The Yellow Rose (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Yellow Rose" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music
singers Johnny Lee
and Lane Brody
, set to the tune of the folk song "The Yellow Rose of Texas
." It was recorded as the theme song to the NBC
television series The Yellow Rose
starring Cybill Shepherd
, and was included on Lee's 1984 studio album ‘Til the Bars Burn Down. Released as a single
in early 1984, "The Yellow Rose" became a Number One country hit in both the United States and Canada, giving Brody her only Number One country hit and Lee his fourth.
," but with newly-written lyrics by Johnny Lee, Lane Brody and John Wilder.
television series The Yellow Rose
, starring Cybill Shepherd
. While the television show used only the song's first verse and chorus, the commercial single
version included a second verse not heard on the program, with Lee's "Say When" on the B-side. Brody and Lee would later chart a second duet, "I Could Get Used to This," in 1986, although it was never included on an album.
Hot Country Singles (now Hot Country Songs
) charts dated for the week of February 4, 1984. The song spent twenty-two weeks on the charts, reaching Number One on the chart dated or April 21 and holding that position for one week. It gave Lee the fourth of five Number One hits in his career, and Brody her only Number One. It was also a Number One hit on the Canadian RPM
Country Tracks charts, peaking on the week of May 5, 1984.
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...
singers Johnny Lee
Johnny Lee
Johnny Lee is an American country music singer. His 1980 single, "Lookin' for Love" not only spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard country singles chart in the second half of 1980 but also went to the Top 5 on the Pop charts, and Top 10 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary survey...
and Lane Brody
Lane Brody
Lane Brody is an American female singer-songwriter, active since the early 1980s, best known for her 1984 Billboard-topping country hit, "The Yellow Rose" , and for the Oscar nominated song "Over You" from the film "Tender Mercies". She is the first female in country music to have an...
, set to the tune of the folk song "The Yellow Rose of Texas
The Yellow Rose of Texas
"The Yellow Rose of Texas" is a traditional folk song. The original love song has become associated with the legend of how an indentured servant named Emily Morgan "helped win the battle of San Jacinto, the decisive battle in the Texas Revolution."...
." It was recorded as the theme song to the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series The Yellow Rose
The Yellow Rose
The Yellow Rose is an American television series. It was broadcast on the NBC network during the 1983-1984 season. It was produced by Paul Freeman....
starring Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Lynne Shepherd is an American actress, singer and former model. Her best known roles include starring as Jacy in The Last Picture Show, as Betsy in Taxi Driver, as Madeleine Spencer in Psych, as Maddie Hayes on Moonlighting, as Cybill Sheridan on Cybill, and as Phyllis Kroll on The L...
, and was included on Lee's 1984 studio album ‘Til the Bars Burn Down. Released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in early 1984, "The Yellow Rose" became a Number One country hit in both the United States and Canada, giving Brody her only Number One country hit and Lee his fourth.
Content
"The Yellow Rose" is set to the same melody as the traditional American folk song "The Yellow Rose of TexasThe Yellow Rose of Texas
"The Yellow Rose of Texas" is a traditional folk song. The original love song has become associated with the legend of how an indentured servant named Emily Morgan "helped win the battle of San Jacinto, the decisive battle in the Texas Revolution."...
," but with newly-written lyrics by Johnny Lee, Lane Brody and John Wilder.
In popular culture
The song was used for the theme song to the NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series The Yellow Rose
The Yellow Rose
The Yellow Rose is an American television series. It was broadcast on the NBC network during the 1983-1984 season. It was produced by Paul Freeman....
, starring Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Lynne Shepherd is an American actress, singer and former model. Her best known roles include starring as Jacy in The Last Picture Show, as Betsy in Taxi Driver, as Madeleine Spencer in Psych, as Maddie Hayes on Moonlighting, as Cybill Sheridan on Cybill, and as Phyllis Kroll on The L...
. While the television show used only the song's first verse and chorus, the commercial single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
version included a second verse not heard on the program, with Lee's "Say When" on the B-side. Brody and Lee would later chart a second duet, "I Could Get Used to This," in 1986, although it was never included on an album.
Chart performance
"The Yellow Rose" made its chart debut on the BillboardBillboard (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 (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 dated for the week of February 4, 1984. The song spent twenty-two weeks on the charts, reaching Number One on the chart dated or April 21 and holding that position for one week. It gave Lee the fourth of five Number One hits in his career, and Brody her only Number One. It was also a Number One hit on the Canadian RPM
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
Country Tracks charts, peaking on the week of May 5, 1984.
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |