The 1980s was a decade of musical differences; it was also the decade that started the demise of popular music, with manufactured acts from the likes of Stock Aitken and Waterman. The title of this blog is inspired by the 1980s band A Flock of Seagulls. In the A Flock of Gulls series of blogs, I will focus on the nonmanufactured acts of proper music, starting off with Lavender by Marillion.
“Lavender” is a song by the British neo-prog band Marillion. It was released as the second single from their 1985 UK number-one concept album “Misplaced Childhood.” The follow-up to the UK number two hit “Kayleigh.” the song was their second Top Five UK hit, entering the chart on 7 September 1985, reaching number five and staying on the chart for nine weeks.[1] None of the group’s subsequent songs have reached the Top Five, and “Lavender” remains their second highest-charting song.
The song features a number of verses that are reminiscent of the folk song “Lavender’s Blue.” The song forms part of the concept of the Misplaced Childhood album. Like “Kayleigh,” it is a love song, but whereas “Kayleigh” was about the failure of an adult relationship, “Lavender” recalls the innocence of childhood:
The childhood theme also brought up the idea of utilising an old children’s song, and “Lavender” was an obvious contender as one of the original pop songs of its time.
The opening lines, “I was walking in the park dreaming of a spark, when I heard the sprinklers whisper, shimmer in the haze of summer lawns,” deliberately recall the title track of Joni Mitchell’s album “The Hissing of Summer Lawns.”
Source
History of Sorts 
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