Buy Me a Rose
Encyclopedia
"Buy Me a Rose" is the title of a song written by Jim Funk and Erik Hickenlooper, and recorded by American country music
artist Kenny Rogers
. It was released in October 1999 from his album She Rides Wild Horses
. Upon reaching Number One on the Billboard
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
) charts in May 2000, the song made Rogers (who was 61 at the time) the oldest country singer to have a Number One hit.
"Buy Me a Rose" was not only his first Number One single since 1987's "Make No Mistake, She's Mine
" (a duet with Ronnie Milsap
), but also the only Number One for both Billy Dean
and Alison Krauss
, both of whom received chart credit for performing background vocals on the song. It was also Rogers' only Number One for his personal label, Dreamcatcher Records.
and Alison Krauss
, both of whom received chart credit for their backing vocals. Rogers, who was 61 at the time the song peaked, also set a record for the oldest singer to have a No. 1 hit on the country charts. Rogers held this record for three years until it was broken by Willie Nelson
who, at age 70, reached Number One as a duet partner on Toby Keith
's 2003 single "Beer for My Horses
".
singer Luther Vandross
covered the song for his 2003 album Dance with My Father
. Vandross' version peaked at #13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
charts in 2004.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
. It was released in October 1999 from his album She Rides Wild Horses
She Rides Wild Horses
She Rides Wild Horses is the title of a studio album by American country music singer Kenny Rogers. It was released in 1999 on his own Dreamcatcher Records label...
. Upon reaching Number One on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
) charts in May 2000, the song made Rogers (who was 61 at the time) the oldest country singer to have a Number One hit.
"Buy Me a Rose" was not only his first Number One single since 1987's "Make No Mistake, She's Mine
Make No Mistake, She's Mine
"Make No Mistake, She's Mine" is a duet single recorded by country pop artists Ronnie Milsap and Kenny Rogers in 1987.The song topped the Billboard country charts and peaked at #42 on the Adult Contemporary...
" (a duet with Ronnie Milsap
Ronnie Milsap
Ronnie Lee Milsap is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country’s most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s...
), but also the only Number One for both Billy Dean
Billy Dean
William Harold "Billy" Dean, Jr. is an American country music singer and songwriter. Billy Dean first gained national attention after appearing on the television talent competition Star Search...
and Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
, both of whom received chart credit for performing background vocals on the song. It was also Rogers' only Number One for his personal label, Dreamcatcher Records.
Content
"Buy Me a Rose" is a ballad, telling of a husband who attempts to please his wife with material objects, such as a "three-car garage and her own credit cards". The wife remains unsatisfied, however, as she prefers simpler gestures, such as being bought a rose, or having a door held open for her. By the third verse, the singer reveals that he is actually the husband in the story; in addition, he states that he has finally realized what his wife wants. The song ends with him finally making that realization ("So I bought you a rose on the way home from work...").Chart performance
"Buy Me a Rose" entered the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart at number 62 on the chart dated October 30, 1999, reaching Number One in May of 2000, and spending a total of thirty-seven weeks on the charts. It is also the only Number One single for Billy DeanBilly Dean
William Harold "Billy" Dean, Jr. is an American country music singer and songwriter. Billy Dean first gained national attention after appearing on the television talent competition Star Search...
and Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
, both of whom received chart credit for their backing vocals. Rogers, who was 61 at the time the song peaked, also set a record for the oldest singer to have a No. 1 hit on the country charts. Rogers held this record for three years until it was broken by Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
who, at age 70, reached Number One as a duet partner on Toby Keith
Toby Keith
Toby Keith Covel , best known as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. Keith released his first four studio albums — 1993's Toby Keith, 1994's Boomtown, 1996's Blue Moon and 1997's Dream Walkin, plus a Greatest Hits package for various divisions of...
's 2003 single "Beer for My Horses
Beer for My Horses
"Beer for My Horses" is the title of a song recorded by American country music artists Toby Keith and Willie Nelson. It was released in April 2003 as the fourth and final single from Keith's 2002 album Unleashed. The song spent six weeks at Number One on the U.S...
".
Peak positions
| Chart (1999-2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 40 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 9 |
Luther Vandross version
R&BRhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
covered the song for his 2003 album Dance with My Father
Dance with My Father
-Production:*Executive Producer: Luther Vandross*Producers: Luther Vandross, Nat Adderley Jr., Shep Crawford, Marcus Miller*Re-mix Producers: Eddie F., Kay Gee, Darren Lighty*Engineers: Ray Bardani, Paul J...
. Vandross' version peaked at #13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
charts in 2004.