali versions one after the other twice during Suman and Seeger 's Tour of Kolkata in 1996. Version Title Artist Basque Loreak non dira ? Lou Topet, Harkaitz Cano Belarusian Дзе кветкі ўсе ? Bar Akaryna Bengali কোথায় গেল তারা ? ( Kothay Gelo Tara ) Kabir Suman Catalan Què se n'ha fet d'aquelles flors ? Roslyn Smith, La Marta ( Club Super3 ) Chinese 花 兒 怎麼 不見 了 ? Poon Sow Keng ( 潘秀瓊 ) Croatian Kamo je cvijeće otišlo ? Monia Verardi Czech Řekni, kde ty kytky jsou Judita Čeřovská, Marie Rottrová, Marta Kubišová Danish Where Have All the Flowers Gone Savage Rose Dutch Zeg me waar de bloemen zijn Jaap Fischer English Where have all the flowers gone ? Pete Seeger, The Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul and Mary, Johnny Rivers, many others Esperanto Ĉiuj floroj estas for Duo Espera Estonian Kuhu küll kõik lilled jäid Lindpriid Finnish Minne kukat kadonneet Kukonpojat French Qui peut dire où vont les fleurs ? Eva ( de ), Marlene Dietrich, Francis Lemarque, Dalida German Sag mir, wo die Blumen sind Marlene Dietrich, Hannes Wader, Juliane Werding, Nana Mouskouri, Joan Baez, Lolita ( Austrian singer ), Hildegard Knef, Einstürzende Neubauten Hebrew איפה הפרחים כולם Eifo Haprachim Kulam שלישיית גשר הירקון ( Gesher Hayarkon Trio ) Hungarian Hova tűnt a sok virág ? Mária Mezei, Péter Gerendás Icelandic Hvert er farið blómið blátt ? Elly Vilhjálms & Ragnar Bjarnason Irish Cá bhfuil siad uainn, scoth na mbláth ? Feargal Ó Béarra Italian Dove andranno i nostri fiori ? Patty Pravo Japanese Hana wa doko e itta ? Kiyoshiro Imawano Polish Gdzie są kwiaty z tamtych lat ? Sława Przybylska Portuguese Para onde foram todas as flores Jarmila Ferreira Martins Romanian Unde au dispărut toate florile Alexandru Constantinescu Russian Где цветы, дай мне ответ ? Gde cvety, day mne otvet ? Oleg Nesterov, Masha Makarova Russian Ты скажи мне, где цветы Zhanna Bichevskaya Slovenian Kam so šle vse rožice Tomaž Domicelj Spanish ¿ Dónde están las flores ? Rolando Alarcón Swedish Inga blommor finns det mer Lars Lönndahl Turkish Söyle Çiçekler nerde ? Oğuz Tarihmen Ukrainian Де всі квіти, розкажи De vsi kvity, rozkazhy Maria Burmaka Ukrainian Квіти де ? Kvity De ? Yana Zavarzina Grammy Hall of Fame Pete Seeger 's recording of his composition was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have `` qualitative or historical significance. '' Pete Seeger : Grammy Hall of Fame Awards Year recorded Title Genre Label Year inducted 1964 `` Where Have All the Flowers Gone ? '' Folk ( single ) Columbia 2002 See also List of anti-war songs References Jump up ^ Seeger, Pete. `` Where Have All the Flowers Gone ''. Sing Out !. 11 ( 5 ). Jump up ^ Hickerson, Joe ( 2009 -- 2010 ). `` The Songfinder ''. Sing Out !. 53 ( 2 ) : 76. ^ Jump up to : Joe Hickerson. `` Where Have All the Flowers Gone ? ''. presentation to SEM ( Society for Ethnomusicology ), 50th Annual Meeting in Atlanta ( quoted in thread ). Mudcat.org. Retrieved October 20, 2009. ^ Jump up to : Smith, Ian K ( March 25, 2010 ). `` Top 20 Political Songs : Where Have All the Flowers Gone ''. New Statesman. Retrieved March 25, 2010. Jump up ^ A Folk Legend 's Fertile Ground, Oberlin Alumni Magazine, summer 2014 Jump up ^ Notes from : Where Have All the Flowers Gone - The Songs of Pete Seeger ^ Jump up to : Dunaway, David King ( 2008 ). How Can I Keep From Singing ? The Ballad of Pete Seeger, pp. 228 - 30. Random House, Inc. ISBN 0 - 345 - 50608 - 1. Jump up ^ Pete Seeger - Little Boxes / Where Have All the Flowers Gone. Discogs.com. Jump up ^ Pete Seeger - The Bitter and the Sweet. Discogs.com. Jump up ^ Where Have All the Flowers Gone ? Second Hand Songs. Jump up ^ The Kingston Trio time line. The single was released on December 18, 1961 by the group on Capitol Records as a 45 single, 4671. Source : Liner notes for The Kingston Trio : The Capital Years ( Capitol Records CD7243 8 28498 2 7 ). Jump up ^ Gilliland, John ( 1969 ). `` Show 18 - Blowin ' in the Wind : Pop discovers folk music. ( Part 1 ) '' ( audio ). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries. Track 5. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2002 ). Top Adult Contemporary : 1961 - 2001. Record Research. p. 137. Jump up ^ `` Marlene Dietrich, Actor / Singer ''. Answers.com. Retrieved 7 April 2010. Jump up ^ `` Marlene Dietrich - Sag mir wo die Blumen sind ''. Offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 27 June 2016. Jump up ^ Album title En kväll med Towa och Lasse, track 8, record label Teldec, Hamburg, cataloged in the Swedish Media Database ( SMDb ) of the Royal Library in Stockholm. Jump up ^ Inga blommor finns det mer, blog post by Enn Kokk, without date, read January 20, 2014. Jump up ^ Grady Martin. Instrumentally Yours. AllMusic.com. Jump up ^ Grammy Hall of Fame Database. Bibliography Seeger, Pete ; Blood, Peter ( 1993 ). Where have all the flowers gone : a singer 's stories, songs, seeds, robberies ( book ) format = requires url = ( help ) ( Biography ). Bethlehem, Pennsylvania : Sing Out !. pp. 166 -- 169. ISBN 978 - 1 - 881322 - 01 - 6. OCLC 28150656. Pete Seeger Studio albums American Folk Songs for Children God Bless the Grass Dangerous Songs ! ? Rainbow Race At 89 Pete Remembers Woody Live albums We Shall Overcome Songs `` The Bells of Rhymney '' `` God 's Counting on Me, God 's Counting on You '' `` Gotta Travel On '' `` If I Had a Hammer '' `` If You Miss Me at the Back of the Bus '' `` Little Boxes '' `` My Rainbow Race '' `` Pittsburgh Town '' `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! '' `` Waist Deep in the Big Muddy `` We Shall Overcome '' `` Where Have All the Flowers Gone ? '' Almanac Singers Songs for John Doe Talking Union Deep Sea Chanteys and Whaling Ballads Sod Buster Ballads Songs of the Lincoln Battalion Dear Mr. President The Weavers The Weavers at Carnegie Hall The Weavers at Carnegie Hall Vol. 2 The Weavers : Was n't That a Time ! Other Precious Friend ( with Arlo Guthrie ) Related Discography People 's Songs Rainbow Quest Sing Out ! Pete Seeger : The Power of Song Hudson River Sloop Clearwater The Great Hudson River Revival We Shall Overcome : The Seeger Sessions Family Toshi Seeger ( wife ) Mika Seeger ( daughter ) Tao Rodríguez - Seeger ( grandson ) Charles Seeger ( father ) Ruth Crawford Seeger ( stepmother ) Mike Seeger ( half - brother ) Peggy Seeger ( half - sister ) Alan Seeger ( uncle ) Ewan MacColl ( brother - in - law ) John Cohen ( brother - in - law ) Kirsty MacColl ( stepniece ) Marlene Dietrich Studio albums Marlene Dietrich Overseas ( 1951 ) Die neue Marlene ( 1965 ) Marlene singt Berlin, Berlin ( 1965 ) Live albums Live at the Café de Paris ( 1954 ) Dietrich in Rio ( 1959 ) Wiedersehen mit Marlene ( 1960 ) Dietrich in London ( 1965 ) Selected singles `` Falling in Love Again '' `` The Boys in the Backroom '' `` Lili Marlene '' `` Sag ' mir, wo die Blumen sind '' `` Die Antwort weiß ganz allein der Wind '' `` Come Rain or Come Shine '' Videos An Evening with Marlene Dietrich ( 2003 ) Related articles Discography Filmography Marlene VIAF : 185891514 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Where_Have_All_the_Flowers_Gone%3F&oldid=851660625 '' Categories : American folk songs Anti-war songs 1955 songs 1962 singles Pete Seeger songs 1965 singles Johnny Rivers songs The Searchers ( band ) songs The Kingston Trio songs Songs written by Pete Seeger Peter, Paul and Mary songs Hidden categories : All articles lacking reliable references Articles lacking reliable references from December 2012 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from December 2008 Interlanguage link template link number Pages using citations with format and no URL Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Brezhoneg Čeština Deutsch Esperanto فارسی Français Galego Italiano Latina Lëtzebuergesch 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Suomi Svenska Tiếng Việt 粵語 中文 10 more Edit links This page was last edited on 23 July 2018, at 19 : 24 ( UTC ). 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Question: who wrote the song where have all the flowers gone
Answer: Pete Seeger