Roses Are Red (My Love)
"Roses Are Red (My Love)" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Bobby Vinton | ||||
from the album Roses Are Red | ||||
B-side | "You and I" | |||
Released | April 1962 | |||
Format | Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 2:38 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Paul Evans, Al Byron | |||
Producer(s) | Robert Morgan | |||
Bobby Vinton singles chronology | ||||
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"Roses Are Red (My Love)" is a popular song composed by Al Byron and Paul Evans. It was recorded by Bobby Vinton and was his first hit.[1]
Bobby Vinton version
Vinton found the song in a reject pile at Epic Records.[2] He first recorded it as an R&B number, but was allowed to re-record it in a slower more dramatic arrangement, with strings and a vocal choir added.[3][2]
The song was released in April 1962.[3] It reached No. 1 in Australia, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, and the United States, and was a major hit in many other countries as well. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on July 14, 1962, and remained there for four weeks.[1][4] The single was also the first number-one hit for Epic Records.[2]
Billboard ranked the record No. 4 in their year end ranking "Top 100 Singles of 1962"[5] and No. 36 in their year end ranking of the top Rhythm and Blues records of 1962.[6] The song was also ranked No. 17 on Cash Box's "Top 100 Chart Hits of 1962".[7]
Chart performance
Charts (1962) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (David Kent)[8] | 1 |
Australia (Music Maker)[9] | 2 |
Canada (CHUM Hit Parade)[10] | 1 |
Denmark[11] | 6 |
Flanders[12] | 5 |
Hong Kong[13] | 5 |
India (The Voice)[14] | 9 |
Ireland (Teenage Express)[9] | 3 |
Netherlands[15] | 3 |
New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)[16] | 1 |
Norway (VG-lista)[17] | 1 |
South Africa[11] | 1 |
UK New Musical Express[18] | 13 |
UK Record Retailer[19] | 15 |
US Billboard Hot 100[1] | 1 |
US Billboard Easy Listening[20] | 1 |
US Billboard Hot R&B Sides[21][22] | 5 |
Wallonia[23] | 47 |
West Germany (Musikmarkt)[17] | 7 |
Ronnie Carroll version
In the UK, a cover version by Northern Irish singer Ronnie Carroll reached No. 3 on the Record Retailer chart on August 8, 1962, the same week that the Bobby Vinton record peaked at No. 15.[24][19] It peaked at No. 7 in the very first Irish Singles Chart published in September 1962.
Chart performance
Charts (1962) | Peak position |
---|---|
Ireland (IRMA)[25] | 7 |
UK (New Musical Express)[26] | 2 |
UK (Record Retailer)[24] | 3 |
Other versions
The song was recorded by Jim Reeves in 1963 and released on the album Gentleman Jim, one of the last albums released while he was still alive.[27]
The song was covered by Singaporean female artist Zhuang Xue Fang (莊雪芳), in edited Standard Chinese lyrics written by Suyin (舒雲/雨牛) under title name of 玫瑰花香, with Ruby Records in 1967.
In 1962, an answer song, entitled "Long as the Rose Is Red", was recorded by Florraine Darlin.[28] The song spent seven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 62,[29] while reaching No. 15 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart.[30][31] It was released by Epic Records (single #9529)[32] and was also produced by Robert Morgan.
References
- 1 2 3 Hot 100 - Bobby Vinton Roses Are Red Chart History, Billboard.com. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- 1 2 3 Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. New York: Billboard Books. p. 113.
- 1 2 Alan Levy, "A dozen red roses - to disc jockeys", Life, March 12, 1965. p. 89
- ↑ Joel Whitburn, "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits", Billboard Publications, Inc., 1987. p. 316
- ↑ "Top 100 Singles of 1962", Billboard, Section II, December 29, 1962. p. 82. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- ↑ "Top 100 Singles of 1962", Billboard, Section II, December 29, 1962. p. 88. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ↑ "Top 100 Chart Hits of 1962" (PDF). Cash Box. December 29, 1962. p. 10. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ↑ David Kent, Australia's Top 20 Singles for August 18, 1962
- 1 2 "Hits of the World", Billboard, September 22, 1962. p. 16. Accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade – Week of July 02, 1962". CHUM. Archived from the original on November 7, 2006. Retrieved 2015-12-17. Chart No. 275.
- 1 2 "Hits of the World", Billboard, October 6, 1962. p. 16. Accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ Bobby Vinton - Roses Are Red (My Love), Ultratop. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- ↑ "Hits of the World", Billboard, November 24, 1962. p. 30. Accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ "Hits of the World", Billboard, April 6, 1963. p. 66. Accessed October 15, 2015
- ↑ Bobby Vinton - Roses Are Red (My Love), Dutch Charts. Retrieved October 14, 2015
- ↑ "Lever Hit Parade" 16-Aug-1962, Flavour of New Zealand. Accessed October 14, 2015
- 1 2 Bobby Vinton - Roses Are Red (My Love), norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- ↑ "Hits of the World", Billboard, August 25, 1962. p. 18. Accessed October 14, 2015
- 1 2 Bobby Vinton - Full Official Chart History, Official Charts Company. Accessed October 13, 2015
- ↑ "Easy Listening", Billboard, July 28, 1962. p. 26. Accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - Bobby Vinton Roses Are Red Chart History, Billboard.com. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ↑ "Hot R&B Sides", Billboard, August 4, 1962. p. 34. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ↑ Bobby Vinton - Roses Are Red (My Love), Ultratop. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- 1 2 Ronnie Carroll- Full Official Chart History, Official Charts Company. Accessed October 13, 2015
- ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Ronnie Carroll". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ↑ "Hits of the World", Billboard, September 15, 1962. p. 16. Accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ "Gentleman Jim - Jim Reeves". AllMusic. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ↑ "Artists' Biographies", Billboard, September 29, 1962. p. 40. Accessed February 19, 2016
- ↑ Hot 100 - Florraine Darlin Long as the Rose Is Red Chart History, Billboard.com. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ↑ Adult Contemporary - Florraine Darlin Long as the Rose Is Red Chart History, Billboard.com. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ↑ "Easy Listening", Billboard, September 15, 1962. p. 26. Accessed February 19, 2016
- ↑ "Late Pop Spotlights", Billboard, August 4, 1962. p. 10. Retrieved March 20, 2018.