Red Roses for a Blue Lady

"Red Roses for a Blue Lady" is a 1948 popular song by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett (alias Roy Brodsky). It has been recorded by a number of performers. Actor-singer John Laurenz (1909–1958)^[1] was the first to record the song for Mercury Records. It rose to #2 on the weekly “Your Hit Parade” radio survey in the spring of 1949. The original 78rpm single was issued on Mercury 5201 - Red Roses For A Blue Lady (Roy Brodsky-Sid Tepper) by John Laurenz.^[2]

"Red Roses for a Blue Lady"
Single by Vic Dana
from the album Red Roses for a Blue Lady
B-side	"Blue Ribbons (For Her Curls)"
Released	January 1965 (1965)
Genre	Easy Listening
Length	2:45
Label	Dolton
Songwriter(s)	Sid Tepper Roy C. Bennett
Producer(s)	Dick Glasser
Vic Dana singles chronology
"Frenchy" (1964) "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" (1965) "Bring a Little Sunshine (To My Heart)" (1965)

"Red Roses for a Blue Lady"
Single by Bert Kaempfert
B-side	"Lonely Nightingale"
Released	January 1965 (1965)
Genre	Easy Listening
Length	2:20
Label	Decca
Songwriter(s)	Sid Tepper Roy C. Bennett
Bert Kaempfert singles chronology
"Holiday for Bells" (1963) "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" (1965) "Three O'Clock in the Morning" (1965)

"Red Roses for a Blue Lady"
Single by Wayne Newton
B-side	"One More Memory"
Released	February 1965 (1965)
Genre	Easy Listening
Length	2:20
Label	Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Sid Tepper Roy C. Bennett
Wayne Newton singles chronology
"Coming On Too Strong" (1965) "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" (1965) "I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time" (1965)

It was a hit again for Andy Williams, Wayne Newton and others in 1965.

Lyrical content

The song is about a man who wishes to give flowers as a gift to the woman he loves after the two have had a disagreement and that said disagreement made her blue (i.e., sad). He hopes that if his sweetheart accepts his plea for forgiveness, the two will marry and that he will soon return to pick out the florist’s “best white orchid for her wedding gown."

Other recorded versions

• The best-selling recording was made by Vaughn Monroe and his orchestra,^[3] with credited vocalists Vaughn Monroe and The Moon Men, on December 15, 1948. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-3319 (in United States) and by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalogue numbers BD 1247, HN 3014, HQ 3071, IM 13425, and GY 478. It first reached the Billboard magazine chart on January 14, 1949 and lasted 19 weeks on the chart, peaking at #4.^[4]
• Another recording was made by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians on December 22, 1948. It was released by Decca Records as catalog number 24549. The record first reached the Billboard chart on February 4, 1949 and lasted 13 weeks on the chart, peaking at #10.^[4]
• The song was revived during the winter of 1965 by vocalists Vic Dana and Wayne Newton and instrumentalist Bert Kaempfert, all three versions charting simultaneously: Dana's rendition was the most successful, peaking at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[5] Kaempfert's recording peaked at #11 on the same chart, and Newton's reached #23. All three versions were also listed on Billboard′s Easy Listening survey, with Dana and Kaempfert's versions both peaking at #2 and Newton's at #4.
• Andy Williams released a version in 1965 as the B-side to his hit song "...and Roses and Roses". *Harry James recorded a version in 1965 on his album Harry James Plays Green Onions & Other Great Hits (Dot DLP 3634 and DLP 25634).
• Bruno Balz has written German lyrics. The German title is "Ich sende dir Rosen". The Cornel Trio recorded it in Berlin on October 15, 1952. The song was released by Electrola as catalog number EG 7848.
• The Swedish singer Östen Warnerbring had his breakthrough in 1965 with a Swedish version of the song with lyrics by Ingrid Reuterskiöld, "En röd blomma till en blond flicka".^[6] His fellow countryman Carl Holmberg had recorded Reuterskiöld's version already in 1949.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra Vocalists

Chart (1949)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[4]	4

Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians

Chart (1949)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[4]	10

Vic Dana

Chart (1965) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report) 8 US Billboard Hot 100[7] 10 US Billboard Adult Contemporary[5] 2 US Cash Box Top 100 [8] 11

Year-end charts Chart (1965) Rank U.S. Billboard Hot 100[9] 76

Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra

Chart (1965) Peak position U.S. Billboard Hot 100[10] 11 U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 3 U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [8] 9

Chart (1965) Rank U.S. Billboard Hot 100[9] 32 U.S. Cash Box [11] 41

Wayne Newton

Chart (1965)	Peak position
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[12]	3
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[10]	23
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	4
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [13]	18

References

1. "John Laurenz - IMDb".
2. "1st RECORDING OF: Red Roses For A Blue Lady - John Laurenz (1948)". YouTube. 1948. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
3. Gilliland, John. (197X). "Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #22 - All Tracks UNT Digital Library". Digital.library.unt.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
4. Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940-1955. Record Research.
5. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 70.
6. "Östen hyllas på Johannamuseet". Helsingborgs Dagblad (in Swedish). 14 May 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
7. "Vic Dana Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
8. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, March 27, 1965
9. "Top 100 Hits of 1965/Top 100 Songs of 1965". musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
10. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
11. Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1965
12. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1965-06-28. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
13. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, April 3, 1965