The Rose was recorded by Bette Midler in 1979
The song and it's lyric were composed by Amanda Mc Broom

How "THE ROSE" came to be  (by Amanda McBroom)

People often ask me what inspired me to write The Rose. Here is the story:

I was driving down the freeway one afternoon, some time in 1977-something. I was listening to the radio. A song came on. It was "Magdalena" by Danny O’Keefe, sung by Leo Sayer.  I liked it immediately. My favorite line was "Your love is like a razor. My heart is just a scar." I thought," Ooh, I love that lyric."

As I continued to drive the thought came, I don't agree with the sentiment. I don't think love is like a razor. (I was younger then.) What, then, do I think love is? Suddenly, it was as if someone had opened a window in the top of my head. Words came pouring in. I had to keep reciting them to myself as I drove faster and faster towards home, so I wouldn't forget them. I screeched into my drive way, ran into the house, past various bewildered dogs and cats and husband, and sat down at the piano. Ten minutes later, The Rose was there.

I called my husband, George, into the room and played it for him, as I always did with my new songs. He listened, and quietly said to me, "You've just written a standard." I protested that no one but my pals would ever hear it. (This is long before I had ever recorded anything.) He said," Mark my words, something is going to happen with this song."

A year or so later, a professional song - writer friend of mine said, "Listen. There is this movie coming out called "The Rose". They are looking for a title tune. Do you want me to submit this to them?" I had never really tried to submit this song to anyone. I didn't consider myself a song writer at the time. So I said, "Sure."

She submitted the tune to the producers, who hated it. They thought it was dull and a hymn and not rock and roll and totally wrong. They put it in the reject box. But the divine Paul Rothchild, who was the music supervisor on the film, and had been Janis Joplin’s producer, hauled it out and asked them to reconsider. They again said no. So he mailed it to Bette Middler. She liked it, and that’s how it got into the film and changed my life forever.

I have never written another song as quickly. I like to think I was the window that happened to be open when those thoughts needed to come through. I am eternally grateful... to Bette Midler... to Paul Rothchild... to Bill Kerby, who wrote the screenplay...to my friend who first submitted it for me... and to the Universe for speaking to me in the first place and for showing me what I truly believe..........

.......... Originally the film was to be called "The Pearl", which was Janis Joplin’s nick name. But her family refused permission to use that name. Lucky for me. "Pearl" is much harder to rhyme than "Rose".




How the song failed to receive the Oscar Award?

An interview with Amanda McBroom, who wrote the song "The Rose".  

Jonathan Frank :  ....Which brings us to your most famous composition, "The Rose." I remember reading somewhere that "The Rose" was ineligible for an Oscar because it was written for something else. What's the story there?

Amanda McBroom:  I wrote it in 1977, 1978, and I sang it occasionally in clubs. I actually sang it on one local television show. Jim Nabors had a local talk show, and I sang it on his show once. Then "The Rose," thank God, made it into the film. When it came time for Oscar Nominations, they asked me if the song was written especially for the film, because it has to be in order for it to be eligible. I told the truth - that it wasn't, that I had written it for myself. So it was disqualified. But if I had lied, it would have been very bad Karma. Besides, somebody would have found me out. Then I would have been very embarrassed and who knows what would have happened?