Rose Garden by donnica59

donnica59 - Rose Garden

donnica59

Apr 27, 2024 10:27am

<img src="https://singsnap-cdn.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/message-board/threads/CH4B/a4d3fc46db_I94S_media.gif"> FINAL ROUND IS A GENDER BENDER.. IN OTHER WORDS. GUYS MUST SING A FEMALE ARTIST SONG.. AND GALS MUST SING A MALE ARTIST SONG.. SONGS FROM 1950 -2000..MUST BE A COUNTRY ARTIST... <ul><li>"(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden" was written by Joe South, a musical polymath who made a name for himself as a session guitarist (he played on Bob Dylan's 1966 Blonde On Blonde album) and songwriter. </li><li>He wrote most of the songs on the country singer Billy Joe Royal's 1965 album Down In The Boondocks, including the <a href="https://www.songfacts.com/facts/billy-joe-royal/down-in-the-boondocks" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">hit title track</a>. Royal was the first to record this song, including it on his album Billy Joe Royal Featuring "Hush" in 1967 ("Hush" was also written by South, later <a href="https://www.songfacts.com/facts/deep-purple/hush" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">popularized by Deep Purple</a>).</li><li> </li><li>Joe South included the song on his debut album, Introspect, in 1968. </li><li>A year later, Dobie Gray's version went to #119 in America, but it was Lynn Anderson's sassy gender-swapped cover in 1970 that was the hit - she's letting the guy know he needs to manage his expectations and appreciate her. </li><li>This rendition topped the Country chart for five weeks, went to #3 on the Hot 100, and was huge internationally, topping the charts in Canada, Australia, Germany, and several other countries.</li><li>"I never promised you a rose garden" is another way of saying "I never said it would be easy." </li><li>The singer encourages her lover to enjoy the good times in their relationship because the bad times are inevitable ("Along with the sunshine there's gotta be a little rain sometime").</li><li>Because of lyrics like "I could promise you things like big diamond rings," </li><li>Anderson's producer (and husband) Glenn Sutton considered this a man's song and tried to dissuade her from covering it. </li><li>Only when they had some extra studio time left did he consider it for an album cut, but with some changes. </li><li>They reworked the track with an uptempo arrangement that included a string section and mandolin. </li><li>When Columbia Records' exec Clive Davis heard it, he insisted it be released as a single. </li><li>"It was popular because it touched on emotions,'' Anderson told the Associated Press of the song in 1987.</li><li> "It was perfectly timed. It was out just as we came out of the Vietnam years and a lot of people were trying to recover. This song stated that you can make something out of nothing. You take it and go ahead."</li><li>This earned Anderson a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1971.</li><li class="ql-align-center"> </li><li>Anderson re-recorded a bluegrass version for her 2004 album The Bluegrass Sessions.</li><li>The Canadian pop group Kon Kan sampled the chorus for their 1988 dance club hit "I Beg Your Pardon."</li><li>Martina McBride covered this for her 2005 album of country classics, Timeless. Her version landed at #98 on the pop chart and #18 on the country chart. </li><li>After Anderson's 2015 death from a heart attack at age 67, fellow country crooner Dolly Parton said: "Lynn is blooming in God's Rose Garden now. </li><li>We will miss her and remember her fondly."</li><li>The title album topped the country albums chart, where it would remain for 14 weeks, and peaked at #19 on the Billboard 200. </li><li>The album would eventually be certified platinum, making Anderson one of the first female country music artists to do so, along with Tammy Wynette. </li><li>(The RIAA didn't begin platinum certifications, which signified a million copies sold, until 1976, so it's difficult to determine whether Anderson or Wynette was the first.)</li></ul>