Written by Move member Roy Wood, this song’s claim to fame is that it was the first record played on BBC Radio 1 when it opened on September 30, 1967. Pedants will say that George Martin’s Theme One and Johnny Dankworth’s Beefeaters were the first tracks heard on the station, but Flowers in the Rain was the first number to be announced by Tony Blackburn. It reached No 2 in the UK.
In a misguided promotional stunt, a cartoon postcard was sent out linking a naked Prime Minister Harold Wilson and his secretary Marcia Williams. Wilson sued, and the High Court ordered that all royalties from the song should be donated to charities of Wilson’s choice. The arrangement remains in force to this day and is thought to have cost members of The Move millions over the years.