"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" is the title of a power ballad song by American glam metal band Poison. It was released in October 1988 as the third single from Poison's second album Open Up And Say... Ahh!. It is the band's only number-one hit in the U.S., reaching the top spot on Christmas Eve in 1988 for three weeks (carrying over into 1989) and it also charted at #11 on the Mainstream Rock charts.[1] It was a number 13 hit in the UK.[2] "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" was named number 34 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 80s", #100 on their "100 Greatest Love Songs" and #7 on MTV and VH1 "Top 25 Power Ballads."
Song
Musically, the song starts quietly and features two intricate guitar solos, one mellow and one fast. Among guitarists, the song is notable for epitomizing the standard G - Cadd9 progression in pop/rock. During the same period, Poison had been playing at a cowboy bar called "The Ritz" in Dallas, Texas, accounting for the song's recognizable references to cowboys in the chorus, along with the twang in Bret Michaels' vocals, which give the song a country feel not often heard in power ballads composed by glam metal bands.
Background and writing
In an interview with VH1's Behind The Music, Michaels said the inspiration for the song came from a night when he was in a laundromat waiting for his clothes to dry, and called his girlfriend on a pay phone. Michaels said he heard a male voice in the background and was devastated; he said he went into the laundromat and wrote "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" as a result. The name of the girl in the song is Tracy Lewis.[3]
Music video
The music video to "Every Rose" was similar to those filmed for other 1980s power ballads. It features Michaels sitting down, playing the guitar, and singing along to the song, interspersed with black-and-white clips from concerts, and color frames of a storyline that follows the song.
Chart performance
"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" became the group's first (and only to date) number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100; it climbed to the top during the two last weeks of 1988 and the first week of 1989.
Chart successions
Albums
"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" is on the following albums.
Uses in media
- The track was featured in an episode of The Simpsons ("It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge"), with the character Otto identified as a fan of Poison. He plays the song when proposing to his girlfriend (ironic, considering its subject matter).
- John Mayer performed the song in a sketch on Chappelle's Show.
- Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey features Bill and Ted performing the chorus to prove that they are worthy of entry into heaven.
- The song is performed in an episode of Yes, Dear ("Greg's Big Day") when the main characters meet Bret Michaels.
- The song has also been featured in the movie Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo.
- The song was featured in an episode of The O.C. ("The Rager").
- The song was featured in the Broken Lizard film Beerfest when the character 'Landfill' dies.
- The song was featured in the David Cross film Run Ronnie Run When Ronnie loses his wives.
- The song was featured at the end of an episode of October Road ("The Pros and Cons of Upsetting the Apple Cart").
- The song was used in an episode of Neighbours where Bouncer was run over by an unknown driver.
- The song was featured in several episodes of Rock of Love with Bret Michaels.
- The song was featured in South Park in the episode "Guitar Queer-o".
- The song appeared in an episode of Cold Case ("Maternal Instincts").
- The song appeared on an episode of Supernatural.
- The song appears on the music video games Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol and Band Hero.
- The song was featured in the wedding of Peyton Sawyer and Lucas Scott on One Tree Hill. Haley James Scott quotes the song.
- The song appeared in Kevin Smith's 2010 movie Cop Out.
- The song was featured in the 2011 film Hop.
- The song was featured in the Canadian movie, Fubar II.
- The song was made available to download on February 12, 2012 for play in Rock Band 3 Basic and PRO mode utilizing real guitar / bass guitar, and MIDI compatible electronic drum kits / keyboards plus vocal harmonies.
- The song was performed in the 2012 film Rock of Ages, based on the musical of the same name, by Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, and Mary J. Blige.
Miley Cyrus version
Cyrus covered the song on her third studio album Can't Be Tamed. She deemed it "a classic" and one of her favorite songs. "I feel like the way the music industry is today really shelters kids and they aren't exposed to songs as honest and real as this one." Lead singer Bret Michaels sings backup on the cover. The song was praised by critics due to Cyrus' vocals on the track.
Loretta Lynn version
In early 2013, composer Bret Michaels has recorded yet another version. This time, it’s a duet with the "Queen of Country Music" Loretta Lynn and can be found on his new album Jammin' with Friends.
References
- ^ "Allmusic (Poison charts and awards) Billboard singles". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012.
- ^ "Poison chart stats". Chart Stats. Retrieved 2012.
- ^ theGAZZ.com - the Weekly Arts & Entertainment Guide of the Charleston Gazette in Charleston, West Virginia. Retrieved on October 26, 2007[dead link]
- ^ "Australian-charts.com – Poison – Every Rose Has Its Thorn". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Poison search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
- ^ "Charts.org.nz – Poison – Every Rose Has Its Thorn". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Poison – Every Rose Has Its Thorn". Singles Top 60.
- ^ "Poison – Every Rose Has Its Thorn – swisscharts.com". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ^ "Every Rose Has Its Thorn digital single". iTunes. Retrieved 2012.
External links
