"Flame Trees" is a song by Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel from their 1984 album Twentieth Century. It is one of their best known songs, and was written by drummer Steve Prestwich and organist Don Walker. It reached No. 26 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart originally but also resurfaced in August 2011 due to download sales (peaking at No. 54 on the ARIA chart).

According to the band's official website, Walker's inspiration for the lyrics was a combination of his memories of Grafton where he had lived as a youth, and of his romantic dreams. The music had already been written, on a bass, by Prestwich. Walker liked the music so much he requested to write some lyrics for the piece, to which Prestwich reluctantly agreed. Ian Moss said, "The next day, after having like an hour's sleep, Don came in with this fantastic story. Don's one of those uni student dudes who's like, 'This project's got to be in, so I'll get it done by hook or by crook.'" Prestwich said, "When I heard Don's lyrics, I told him, 'Mate, I don't know if they're right for the music.' I've grown used to them now."

Walker later said, "In my mind it’s a northern New South Wales song. But there’s a lot of people who love that song and in their minds it’s set in their home towns. A lot of people finish up away from where they come from."

The reference to flame trees instead of the jacarandas for which Grafton is famous, due to its annual Jacaranda Festival, is partly because of a TV miniseries, the BBC's The Flame Trees of Thika (1981), starring Hayley Mills, "an old flame of the lyricist's dreams". However, Grafton is well known for its many specimens of the Australian native rainforest tree Brachychiton acerifolius [1], commonly known as the Illawarra Flame Tree, which along with the more pervasive, introduced poincianas and the town's famous (also introduced) jacarandas, set its streets ablaze every spring. Bassist Phil Small played a fretless bass on the track whilst guitarist Ian Moss used a chorus effect on his electric guitar. Moss' then-girlfriend, Megan Williams, provides backing vocals.

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Wikipedia