The Loose Connections Recommender #1

On Heart Beat Facts & Skeleton Flowers

Writing my fortnightly Loose Connections essays has truly become one of my favourite things in the world to do but I have a small quandary … every second weekend where I don’t write it, I feel a little bereft. But I feel like y’all don’t have time to read a deep dive from me each and every week so I have decided to share a short and sweet recommendation for something I love and that you might love too every other week …

Today I’m going to share three fascinating things about hearts, one wild flower and one playlist I’ve been messing round with for years and turn to often called Hearts & Flowers. I can guarantee it’s always a good listen.

• A woman’s heart generally beat 8 times more per minute than the heartbeat of a man.

• The heart is the hardest working muscle in the body, pumping 2000 gallons/7600 litres of blood a day, which travels the equivalent of four times the size of the U.S. from coast to coast during each day. Over a lifetime, approximately one million barrels of blood will pump through your body.

Here’s the skeleton flower, which I had never heard of until happening upon a photograph of one last week. It only blooms during June and July, in Japan, China and the Appalachian mountains. The petals emerge white, but when it rains, or with the morning dew, they become translucent.

Happy listening.

Lo x

PS: At this point, my playlists are made on Spotify, but I’m working on making them available across all platforms. I will list the songs on the playlist below.

Hearts & Flowers Playlist

It Ain’t All Flowers - Sturgill Simpson

White Gardenia - Justin Townes Earle

This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You) - Tammy Terrell

Flowers - Leon Bridges

Ruler of My Heart - Irma Thomas

Dead Flowers (Alternate Version) - The Rolling Stones

Hearts & Flowers - John Moreland

Don’t Break This Heart of Mine - ? and the Mysterians

You Can Bring Me Flowers - Ray LaMontagne

How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - Al Green

Piece Of My Heart - Erma Franklin

Walk Softly On This Heart Of Mine - Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys

And I Will Send Your Flowers Back - Hinds

Tight Connection To My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love) - Bob Dylan

We All Make The Flowers Grow - Lee Hazlewood

Magnolia Blues - Adia Victoria

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart - Wilco

Alley Flowers - Jolie Holland

Want My Heart Back - Nikki Lane

Second Handed Flowers - Tom T Hall

Pain In My Heart - Otis Redding

Flowers Mean Forgiveness - Frank Sinatra

Heart of Glass - Blondie

Flowers In Your Hair - Dale Watson

White Rhythm & Blues - Linda Rondstadt

Heart of Darkness - Sparklehorse

Daisy - Anna St Louis

Heart Shaped Face - Angel Olsen

You’re In My Heart - Rod Stewart

Heartbreak At Ten Paces - Magnolia Electric Co

My Foolish Heart - Astrid Gilberto

Epitaph for my Heart - Magnetic Fields

Blood Red Rose - Kev Carmody

Pitter Patter Goes My Heart - Broken Social Scene

The Rose That Grew So Tall - Heath Cullen

Lilac Wine - Nina Simone

Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations

Pictures of Flowers - Jess Williamson, Hand Habits

Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen

Wine Coloured Roses - George Jones

All The Lilacs In Ohio - John Hyatt, Jerry Douglas

Flowers On My Bedside - Bella White

Missing Heart - Xylouris White

Heart Full of Love - Dave Richardson

Wildflower Wildfire - Lane del Ray

Heart Shaped Box - Nirvana

Cold Little Heart - Michael Kiwanuka

Heart With No Companion - Leonard Cohen

Cross My Heart - Sunny and the Sunliners

Wildflowers - Tom Petty

Flowers Grave - Tom Waits