Rose, Rose, I Love You
Encyclopedia
"Rose, Rose, I Love You" is the standard English title of the 1940 Chinese popular
song
"Méigui méigui wǒ ài nǐ" (玫瑰玫瑰我愛你), first recorded by Yao Lee (姚莉)
. An English-language version whose lyrics have little in common with the original Mandarin was first recorded by Frankie Laine
in 1951. It remains the only major popular music chart
hit
in the United States written by a Chinese composer.
The song is also known under the titles "Shanghai Rose" and "China Rose."
The original Chinese lyrics were by Wu Cun (Ng Chuen; 吳村 Wú Cūn) and the music was credited to Lin Mei (林枚), a pen name for popular song composer Chen Gexin (陳歌辛)
. The song was first recorded in 1940 by Yao Lee (姚莉)
as an interlude for the movie Singing Girl and released as a single on Pathé Records
(EMI
) catalog number
B. 597. Yao Lee's Mandarin version was also released in the US and UK in the early 1950's by Columbia Records
, catalog numbers 39420 and 2837 respectively. Yao Lee was credited as "Miss Hue Lee" in this release. Other early releases have also credited her as "Yiu Lei."
radio presenter Wilfred Thomas
. It was recorded by American
singer Frankie Laine
and the Norman Luboff
Choir, with Paul Weston
and his orchestra, on 6 April 1951, and released by Columbia Records
as catalog number 39367. The song reached #3 on the Billboard magazine
music charts
. At this time Columbia also released Yao Lee's original Mandarin version in the US and UK under the English title, "Rose, Rose, I Love You." When the songwriter Chen Gexin's youngest son went to the United States for advanced education, he was able to meet Laine and maintained a correspondence. The English lyrics have little in common with the original Mandarin, but they pay subtle tribute to the titular Mandarin phrase "méigui méigui" (lit. rose petal) by including the English phrase "make way," with its normal English meaning.
covered the song in English with new lyrics under the title "May Kway." This version entered the UK
charts on May 5, 1951 and peaked at #16.
The Japan
ese singer Kyu Sakamoto
covered the original Mandarin versions in the 1960's.
Gordon Jenkins
released a cover of Frankie Laine's version on Decca Records
catalog number 27594.
Aneka
also covered Frankie Laine's version in the early 1980's, also adding new original English lyrics. This single was released by Ariola Records
but did not chart.
The original Mandarin version of this song was also covered by Taiwanese singer Joanna Wang
in her 2009 album Joanna & 王若琳.
The Mandarin version also has reached a degree of popularity in Vietnam
with various performers, such as Thu Ngọc and Thái Doanh Doanh, covering the song under the title "Cánh hồng Trung Quốc."
, both opening and closing the film and serving as a leitmotif representing the protagonist Nagiko's childhood.
The Mandarin version of the song was also featured in the 2005 film The White Countess
. The film appears to be set in 1937, so the inclusion of the song would be anachronistic.
Shidaiqu
Shidaiqu is a type of Chinese folk/European jazz fusion music that originated in Shanghai, China, in the 1920s.-Terminology:The term literally means "songs of the era" in Mandarin...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
"Méigui méigui wǒ ài nǐ" (玫瑰玫瑰我愛你), first recorded by Yao Lee (姚莉)
Yao Lee
Yao Lee, also credited as Yiu Lei and Miss Hue Lee, was a Chinese singer from the 1930s to the 1970s and sister of Yao Min. By the 1940s, she became one of the Seven great singing stars.-Biography:...
. An English-language version whose lyrics have little in common with the original Mandarin was first recorded by Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
in 1951. It remains the only major popular music chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
hit
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
in the United States written by a Chinese composer.
The song is also known under the titles "Shanghai Rose" and "China Rose."
Méigui méigui wǒ ài nǐ 玫瑰玫瑰我愛你
Chen Gexin
-Biography:Chen was born into an elite family and had a grandfather from India. He was jailed during the occupation of Shanghai by Japanese forces during Second Sino-Japanese War for his patriotic songs....
. The song was first recorded in 1940 by Yao Lee (姚莉)
Yao Lee
Yao Lee, also credited as Yiu Lei and Miss Hue Lee, was a Chinese singer from the 1930s to the 1970s and sister of Yao Min. By the 1940s, she became one of the Seven great singing stars.-Biography:...
as an interlude for the movie Singing Girl and released as a single on Pathé Records
Pathé Records
Pathé Records was a France-based international record label and producer of phonographs, active from the 1890s through the 1930s.- Early years :...
(EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
) catalog number
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
B. 597. Yao Lee's Mandarin version was also released in the US and UK in the early 1950's by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, catalog numbers 39420 and 2837 respectively. Yao Lee was credited as "Miss Hue Lee" in this release. Other early releases have also credited her as "Yiu Lei."
Rose, Rose, I Love You
The English-language lyrics were written by the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
radio presenter Wilfred Thomas
Wilfred Thomas
Wilfred Thomas was a british born Australian singer, songwriter, broadcaster and Radio and television commentator for the BBC.Born in 1904 in London Thomas left for Australia in 1936...
. It was recorded by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
and the Norman Luboff
Norman Luboff
Norman Luboff was an American music arranger, music publisher, and choir director.-Early years:Norman Luboff was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1917. He studied piano as a child and participated in his high school chorus. Luboff studied at the University of Chicago and Central College in Chicago...
Choir, with Paul Weston
Paul Weston
Paul Weston was an American pianist, arranger, composer and conductor. Weston was born Paul Wetstein in Springfield, Massachusetts...
and his orchestra, on 6 April 1951, and released by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
as catalog number 39367. The song reached #3 on the Billboard magazine
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...
music charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
. At this time Columbia also released Yao Lee's original Mandarin version in the US and UK under the English title, "Rose, Rose, I Love You." When the songwriter Chen Gexin's youngest son went to the United States for advanced education, he was able to meet Laine and maintained a correspondence. The English lyrics have little in common with the original Mandarin, but they pay subtle tribute to the titular Mandarin phrase "méigui méigui" (lit. rose petal) by including the English phrase "make way," with its normal English meaning.
Covers
Petula ClarkPetula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
covered the song in English with new lyrics under the title "May Kway." This version entered the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
charts on May 5, 1951 and peaked at #16.
The Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese singer Kyu Sakamoto
Kyu Sakamoto
was a Japanese singer and actor, best known outside of Japan for his international hit song "Sukiyaki", which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies...
covered the original Mandarin versions in the 1960's.
Gordon Jenkins
Gordon Jenkins
Gordon Hill Jenkins was an American arranger, composer and pianist who was an influential figure in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s, renowned for his lush string arrangements...
released a cover of Frankie Laine's version on Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
catalog number 27594.
Aneka
Aneka
Aneka is a Scottish singer.In 1981 she hit number one in the UK Singles Chart with her song, "Japanese Boy". She was well known for the Oriental image she adopted for the song...
also covered Frankie Laine's version in the early 1980's, also adding new original English lyrics. This single was released by Ariola Records
Ariola Records
Ariola Records is a German record label. As of the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of BMG which in turn has since become a part of the international media conglomerate Sony Music Entertainment...
but did not chart.
The original Mandarin version of this song was also covered by Taiwanese singer Joanna Wang
Joanna Wang
Joanna Wang is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter, daughter of famous music producer Wang Chi-ping . Born in Taipei but raised in Los Angeles suburb of San Gabriel, California, Wang dropped out from Gabrielino High School when she was 16. Her debut album, Start From Here, was released in January 2008...
in her 2009 album Joanna & 王若琳.
The Mandarin version also has reached a degree of popularity in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
with various performers, such as Thu Ngọc and Thái Doanh Doanh, covering the song under the title "Cánh hồng Trung Quốc."
Popular culture
The original Mandarin song was featured in the 1996 film The Pillow BookThe Pillow Book (film)
The Pillow Book is a 1996 film by United Kingdom director Peter Greenaway, which stars Vivian Wu as Nagiko, a Japanese model in search of pleasure and new cultural experience from various lovers...
, both opening and closing the film and serving as a leitmotif representing the protagonist Nagiko's childhood.
The Mandarin version of the song was also featured in the 2005 film The White Countess
The White Countess
The White Countess is a 2005 British/American/Chinese drama film directed by James Ivory. The screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro focuses on a disparate group of displaced persons attempting to survive in Shanghai in the late 1930s.-Plot:...
. The film appears to be set in 1937, so the inclusion of the song would be anachronistic.
External links
- "A Rose Is a Rose ..." TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
. 14 May 1951. Accessed 30 January 2007. Note the article contains some errors about the Chinese version of the song.