| "Ramblin' Rose" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Nat "King" Cole | ||||
| B-side | "The Good Times" | |||
| Released | July 1962 | |||
| Studio | Capitol (Hollywood) | |||
| Length | 2:45 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Noel Sherman and Joe Sherman | |||
| Producer(s) | Lee Gillette | |||
| Nat "King" Cole singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Ramblin' Rose" is a 1962 popular torch song written by brothers Noel Sherman (words) and Joe Sherman (music) and popularized by Nat King Cole.[1] The recording by Nat King Cole reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1962.
Original song release[edit]
Cole's recording of the song was released July 16, 1962, as a single by Capitol Records (catalog no. 4804; Side A; matrix no. 45-AA37861). It reached number two on both the Billboard and Cash Box charts - kept from number one by "Sherry" by The Four Seasons[2] - and sold more than a million copies as a single. The song spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard Easy Listening chart and the Australian charts, while on the R&B chart, the song reached number seven.[3] It was released as a single from Cole's album of the same name. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Record of the Year.
Copyright[edit]
Original copyright
- Vol. 16; Part 5, No. 2, July–December 1962 (1963). "Ramblin' Rose". © Sweco Music Corp.; 6 August 1962; EP166499. p. 1465. (assigned to Comet Music Ltd. in 1962)
Copyright renewal
- U.S. Copyright Office website (U.S. Copyright Search link)
- "Ramblin' Rose". © Renewal: 5 January 1990; RE465829
Charts[edit]
| Chart (1962) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[4] | 14 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[5] | 49 |
| Canada (CHUM Chart)[6] | 2 |
| New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)[7] | 2 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[8] | 5 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[9] | 5 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[10] | 5 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 2 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[12] | 1 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[13] | 2 |
| West Germany (Official German Charts)[14] | 3 |
Covers and similar songs[edit]
The song has been covered by many artists, particularly country music artists.
There are four country versions of the song. Sonny James recorded the song first in July 1968 and released it five years later on the album The Gentleman from the South in 1973.[15] Johnny Lee's version reached number 37 on the Billboard country chart in 1977.[16] The following year, singer Hank Snow's version charted at number 93.[17] In 1978, Johnny Rodriguez released a cover of the song on the album Love Me with All Your Heart.[18]
Petula Clark released a French version in 1962, titled "Les Beaux Jours". Her recording reached number 10 in the French charts in 1963.[19]
Others recording this version of the song were Charley Pride (1962), Roy Rogers (1962), Billy Vaughn, Louis Armstrong, Bobby Vinton, Engelbert Humperdinck, Paul Anka, Floyd Cramer, Sammy Davis Jr. (The Nat King Cole Songbook, 1965), Chuck Berry (1967), George Benson, the Mills Brothers, Dean Martin (1973), Marvin Gaye (1976), and Slim Whitman.
Two other popular songs have identical titles, not to be confused with the Nat King Cole hit.
- "Ramblin' Rose", which was written by Marijohn Wilkin, Fred Burch, and Obey Wilson.[20] This song was first recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis and released in 1967.[21] It has been covered by, among others, MC5, Primal Scream and the Finnish punk band Pelle Miljoona & 1980.
- "Rambling Rose", a light pop song from 1948, was composed by Joe Burke with lyrics by Joseph McCarthy. A number of singers recorded it, most notably Perry Como. Dean Martin recorded both of these songs.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 22 - Smack Dab in the Middle on Route 66: A skinny dip in the easy listening mainstream. [Part 1]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries. Track 5.
- ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.com. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ "Nat King Cole Top Songs". Music VF. 2016.
- ^ "Nat "King" Cole". Ultratop.
- ^ "Nat "King" Cole". Ultratop.
- ^ "Chart Number 286 - September 17, 1962". 1050 Chum. Archived from the original on 18 July 2006.
- ^ "Lever hit parades: 18-Oct-1962". Flavour of New Zealand.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Nat King Cole". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "Nat "King" Cole". VG-lista.
- ^ "Nat King Cole: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Nat King Cole Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Nat King Cole Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100" (PDF). Cash Box. September 29, 1962. p. 3.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Nat King Cole – Ramblin' Rose" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
- ^ "Sonny James – The Gentleman From The South". Discogs. 2016.
- ^ "Johnny Lee Top Songs". Music VF. 2016.
- ^ "Hank Snow Top Songs". Music VF. 2016.
- ^ "Johnny Rodriguez (4) – Love Me With All Your Heart". Discogs. 2016.
- ^ "Petula Clark: French chart hits". Petulaclark.net. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ "Ramblin' Rose by MC5". Retrieved 2022-02-11.
- ^ "Breathless - Jerry Lee Lewis". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
Bibliography[edit]
- Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
