Music Monday: Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

Music Monday: Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

Minnie Riperton is best known for her song “Lovin’ You.” She reached high notes in that track that most people recognize instantly, and I just realized that is how I know her. “Les Fleurs” is a different style of song, but it still puts her wonderful vocal range on display even if she does not reach those same extreme highs.

I also just noticed that all the artists so far this month are female, with two Black artists and two white women. It was not planned but it works. Minnie’s song title translates to “The Flowers” in French, which is not bad for someone like me who never took French. Given how the flowers are blooming right now, it felt like a good song to include.

It is a soul anthem that is a bit joyous and psychedelic. The song starts off slow before exploding into a sound of drums, brass and more. It is exactly like a flower blooming. It starts out with just a guitar, a piano and some background singers. It is a style of song many do not do these days, but it is something I really love. It is experimental, which is perhaps part of the reason why I like it and other songs that go a bit nuts.

The flowers act as a metaphor for spreading love and inner transformation, which fits the renewal theme perfectly. It is a song of its time, really focusing on hope, peace and love from the late 1960s and 1970s. This is a big contrast to the previous song. It is the other side of the coin. It is a celebration of life and progress. It turns a simple message into musical euphoria that makes you imagine you are in a field of flowers with people dancing.

Sadly, Minnie died at the age of 31. Like a flower blooming, she was only with us for a short period of time. The song was written in 1970 and she passed away in 1979. Even though her time was short, she left us some great music. As it turns out, I do appreciate musical history and how the music I listen to today was shaped.