Run for the Roses
Encyclopedia
- For the Kentucky Derby, see Kentucky DerbyKentucky DerbyThe Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
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"Run for the Roses" is a song on the album The Innocent Age
The Innocent Age
The Innocent Age is the seventh album by American singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg, released in 1981 . It was also one of his most successful albums; three of his four Top 10 singles on the Billboard pop chart were from this album, as well as another Top 20 single in "Run for the Roses"...
, written and recorded by singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg
Dan Fogelberg
Daniel Grayling "Dan" Fogelberg was an American singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, whose music was inspired by sources as diverse as folk, pop, rock, classical, jazz, and bluegrass music...
in 1981. Released as a single the following year, it peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. It has since been used as an unofficial theme for the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
. The song alludes to "the chance of a lifetime, in a lifetime of chance" at once describing the experience of horse racing, and life itself.
The song contains one possible "goof". Its opening lines describe the foal as "Born in the valleys/And raised in the trees/Of western Kentucky/On wobbly knees." The Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
breeding industry has no real presence in that part of the state; Kentucky's Thoroughbred industry is centered on Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, located in the Bluegrass region
Bluegrass region
The Bluegrass Region is a geographic region in the state of Kentucky, United States. It occupies the northern part of the state and since European settlement has contained a majority of the state's population and its largest cities....
and most commonly thought of as being in Central Kentucky
Central Kentucky
Central Kentucky is sometimes considered the Central and Southern part of the Bluegrass region, the Far Upper Western Eastern Mountain Coal Fields, and the Far Upper Eastern Pennyroyal regions. Its major cities include Lexington and Frankfort. Lexington citizens, especially radio and TV stations...
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Chart performance
| Chart (1981–1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 18 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 33 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 16 |