Love Is a Rose

"Love Is a Rose"
Song by Neil Young
from the album Decade
Released	October 28, 1977
Recorded	June 16, 1974
Studio	Broken Arrow Ranch
Genre	Folk rock
Length	2:16
Label	Reprise
Songwriter(s)	Neil Young
Producer(s)	Neil Young David Briggs Tim Mulligan

"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.

Neil Young version

Background

Neil Young first recorded "Love Is a Rose" in 1974 for his unreleased album Homegrown . It was later released by Young in 1977 on the compilation Decade . Homegrown finally saw release in 2020, rendering Young's recording of the song no longer unique to Decade. ^[1]

The melody for "Love Is a Rose" was taken from another as-yet unreleased song "Dance, Dance, Dance," which finally saw release on Live at Massey Hall 1971 in 2007. ^[2] Young's longtime backing band Crazy Horse recorded the song, with the title "Dance, Dance, Dance", in 1971 on their album Crazy Horse . ^[3]

Personnel

• Neil Young – guitar, harmonica, vocals
• Tim Drummond – bass ^[4]

Linda Ronstadt version

"Love Is a Rose"
Single by Linda Ronstadt
from the album Prisoner in Disguise
B-side	"Heat Wave"
Released	August 19, 1975
Genre	Rock country rock
Length	2:44
Label	Asylum
Songwriter(s)	Neil Young
Producer(s)	Peter Asher
Linda Ronstadt singles chronology
"When Will I Be Loved" (1975) "Love Is a Rose" (1975) "Tracks of My Tears" (1975)

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 No. 5 the US Billboard Country Singles chart. ^[1] "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, also becoming a No. 5 hit. ^[5] Ronstadt frequently performed the song at her concerts during the mid-to-late-1970s. ^[6]

Chart performance

Chart (1975)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100 [7]	63
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [8]	5
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [9]	100
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [10]	46

Other versions

• Lisa Loeb recorded "Love Is a Rose" on her 2008 album, Camp Lisa . ^[11]
• Jill Johnson covered the song on her 2009 cover album Music Row II , after having performed the song live in a cappella versions with the band during live concerts. ^[12]
• Terri Clark recorded a cover of "Love Is a Rose" for her ninth studio album, Classic , which was released November 13, 2012. Clark's version was released as the album's first single in October 2012. ^[13]

References

1. "Single Stories: Linda Ronstadt, LOVE IS A ROSE". Rhino. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
2. "Love Is A Rose, by Linda Ronstadt". SongFacts. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
3. "Crazy Horse". Neil Young Archives. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
4. "Love Is a Rose" . Retrieved July 5, 2025.
5. "Linda Ronstadt Billboard Hot 100 Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
6. "Heat Wave performed by Linda Ronstadt". Setlist.fm. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
7. "Linda Ronstadt Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
8. "Linda Ronstadt Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
9. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4035b." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
10. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 4038." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
11. "Lisa Loeb Music". Lisaloeb.com. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
12. "Jill Johnson – Music Row II". Discogs. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
13. "Terri Clark – Classic". Discogs. Retrieved July 30, 2024.