"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 the 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. 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. Young's longtime backing band Crazy Horse recorded the song, with the title "Dance, Dance, Dance", in 1971 on their album Crazy Horse.

Linda Ronstadt version

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. "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. Ronstadt frequently performed the song at her concerts during the mid-to-late-1970s.

Chart performance

Other versions