Buy Me a Rose

"Buy Me a Rose"
Single by Kenny Rogers featuring Alison Krauss & Billy Dean
from the album She Rides Wild Horses
Released	October 13, 1999
Format	CD Single
Recorded	1999
Genre	Country
Length	3:42
Label	Dreamcatcher
Writer(s)	Jim Funk, Erik Hickenlooper
Producer(s)	Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers chronology "Slow Dance More" (1999) "Buy Me a Rose" (1999) "He Will, She Knows" (2000) Alison Krauss chronology "Stay" (1999) "Buy Me a Rose" (1999) "Maybe" (2000) Billy Dean chronology "Innocent Bystander" (1998) "Buy Me a Rose" (1999) "Keep Mom and Dad in Love" (w/Suzy Bogguss and Jillian) (2001)

"Buy Me a Rose" is a song written by Jim Funk and Erik Hickenlooper, and recorded by American country music artist Kenny Rogers. It was released in October 1999 as the third single 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 years old 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 Alison Krauss and Billy Dean, 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 the husband purchasing her a rose from a florist, or having a door held open for her, implying that he should also mind his manners. 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 desires. 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 2000, and spending a total of thirty-seven weeks on the charts. It is also the only Number One single for Billy Dean 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.^[1] 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".

Weekly charts

Chart (1999–2000)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[2]	9
US Billboard Hot 100[3]	40
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[4]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2000)	Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)[5]	18

Luther Vandross version

"Buy Me a Rose"
Single by Luther Vandross
from the album Dance with My Father
Released	2004
Format	CD Single, digital
Genre	Pop, adult contemporary
Length	3:49
Label	J Records
Writer(s)	Jim Funk, Erik Hickenlooper
Producer(s)	Shep Crawford
Luther Vandross singles chronology
"Think About You" (2003) "Buy Me a Rose" (2004) "The Closer I Get to You" (2004)

R&B singer Luther Vandross covered the song for his 2003 album Dance with My Father. Vandross' version peaked at number 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts in 2004.

Charts

Chart (2004)	Peak position[6]
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[7]	13

References

1. "Two for the shows". Sunday News. 15 October 2000. Retrieved 7 May 2009.
2. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 7293." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. May 29, 2000. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
3. "Kenny Rogers – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Kenny Rogers.
4. "Kenny Rogers – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Kenny Rogers.
5. "Best of 2000: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2000. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
6. Luther Vandross - Singles Chart history.Billboard.com
7. "Luther Vandross – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Luther Vandross.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics