On June 14, 1980 Bill Joel started a six-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with Glass Houses, his second US No.1 album. The album features Joel’s first song to peak at No.1 on Billboard’s Pop Singles chart, ‘It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me.’ His first No. 1 album was 52nd Street. Interestingly, Billy Joel’s 52nd Street was the first CD ever released, by Sony when they released their first CD player in 1982, along with 49 other albums from Sony’s library, including Billy Joel The Stranger, Songs in the Attic, Glass Houses, Turnstiles; Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here, Michael Jackson Off The Wall, Chicago Chicago IX: Chicago’s Greatest Hits, Earth Wind & Fire The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1, Santana Greatest Hits, Simon & Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water, and as well as a variety of classical titles from Beethoven to Mozart, Tchaikovsky to Strauss and Vivaldi.
So what was so special about 52nd Street? Was it the great collection of songs, including “Big Shot,” “Honesty,” and “My Life”? Was it because it won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Or the too cool album cover photo of Billy holding a trumpet sporting a tailored suit and his Tretorn tennis sneakers? It actually was nothing more than 52nd Street, starting with a number, came first when alphabetized in Sony’s release list.
Billy’s first number one song “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” provides the theme for today’s playlist, songs with some variation of Rock and Roll in their title. Other alternatives include Rock & Roll and Rock ’N Roll. Only the biggest of music buffs will know the difference, not that it makes a difference.
Rock & Roll was a product of the early ‘50s, first coined by Cleveland, Ohio DJ Alan Freed. Its musical style is rooted in R&B with influences from gospel, jazz, boogie-woogie, blues, swing, and folk music. The “starting 5” that received significant airplay on the first Top 40 format radio station, KOWH in Omaha, Nebraska were Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, and Fats Domino. While the genre initially more prominently featured piano and saxophone, it quickly transformed to an electric guitar led sound, largely through the efforts of Chuck Berry.
If the foundational period of Rock & Roll was the ‘50s to mid-60s, the mid-60s to late ‘70s was considered the Golden Age of Rock. The 60s brought Psychedelic Rock, Classic Rock, and the British Invasion, while the ‘70s ushered in Hard Rock, Progressive Rock, Punk Rock, and Heavy Metal. The ‘80s brought Glam Rock, Pop Rock, and New Wave, with the ‘90s brining Alternative Rock and Grunge. The 2000s appears to be revisiting variations of several of the old genres over the years with Garage Rock Revival, Pop-Punk and Indie movements.
But for me, “I like that old time rock and roll.”
So Marty McFly epitomizes the evolution of rock over the years in just one performance, transitioning from doo-wop R&B to Chuck Berry’s R&B rock style to ‘80s rock & metal.
And summarizing my opinion on the matter is Joan Jett
Even Country Music went to the School of Rock
Some Rock & Roll song greats include Bob Seger “Old Time Rock & Roll” and “Rock And Roll Never Forgets,” Chuck Berry “Rock And Roll Music,” Joan Jett “I Love Rock ’N Roll,” Huey Lewis “The Heart of Rock And Roll,” The Rolling Stones “It’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll,” Eric Clapton “I’ve Got a Rock ’N’ Roll Heart,” Boston “Rock & Roll Band,” Led Zeppelin “Rock and Roll,” Kiss “Rock And Roll All Nite,” Bad Company “Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy,” John Fogerty “Rock and Roll Girls,” Elton John “Rock And Roll Madonna,” Meat Loaf “Rock And Roll Dreams Come True,” Moody Blues “I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band),” The Kinks “A Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy,” Traffic “Rock ’N’ Roll Stew,” and Peter, Paul, and Mary “I Dig Rock and Roll Music,” among others. And that doesn’t even include the Rock & Roll releases by AC/DC and Kiss, who were so prolific they needed their own playlist.
On to the playlists, to enjoy some songs with Rock & Roll in the title. There are 3 to choose from:
Rock & Pop Rock & Roll songs:
Alternative, Punk, Techno & More Rock & Roll songs:
AC/DC & Kiss Rock & Roll Songs:
I hope that this music and my blog truly serve as a “revival: a new presentation of something old,” a springboard to return to the music of your youth, or perhaps to find artists you want to discover anew. Rediscover the passion of music in your life.
As promised in my Run for the ROSES and Good HORSES blog, and in honor of the National Day of the Cowboy, I’m sharing my playlist Like A COWBOY highlighting songs featuring Cowboy in the title. National Day of the Cowboy is celebrated on the fourth Saturday in July, falling on July 26th this year (2025). It is a day established to honor the contributions and spirit of cowboys and to preserve the pioneer heritage of the American West and cowboy culture.
Cowboys are animal herders who tend cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback. They arose in the mid 19th century from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico as well as having historic roots tracing back to Spain. They gradually became figures of great significance and legend. Other names for cowboy have included buckaroo, cowpoke, cowhand, and cowpuncher. Buckaroo is an anglicized version of vaquero, with Spanish pronunciation “ba ‘ke ro.” And of course cowgirl is the female counterpart which arose in the late 19th century- my Cowgirl playlist will be the them of a blog for another day 😉.
Some famous cowboys of sorts over the years have included Buffalo Bill Cody, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, the Marlboro Man, John Wayne and Clint Eastwood in their western movies, the cowboy of the Village People, and Woody in Toy Story.
Often people confuse cowboys with outlaws and gunfighters such as Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickok, Jesse James, and Butch Cassidy. Some of my favorite Western movies, which often focus more on gunslingers than cowboys, include Silverado, Tombstone, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, Fistful of Dollars, For A Few More Dollars, High Plains Drifter, Unforgiven, The Magnificent Seven, The Hateful Eight, Dances With Wolves, City Slickers, Pale Rider, 3:10 To Yuma, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, Django Unchained, The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs, Giant, Shane, Once Upon A Time In The West, True Grit, High Noon, Rio Bravo, and Treasure Of The Sierra Madre. For those interested in such cowboy movies, which again often lean toward outlaws, gunslingers, and lawmen, here is a list, compiled by Rotten Tomatoes, of the top 100 western movies of all-time.
While great Western movies, they don’t always exemplify the life of the cowboy.
So my inspiration for the playlist was listening to Ashley McBryde’s “Aint Enough Cowboy Songs.” Not that I ever need a reason to explore music, it prompted me to determine if there was any truth to the premise. And lo and behold, I think there are plenty of Cowboy songs. But in the spirit of her assertion, I think there perhaps can never be enough Cowboy songs, no matter how many are written and sung.
Some of my favorites include Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” Big & Rich’s “Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy),” Garth Brooks’ “Good Ride Cowboy” and “The Cowboy Song” (though alas Garth continues to eschew making his music available for streaming, thus I had to settle for covers), “Rhinestone Cowboy,” Randy Houser’s “Like A Cowboy,” Dustin Lynch’s “Cowboys & Angels,” and Waylon & Willie’s “Mama, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.” The songs are predominantly by country artists. Though I did include some non-country songs, and some songs that don’t include cowboy in the title, but either feature Cowboy prominently in their lyrics or were prominent in cowboy movies.
In Ashley’s “Ain’t Enough Cowboy Songs,” she briefly yodel’s the melody made famous in Eddy Arnold’s “Cattle Call” also made famous by a then 13 year old Leann Rimes, though actually recorded when she was just 11! I included both in the playlist, as well as Randy Travis’ “High Lonesome” also referenced in the song. Toby’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” sings of Gene (Autry) and Roy (Rogers), who obviously have entries on the list. While many argue that Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter isn’t a country album, I included her mega-hit “Texas Hold ‘Em” on the list. In her defense, Taylor Swift seems more pop than country to me, also included on this list with “Cowboy Like Me.” Judge for yourself.
Perhaps the consummate singer of cowboy tales is one who also lived it, rode it, and wrote it – Chris LeDoux. He was an American country music singer, songwriter, and hall of fame rodeo champion. Recording 36 albums including two gold and one platinum album in his 35 year career, with 20 Cowboy songs included in the playlist. Prior to his music career taking off, he had a career taking off from the chutes, winning the bareback riding championship at the national finals rodeo in 1976. He more than wrote about being a cowboy, he lived the life of a cowboy.
Well I wake up in the mornin’, I brew my coffee hot and strong. I get out my ole guitar, and try to write a song. And them larks are singin, oh lord, just outside. And I’m stuck here in this kitchen tryin’ to write.
And I’m writin’ these cowboy songs. yodellehe, cowboy songs… Just me and my beat up ole guitar. Cowboy songs, yodellehe, cowboy songs… Well maybe one of these cowboy songs is gonna make me a star.
Now Hank Williams jr. writes ’em rough, and sings ’em tough. And Charlie Daniels sings a song about the devil. And Waylon and Willie sing about… whatever they like. And I’ll probably be sing these cowboy songs for the rest of my life.
And writin’ these cowboy songs. yodellehe, cowboy songs… Just me and my beat up ole guitar. Cowboy songs, yodellehe, cowboy songs… Well maybe one of these cowboy songs is gonna make me a star.
Well this don’t sound like Strawberry Roan, or that lonesome Cattle Call. And you might think that it don’t sound nothin’ like a cowboy song at all. But it is, ’cause I wrote it… and I’m a real life buckaroo. And I wrote this silly little cowboy song, especially for you.
Here it is… cowboy songs, yodellehe, cowboy songs. Just me and my beat up ole guitar. Just a cowboy song, yodellehe, cowboys songs. Well maybe one of these cowboy songs is gonna make me a star.
Cowboy Songs – Chris LeDoux
His friendship with Garth Brooks helped bring his music to prominence, with a nod by Garth in “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)” relating:
The competition’s gettin’ younger Tougher broncs, you know I can’t recall. A worn out tape of Chris LeDoux, lonely women and bad booze seem to be the only friends I’ve left at all
Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) – Garth Brooks
When Chris was diagnosed with a progressive liver and gallbladder disease, Garth volunteered to be a partial liver donor. However his generosity was not to be, as he was not a tissue match. Chris ultimately succumbed on March 9, 2005 at just 56 years of age to his disease after failing health despite a liver transplant from another doner.
Here is Chris with his classic “This Cowboy’s Hat” from his hometown of Casper, Wyoming.
While Autumn Brooke didn’t write the song “Hey Cowboy” as a tribute to Chris, it sure seems appropriate, a touching memory for any fallen cowboy called home.
Hey Cowboy, I heard you moved away To a place where the cattle run free and you never run outta hay Hey Cowboy, I heard they’re buckin’ bulls And they’re the meanest sons of bitches that you ever could’ve wished for Hey Cowboy, I know you’re doin’ fine ‘Cause they’ve got dirt roads for miles and the beer’s on ice
There’s no more long, hard days No more calves to tag or colts to break And there’s one less hat in the arena tonight But his entry fee’s been paid And now there’s hoof prints on the streets of gold ‘Cause today God called a cowboy home
Hey Cowboy, you left somethin’ behind That mustang sittin’ in the field that nobody else but you could ride Hey Cowboy, you left your boots there by the door I put your Stetson on the mantle and your dog’s waitin’ for ya on the porch And hey Cowboy, I hope that you don’t mind But I took your old six speed for a drive Hey Cowboy, how’d you leave without sayin’ goodbye? I guess packin’ your bags without warning is just the cowboy way of life
There’s no more long, hard days No more calves to tag or colts to break And there’s one less hat in the arena tonight But his entry fee’s been paid And now there’s hoof prints on the streets of gold ‘Cause today God called a cowboy home Yeah today God called a cowboy home
Hey Cowboy – Autumn Brook
I also included in the playlist Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler,” though not truly a Cowboy song, them mood, as well as the album cover with Kenny in his western gun slingin’ garb playing poker evokes images of the wild west and cowboys.
It reminds me of one of my dad’s favorite western albums, again with an amazing album cover, with Marty Robbins, who I thought was the greatest singer of cowboy western songs until I learned of Chris LeDoux.
Also on the list is the theme song from Midnight Cowboy, as well as the very popular hit from the same movie “Everybody’s Talkin’,” and I couldn’t pass up including at least one song from a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western, with the theme from “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly,” an movie soundtrack album with yet another great cowboy cover.
To close the country portion of the playlist, Waylon Jennings weighs in on the fading of the cowboy way of life with “Last Cowboy Song,” and Roy Rogers closes out with “Happy Trails” – a great cowboy ending.
Some rock and pop songs featuring cowboy in the title or sound include the classic Bon Jovi anthem “Wanted Dead Or Alive’ – I’m a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride… Tesla’s “Modern Day Cowboy,” Rickie Lee Jones’ Flying Cowboys,” George Michael’s “Cowboys And Angels,” Billy Joel’s “Ballad Of Billy The Kid,” Elton John’s “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” from the album of the same name, Eagles’ “Desperado,” and Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker” declaring “Some people call me the space cowboy.” Not surprising, Bruce Springsteen, who, though from New Jersey, has a large horse farm and his later career has had a Western feel, thus providing a few entries on the list. And believe it or not, heavy metal great Pantera even made the list, though they do hail from Arlington, Texas.
The closing song of the non-country Cowboy songs is “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone.” I think they’re still here. They’ve just evolved. Perhaps watch “Yellowstone” to get a glimpse of the modern-day cowboy. So in response to Ms. McBryde’s assertion that there “Ain’t Enough Cowboy Songs,” I’d say there are aplenty, over 8 hours and 145 songs, but perhaps, when celebrating cowboys, that still ain’t enough.
I thought I’d share some music videos to take you out west where the horses and cowboys roam free.
Ashley McBryde’s providing inspiration for my playlist with “Ain’t Enough Cowboy Songs”
Toby Keith’s classic “Shoulda Been A Cowboy”
Tim Montana’s “Be A Cowboy”
Randy Houser’s “Be A Cowboy”
And Lainey Wilson offering when to “Call A Cowboy”
And Randy Travis doing the “Cowboy Boogie”, with some familiar faces of actors who’ve played cowboys, including Chuck Norris, Burt Reynolds, and Lou Diamond Phillips.
And a classic with Gene Autry singing “Cowboy’s Heaven”
And Michael Martin Murphy’s version of “Cowboy Logic”
So I hope you enjoy this foray into the west in honor of the cowboy. Happy trails and happy listening.
And if you’re interested in accessing all of Chris LeDoux’s Cowboy songs some 35 sone, at least one for each year of his career, I made a separate playlist. He has several greatest hits compilations, including Classic Chris LeDoux, The Ultimate Collection, Anthology, 20 Greatest Hits, and Best of Chris LeDoux.
I hope that this music and my blog truly serve as a “revival: a new presentation of something old,” a springboard to return to the music of your youth, or perhaps to find artists you want to discover anew. Rediscover the passion of music in your life.
July 2nd is the 183rd day of the year, or 184th day during a leap year. It marks the halfway point of the year, with noontime being the exact halfway point in a non-leap year, and midnight serving as the halfway point of a leap year. It lends itself to today’s playlist, and eclectic mix of songs featuring the word half in their title.
A Soundgarden song (R.I.P. Chris Cornell, a musical genius lost way too soon) lends the title of the blog. Some great half songs include several mega-hits, including Crystal Gayle’s “Half the Way,” Kenny Loggins’ “Meet Me Halfway,” John Mayer’s “Half of My Heart,” Billy Joel’s “Half a Mile Away,” Styx’ “Half Penny, Two Penny,” Wilson Picket’s “A Man and a Half” and “Ninety-Nine and One-Half (Won’t Do)” with CCR covering the same song, Lifehouse’s “Halfway Gone,” Patsy Cline and Ray Charles offering “Half As Much,” Keith Urban’s “You’re My Better Half,” One Direction’s “Half a Heart,” and Jelly Roll’s “Halfway to Hell.” And a little artistic license includes Halfway to Hazard’s “Daisy,” gaining entrance to the list by virtue of the band’s name.
A disclaimer on the racist song “Half Breed” by Ricky Nelson, followed with Cher’s experience of the same with her anthem “Half-Breed.” Music should be enjoyable but also educational. We need to learn from past mistakes.
And I can’t half-think about half without bringing to mind Bilbo Baggins departure speech from the Shire:
“I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” – J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Here Crystal Gayle shares “Half The Way” (1979). I had totally forgotten about this gem of a song. I saw Crystal at the Grand Ole Opry in 2015, singing among her hits “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue.” She’s a national treasure.
The intro keyboard sounds eerily like Elton John’s “Philadelphia Freedom” (1975). Such a ‘70s video!
For another “borrowed” song, check out the playlist song “Half a Man” by Kenny Rogers, and compare it to Fleetwood Mac’s “The Change.” Definitely Elton and Fleetwood Mac were early influencers 😉
Kenny Loggins was such a great power balladeer of the ‘70s and ‘80s, here with “Meet Me Halfway.”
And John Mayer is such a great guitarist as well as vocalist – “Half of My Heart”
And Kelsea Ballerini reminisces about the hometown she left, yet some never seen to leave, and perhaps part of her heart still remains, in “Half of My Hometown.”
While I kind of missed the whole One Direction scene at the time, I really appreciate this song “Half A Heart.”
So you’re halfway through the year. It’s time to look back and take stock in the joys and successes, the trials and tribulations, and plan for an even better second half, with perhaps some half-year resolutions. Happy Half New Year!
I hope that this music and my blog truly serve as a “revival: a new presentation of something old,” a springboard to return to the music of your youth, or perhaps to find artists you want to discover anew. Rediscover the passion of music in your life.
As promised in my “Run For The ROSES” blog in honor of the Kentucky Derby, I’m presenting my follow-up blog “Good HORSES” in celebration of upcoming The Belmont Stakes. Also referred to as The Test of Champions and The Run for the Carnation, as opposed to the Roses of the Derby, it is the third leg of the triple crown, following the Kentucky Derby by 5 weeks, and the Preakness by 3 weeks. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of 1 ½ miles, ¼ mile longer than the Derby and 1/16 mile longer than the Preakness. Also referred to as the Test of Champions and The Run for the Carnations, as opposed to The Run for the Roses of the Derby. Held in Elmont, NY, on Long Island just outside Queens, the race plays to fast horses out of the gate, less often witnessing long come-from-behind victories.
Derby winner Sovereignty will square off against Preakness winner Journalism, who will try to avenge his second place finish to Sovereignty in the Derby. Though I’m pulling for the 30-1 longshot Heart of Honor, though odds are against me (and him). Somehow the triumvirate of Sovereignty, Journalism, and Heart of Honor seems only fitting.
Some famous racehorses include Triple Crown winners in the past 50 or so years Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), American Pharoah (2015), and Justify (2018). However, some of my favorite horses are more from page and film. Some include Roy Rogers Horse Trigger, The Lone Ranger’s Silver and Tonto’s Scout, Zorro’s Tornado, Mr. Ed (if you know, you know), Woody’s Bullseye, Don Quijote’s Rocinante, Gandalf’s Shadowfax, Frodo’s Bill the Pony, and perhaps Pegasus, the white winged stallion of Greek mythology.
So the thoroughbreds of the Belmont Stakes lend the theme for today’s blog, songs with Horse or Horses in their title. While many are country, rock and pop have their share of horse songs. Some greats include Lainey Wilson’s “Good Horses,” Big & Rich’s “Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy,” Rolling Stone’s “Wild Horses,” U2’s “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses,” Echo & The Bunnymen “Bring on The Dancing Horses” (one of my favorite songs from Pretty In Pink Soundtrack), America’s “A Horse With No Name,” and Michael Martin Murphy’s “Wildfire,” (though not in the title, it is a memorable though sad one hit wonder horse song of the ‘70s).
I also included some peripherally related songs, including songs with Pony or Ponies in the title, as well as songs by Linda Ronstadt’s first group the Stone Poneys with “Different Drum,” Neil Young & Crazy Horse, with “Cowgirl In The Sand” including one of my favorites “After The Goldrush,” and the 1000 Horses big hit “Smoke,” which I was them perform at the Grand Ole Opry in 2015.
So here is my girl Lainey Wilson with yet another of her many hits, the blog title song, “Good Horses.” I actually saw Lainey as the opening act, if you can believe that, for Rodney Atkins at the Beaufort Water Festival in 2021, when she was just at the cusp of greatness. What a performance!
And for a great cover of Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses” with no less than Slash, and Myles Kennedy on guitars, and Haley Reinhart providing vocals:
And to give Garth Brooks his due, given he is not present on Spotify, as he is not a big fan of streaming platforms, believing more in album-oriented music access, and thus has an exclusive contract with Amazon Music, which helps him control presentation and access to his music. He has also made his physical media in the form of CDs very affordable over the years, which has perhaps helped him become the best-selling artist of all-time, yes, even ahead of Elvis and Michael. Unfortunately I need to resort to covers to include Garth on my playlists. Here his classic “Wild Horses” from No Fences.
And I’m loving this ‘70s flashback of America with “Horse With No Name.”
And here a wonderful duet of Michael Martin Murphy with Amy Grant on “Wildfire.” Michael must have an affinity for horses, as in addition to “Wildfire” he appears 5 times on the playlist, and has an entire album, The Horse Legends (1997) dedicated to horses.
And for the Swifties in the audience, “White Horse.”
I, like most, can’t get enough of Lainey Wilson. The western countryside in her “Wildflowers And Wild Horses” video is breathtaking, taking me back to my visit to Montana and Wyoming a few years ago.
I just love Chris Stapleton’s voice, here with “White Horse” at the CMA 2023:
And this video by Suzy Bogguss is just a beautiful displays our subject matter at hand, “All The Pretty Little Horses.” Interstingly, this traditional American lullaby harking from the early 20th century, originally recorded by Pete Seeger in 1951, has evolved over the years to oft changing the lyrics to “All The Pretty Little Ponies” as recorded most famously by Kenny Loggins, available on his “Return to Pooh Corner” album – very worth a play by anyone with children or grandchildren. I guess perhaps ponies seem a bit more lullaby-ish. ☺️
It’s no surprise that country dominates songs about horses. And that is serves as a segue to a future playlist of horses’ best friends, the cowboy, again songs of which are dominated by country artists. Ashley McBride asserts “There Ain’t Enough Cowboy Songs.” I beg to differ. There are plenty, though there is always room for more! We’ll see what y’all think at the upcoming release of that blog.
But for now lets celebrate the cowboy’s trusty sidekick, the horse, old reliable, companion and friend… Good Horses. Enjoy the music!
I hope that this music and my blog truly serve as a “revival: a new presentation of something old,” a springboard to return to the music of your youth, or perhaps to find artists you want to discover anew. Rediscover the passion of music in your life.
The Kentucky Derby is oft referred to as “The Run for the Roses.” In honor of the 151st running of the race, I thought a play list of songs with the word Rose or Roses in the title might be apropos. Run at the Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky annually on the first Saturday in May, it is the first leg of the Triple Crown, which also includes the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. The latter races will offer a segue to yet another fitting playlist of songs with the word Horses in the title – stay tuned.
Alternately called “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports,” “The Fasted Two Minutes In Sports,” or “The Greatest Two Minutes In Sports,” it was actually run in under two minutes by Secretariat in 1973 with at time of 1:59.4, quicker than any song on the playlist. Amazingly enough, every horse in the field in this year’s 2025 running can trace its ancestry five or six generations back to this legendary racehorse.
Dan Fogelberg’s 1981 release from Innocent Age lends its name to the blog post with “Run For The Roses,” a song he was commissioned to write by ABC now 45 years ago. The song is followed by “My Old Kentucky Home” – while not a rose song, it is a longstanding tradition that the song be performed as the horses make their way to the starting gate at the Derby. Some other notable songs include “The Rose,” “Kiss From A Rose,” Poison’s “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn,” “Ramblin’ Rose,” “Roses Are Red,” “My Wild Irish Rose,” “Second Hand Rose,” and “(I Never Promised You) A Rose Garden.”
Here is Dan discussing his commission and love for the song:
His words of introduction were prophetic, if not tragic – “…it deals with the odds that we all have to face in life”… “Cause we all have those moments, you know? That you either grab ‘em, and you take ‘em, and you take advantage of, and you move on. Or, perhaps regret that you didn’t the rest of your life.” Luckily he took advantage of his opportunities along the way, as he succumbed to cancer at the young age of 56.
Some famous and/or inspiring quotes about roses include:
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
– Romeo & Juliet, William Shakespeare
Of all flowers, methinks a rose is best.”
– William Shakespeare, The Two Noble Kinsmen
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying; And this same flower that smiles today, Tomorrow will be dying”
– To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time, Robert Herrick
A single rose can be my garden… a single friend, my world.
– Leo Buscaglia
But he that dares not grasp the thorn should never crave the rose.
– The Narrow Way, Anne Bronte
If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.
– Therese of Lisieux
It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important… People have forgotten this truth, but you mustn’t forget it. You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed. You’re responsible for your rose.
– The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint–Exupéry
Gather the rose of love whilst yet is time.”
– The Faerie Queene, Edmund Spenser
But he that dares not grasp the thorn should never crave the rose.
– The Narrow Way, Anne Bronte
We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
– Lettres Écrites De Mon Jardin, Alphonse Karr
The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose.
– Kahlil Gibran
Just remember, during the winter, far beneath the bitter snow, that there’s a seed that with the sun’s love in the spring becomes a rose.”
– Bette Midler, The Rose
To run for the roses songs in the playlist – enjoy!
I hope that this music and my blog truly serve as a “revival: a new presentation of something old,” a springboard to return to the music of your youth, or perhaps to find artists you want to discover anew. Rediscover the passion of music in your life.
