“Roses Are Red (My Love)” – Single by Bobby Vinton from the album Roses Are Red
B-side: “You and I”
Released: April 6, 1962
Recorded: February 16, 1962
Songwriters: Paul Evans, Al Byron
Vinton was signed by CBS (Epic) Records in 1960 as a bandleader. Two years and two failed LPs later, he was called to a meeting with label executives who wanted to drop him from Epic Records. In the meeting, Vinton pointed out that his contract called for him to record and release two more songs. The executives quickly exited the meeting room to confer with the label’s lawyers – who were attending – and consider the situation. While everybody but the bandleader was out of the room, Vinton listened to rejected demo records and found a recording that stopped him cold: “Roses Are Red (My Love).” After the executives returned to the meeting, Vinton persuaded them to allow him to sing on the next, and in their eyes final, single – the song that he found literally on the trash heap.
The song was released in April 1962. It reached No. 1 in Australia, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, and the United States, and was a major hit in many other countries as well. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on July 14, 1962, and remained there for four weeks. The single was also the first number-one hit for Epic Records.
Billboard ranked the record No. 4 in their year end ranking “Top 100 Singles of 1962” and No. 36 in their year end ranking of the top Rhythm and Blues records of 1962. The song was also ranked No. 17 on Cash Box’s “Top 100 Chart Hits of 1962”
