Bette Midler’s “The Rose” Lyrics Meaning

It seems that here and now, in the early 21^st century, we are regularly treated to songs based on the concept of heartbreak and how to deal with the prospect of such. But sometimes the best conclusions to matters of the heart are those that have already been established (relatively) long ago. 

And so it is with this piece we’re analyzing today, which many of the contemporary songs dealing with this same topic seem to have adopted their philosophy from.

“The Rose”

On “The Rose” the vocalist is acknowledging that yes, the fear of romantic heartbreak is indeed real. But she’s not the type to give to such dread. Instead the way she sees it there are certain endeavors in life, including most expressedly falling in love, which require a considerable degree of courage on the part of participants. 

Or the way Midler presents the situation is that a heart which is held back due to the fright of being broken is also a heart that will never flourish to its full potential.

And as far as the title is concerned, she uses the example of a rose or more specifically its seed to get that main point across. In other words, during the “bitter” winter months, said seed lays buried in the snow, being totally devoid of sunlight. But once the spring hits, it blooms into one of the most beautiful flowers on Earth. 

Or as she implies in the first verse, the heart is like a rose seed.  And as such it needs to be nurtured, not concealed, in order to grow as intended.

And whereas such may not be the most logical metaphor concerning the argument at hand, what it all boils down to is the thesis sentiment that we, the listeners, should not be afraid to fall in love. Or put more simply, as presented by Bette posits that it would be better to love, lose and learn from the experience than it would be to avoid stepping out onto the field of romance altogether.

Who wrote “The Rose”?

This song was written by Amanda McBroom, who is a musician in her own right. She was advised by her manager to write a song in emulation of Bob Seger in the name of securing a record deal for herself. And “The Rose”, which she was able to put together in just 45 minutes, is the product of that request.

Bette Midler’s Version

Amanda McBroom got around to performing the tune a couple of times early on, but Bette Midler, buttressed by producer Paul A. Rothchild (1935-1995), was the first vocalist to actually drop a recording of “The Rose”, officially doing so on 10 March 1980 courtesy of Atlantic Records. 

And she used it as the title track to a movie she starred in also entitled The Rose (1979). However, to note, Amanda McBroom did not write the song with said film in mind. Therefore, it was disqualified from being nominated for a Best Original Song Academy Award. 

However, it did earn McBroom and Bette the Best Original Song trophy at the 1979 Golden Globe Awards. And in 1981 Bette also took home a Grammy in the category of Best Female Pop Vocal Performance via “The Rose”.

The track was also a major chart success, most notably topping the Billboard Hot 100 and achieving RIAA gold certification, the latter of which back then meant it sold at least 1,000,000 copies.

Other Versions

A couple of other musical acts – Conway Twitty in 1983 and Westlife in 2006 – also achieved notable major chart success covering this song.