Released October 28, 1977 Genre Folk rock Label Reprise | Recorded 1974 Length 2:16 Writer(s) Neil Young | |
"Love Is a Rose" is a song written and composed by Neil Young. It first became popular in 1975 when Linda Ronstadt had a country hit with her version. "Love Is a Rose" has also been covered by other artists over the years.
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Background
Neil Young first recorded "Love Is a Rose" in 1974 for the unreleased album Homegrown. It was later released by Young in 1977 on the compilation Decade.
The melody for "Love Is a Rose" was taken from yet another unreleased song "Dance Dance Dance," which finally saw release on Live at Massey Hall 1971 in 2007. Young's longtime backing band Crazy Horse had recorded "Dance Dance Dance" in 1971 on their album Crazy Horse and The New Seekers released it as a single in 1972.
Background
Linda Ronstadt recorded "Love Is a Rose" in a country music arrangement on her platinum-certified 1975 album Prisoner in Disguise. Her rendition peaked at number 5 the US Billboard Country Singles chart. "Love Is a Rose" also debuted on the pop-oriented "Billboard" Hot 100 but its B-side: "Heat Wave", became the track of choice for pop radio stations, becoming a number 5 hit. Ronstadt frequently performed the song at her concerts during the mid- to late-1970s.