(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Rose Garden" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by Lynn Anderson | ||
| from the album "Rose Garden" | ||
| B-side(s) | "Nothing Between Us" | |
| Released | 1970 | |
| Format | 45 rpm | |
| Recorded | 1970 | |
| Genre | Country music | |
| Length | 2:53 | |
| Label | Columbia Records | |
| Writer(s) | Joe South | |
| Producer(s) | Glenn Sutton | |
| Certification | RIAA gold record | |
| Chart positions | ||
|
#1 U.S. Country/#3 U.S. Pop/#5 U.S. A.C. |
||
| Lynn Anderson singles chronology | ||
| "No Love at All", 1970 | Rose Garden (1970) |
"You're My Man", 1971 |
| "Rose Garden" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by Sandie Shaw | ||
| B-side(s) | "Maybe I'm Amazed" | |
| Released | 1971 | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Label | Pye | |
| Writer(s) | Joe South | |
| Sandie Shaw singles chronology | ||
| Wight Is Wight (1970) |
Rose Garden (1971) |
Show Your Face (1971) |
"(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden" (AKA "Rose Garden") was the title of a song written by Joe South, that is best known by Country singer Lynn Anderson, whose recording topped the U.S. country charts and reached #3 on the U.S. Billboard pop charts and #1 on the Record World pop charts in 1970. In 1971 Anderson hit #3 in the United Kingdom with the song making it one of the most successful country crossover hits ever in Europe, hitting number one in several countries. Around the same time as Anderson's release, the song was also released by British singer Sandie Shaw, most famous for her hits in the 1960s. Her version failed to make the UK chart.
In the song, initially recorded by South himself, the narrator explains to his/her lover that though their relationship is not perfect, they should be grateful for the good and accept the bad along with it. Reportedly, Anderson's record label, Columbia, was not keen on her recording "Rose Garden", as they felt it would seem odd for a woman to be singing lines like "I could promise you things like big diamond rings", but Columbia's reservations aside, the single release of the song was an immediate hit, setting the stage for a series of top ten country singles for Anderson, which would continue throughout most of the 1970s. The song earned Anderson a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
The song's chorus from Anderson's original version was sampled by the pop/dance group Kon Kan in their similarly titled song "I Beg Your Pardon," released in 1988.
In 2005, Martina McBride included the song on her album of covers, Timeless. Dozens of artists recorded cover versions of the song following Anderson's great success in 1971 including Carol Burnett, Loretta Lynn, Glen Campbell, Andy Williams, Ray Coniff, Jim Nabors, Kitty Wells, and The Suicide Machines.
