"Roses Are Red (My Love)"
Single by Bobby Vinton
from the album Roses Are Red
B-side"You and I"
ReleasedApril 6, 1962[1]
RecordedFebruary 16, 1962[1]
GenrePop
Length2:38
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)Paul Evans, Al Byron
Producer(s)Robert Morgan
Bobby Vinton singles chronology
"Roses Are Red (My Love)"
(1962)		 "I Love You the Way You Are"
(1962)

"Roses Are Red (My Love)" is a popular song composed by Al Byron and Paul Evans. It was recorded by Bobby Vinton, backed by Robert Mersey and his Orchestra, in New York City in February 1962, and released in April 1962, and the song was his first hit.[2][1]

Bobby Vinton version

Bobby Vinton found the song in a reject pile at Epic Records.[3] 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 (from Robert Mersey and his Orchestra) added.[4][3][1]

The song was released in April 1962.[4] 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.[2][5] The single was also the first number-one hit for Epic Records.[3]

Billboard ranked the record No. 4 in their year end ranking "Top 100 Singles of 1962"[6] and No. 36 in their year end ranking of the top Rhythm and Blues records of 1962.[7] The song was also ranked No. 17 on Cash Box's "Top 100 Chart Hits of 1962".[8]

Chart performance

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.[29][21] It peaked at No. 7 in the very first Irish Singles Chart published in September 1962.

Chart performance

Charts (1962) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[30] 7
UK (New Musical Express)[31] 2
UK (Record Retailer)[29] 3

Other versions

In July 1962, David MacBeth released his version of the song as a single on Piccadilly Records.[32]

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.[33]

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.[34] The song spent seven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 62,[35] while reaching No. 15 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart.[36][37] It was released by Epic Records (single #9529)[38] and was produced by Robert Morgan.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Bobby Vinton's All-Time Greatest Hits," Varese (Vintage) Sarabande CD compilation, copyright 2003
  2. 1 2 3 Hot 100 - Bobby Vinton Roses Are Red Chart History, Billboard.com. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. New York: Billboard Books. p. 113. ISBN 9780823076772.
  4. 1 2 Alan Levy, "A dozen red roses - to disc jockeys", Life, March 12, 1965. p. 89
  5. ↑ Joel Whitburn, "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits", Billboard Publications, Inc., 1987. p. 316
  6. 1 2 "Top 100 Singles of 1962", Billboard, Section II, December 29, 1962. p. 82. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  7. 1 2 "The Top 50 Country Music and Rhythm & Blues Records of 1962", Billboard, Section II, December 29, 1962. p. 88. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Top 100 Chart Hits of 1962" (PDF). Cash Box. December 29, 1962. p. 10. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  9. ↑ David Kent, Australia's Top 20 Singles for August 18, 1962
  10. 1 2 "Hits of the World", Billboard, September 22, 1962. p. 16. Accessed October 14, 2015
  11. ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade – Week of July 02, 1962". CHUM. Archived from the original on November 7, 2006. Retrieved 2015-12-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Chart No. 275.
  12. 1 2 "Hits of the World", Billboard, October 6, 1962. p. 16. Accessed October 14, 2015
  13. ↑ Bobby Vinton - Roses Are Red (My Love), Ultratop. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Hits of the World", Billboard, November 24, 1962. p. 30. Accessed October 14, 2015
  15. ↑ "Hits of the World", Billboard, April 6, 1963. p. 66. Accessed October 15, 2015
  16. ↑ "{{{artist}}} – Roses Are Red (My Love)". Top Digital Download. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  17. ↑ Bobby Vinton - Roses Are Red (My Love), Dutch Charts. Retrieved October 14, 2015
  18. ↑ "Lever Hit Parade" 16-Aug-1962, Flavour of New Zealand. Accessed October 14, 2015
  19. 1 2 Bobby Vinton - Roses Are Red (My Love), norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Hits of the World", Billboard, August 25, 1962. p. 18. Accessed October 14, 2015
  21. 1 2 Bobby Vinton - Full Official Chart History, Official Charts Company. Accessed October 13, 2015
  22. ↑ "Easy Listening", Billboard, July 28, 1962. p. 26. Accessed October 14, 2015
  23. ↑ Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - Bobby Vinton Roses Are Red Chart History, Billboard.com. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Hot R&B Sides", Billboard, August 4, 1962. p. 34. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  25. ↑ Bobby Vinton - Roses Are Red (My Love), Ultratop. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1962". Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  27. ↑ "Top Adult Contemporary Songs of 1962", MusicVF.com. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  28. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  29. 1 2 Ronnie Carroll- Full Official Chart History, Official Charts Company. Accessed October 13, 2015
  30. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Ronnie Carroll". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Hits of the World", Billboard, September 15, 1962. p. 16. Accessed October 14, 2015
  32. ↑ "David MacBeth | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  33. ↑ "Gentleman Jim - Jim Reeves". AllMusic. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Artists' Biographies", Billboard, September 29, 1962. p. 40. Accessed February 19, 2016
  35. ↑ Hot 100 - Florraine Darlin Long as the Rose Is Red Chart History, Billboard.com. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  36. ↑ Adult Contemporary - Florraine Darlin Long as the Rose Is Red Chart History, Billboard.com. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Easy Listening", Billboard, September 15, 1962. p. 26. Accessed February 19, 2016
  38. ↑ "Late Pop Spotlights", Billboard, August 4, 1962. p. 10. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
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