{{short description|1948 song by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett}} {{Infobox song | name = Red Roses for a Blue Lady | cover = Red_Roses_for_a_Blue_Lady_-_Vic_Dana.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = [[Vic Dana]] | album = Red Roses for a Blue Lady | released = January {{Start date|1965}} | format = | recorded = | B-side = "Blue Ribbons (For Her Curls)" | venue = | genre = [[Easy Listening]] | length = 2:45 | label = [[Dolton Records|Dolton]] | writer = {{plainlist}} * [[Sid Tepper]] * [[Roy C. Bennett]] {{endplainlist}} | producer = Dick Glasser | prev_title = Frenchy | prev_year = 1964 | next_title = Bring a Little Sunshine (To My Heart) | next_year = 1965 }} {{Infobox song | name = Red Roses for a Blue Lady | cover = Red_Roses_for_a_Blue_Lady_-_Bert_Kaempfert.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = [[Bert Kaempfert]] | album = | released = January {{Start date|1965}} | format = | recorded = | B-side = "Lonely Nightingale" | studio = | venue = | genre = [[Easy Listening]] | length = 2:20 | label = [[Decca Records|Decca]] | writer = {{plainlist}} * [[Sid Tepper]] * [[Roy C. Bennett]] {{endplainlist}} | producer = | prev_title = Holiday for Bells | prev_year = 1963 | next_title = [[Three O'Clock in the Morning]] | next_year = 1965 }} {{Infobox song | name = Red Roses for a Blue Lady | cover = | alt = | type = single | artist = [[Wayne Newton]] | album = | released = February {{Start date|1965}} | format = | B-side = "One More Memory" | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = [[Easy Listening]] | length = 2:20 | label = [[Capitol Records|Capitol]] | writer = {{plainlist}} * [[Sid Tepper]] * [[Roy C. Bennett]] {{endplainlist}} | producer = | prev_title = Coming On Too Strong | prev_year = 1965 | next_title = [[I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time]] | next_year = 1965 }}

"'''Red Roses for a Blue Lady'''" is a 1948 [[Popular music|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)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0491311/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm |title = John Laurenz - IMDb}}</ref> 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 78&nbsp;rpm single was issued on Mercury 5201 - Red Roses For A Blue Lady (Roy Brodsky-Sid Tepper) by John Laurenz.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFQbvs8rdNw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/kFQbvs8rdNw |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=1st RECORDING OF: Red Roses For A Blue Lady - John Laurenz (1948) |publisher=YouTube |date=1948 |accessdate=2021-02-15}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

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,<ref>{{cite web|author=Gilliland, John. |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1633221/m1/#track/5 |title=Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #22 - All Tracks UNT Digital Library |publisher=Digital.library.unt.edu |date=197X |accessdate=2021-02-15}}</ref> 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 (British record label)|His Master's Voice]] label as catalogue numbers BD&nbsp;1247, HN&nbsp;3014, HQ&nbsp;3071, IM&nbsp;13425, and GY&nbsp;478. It first reached the US [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'' magazine]] chart on January 14, 1949, and lasted 19 weeks on the chart, peaking at #4.<ref name=Whitburn> {{cite book | last = Whitburn | first = Joel | author-link = Joel Whitburn | title = Top Pop Records 1940-1955 | publisher = Record Research | year = 1973 }} </ref> *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.<ref name=Whitburn/> *The song was revived during the winter of [[1965 in music|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'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]] chart.<ref name="whitburn70">{{cite book |title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2002 |publisher=Record Research |page=70}}</ref> Kaempfert's recording peaked at #11 on the same chart, and Newton's reached #23. All three versions were also listed on ''Billboard''′s [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|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 [[A-side and B-side|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 Records|Dot]] DLP 3634 and DLP 25634). *[[Bruno Balz]] has written [[German language|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&nbsp;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".<ref name="osten">{{cite news|url=https://www.hd.se/2011-05-13/osten-hyllas-pa-johannamuseet|title=Östen hyllas på Johannamuseet|work=[[Helsingborgs Dagblad]]|date=14 May 2011| access-date=11 February 2019|language=sv}}</ref> His fellow countryman Carl Holmberg had recorded Reuterskiöld's version already in 1949.

==Charts== ===Weekly charts=== ;Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra Vocalists {| class="wikitable" |- !align="left"|Chart (1949) !align="left"|Peak<br />position |- |US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]]<ref name=Whitburn> {{cite book | last = Whitburn | first = Joel | author-link = Joel Whitburn | title = Top Pop Records 1940-1955 | publisher = Record Research | year = 1973 }} </ref> | style="text-align:center;"|4 |} ;Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians {| class="wikitable" |- !align="left"|Chart (1949) !align="left"|Peak<br />position |- |US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]]<ref name=Whitburn /> | style="text-align:center;"|10 |} ;Vic Dana {{col-begin|width=67%}} {{col-2}} {| class="wikitable sortable" |- !align="left"|Chart (1965) !align="left"|Peak<br />position |- |Australia ([[Kent Music Report]]) | style="text-align:center;"|8 |- {{single chart|Billboardhot100|10|artist=Vic Dana|access-date=September 10, 2019}} |- |US [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Adult Contemporary]] (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'')<ref name="whitburn70"/> | style="text-align:center;"|2 |- |US [[Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles|''Cash Box'' Top 100]]<ref name="tropicalglen.com">[http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/19650327.html Cash Box Top 100 Singles, March 27, 1965]</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|11 |} {{col-2}}

===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable" |- !align="left"|Chart (1965) ! style="text-align:center;"|Rank |- |US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref name="musicoutfitters1965">{{cite web|url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1965.htm |title=Top 100 Hits of 1965/Top 100 Songs of 1965|publisher=musicoutfitters.com |access-date=1 December 2017}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|76 |} {{col-end}} ;Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra {{col-begin|width=67%}} {{col-2}} {| class="wikitable sortable" |- !align="left"|Chart (1965) !align="left"|Peak<br />position |- |US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]<ref name="ReferenceA">''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990'' - {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|11 |- |US [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Adult Contemporary]] (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'') | style="text-align:center;"|3 |- |US [[Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles|''Cash Box'' Top 100]]<ref name="tropicalglen.com"/> | style="text-align:center;"|9 |} {{col-2}}

{| class="wikitable" |- !align="left"|Chart (1965) ! style="text-align:center;"|Rank |- |US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref name="musicoutfitters1965"/> | style="text-align:center;"|32 |- |US ''Cash Box'' Top 100<ref>[http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/1965YESP.html Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1965]</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|41 |} {{col-end}} ;Wayne Newton {| class="wikitable sortable" |- !align="left"|Chart (1965) !align="left"|Peak<br />position |- |Canada Adult Contemporary (''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=7855& |title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date=1965-06-28 |access-date=2018-11-12}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|3 |- |US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]]<ref name="ReferenceA"/> | style="text-align:center;"|23 |- |US [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Adult Contemporary]] (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'') | style="text-align:center;"|4 |- |US [[Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles|''Cash Box'' Top 100]]<ref>[http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/19650403.html Cash Box Top 100 Singles, April 3, 1965]</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|18 |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{Andy Williams}} {{Wayne Newton}} {{Authority control}}

[[Category:1948 songs]] [[Category:1949 singles]] [[Category:1965 singles]] [[Category:Songs written by Sid Tepper]] [[Category:Songs written by Roy C. Bennett]] [[Category:Vic Dana songs]] [[Category:Andy Williams songs]] [[Category:Vaughn Monroe songs]] [[Category:Wayne Newton songs]] [[Category:Bert Kaempfert songs]]