Bette Midler - The Rose - Lyrics Meaning

This touching ballad, written by songwriter Amanda McBroom, was the title track to the 1979 film "The Rose," starring Bette Midler. The film was based loosely on the life of Janis Joplin, a talented singer / songwriter who died of a heroin overdose in 1971 at the age of 27.

One day in 1977, McBroom was driving down the freeway when Leo Sayer's hit single "Magdalena" came on the radio. A line in the song caught her attention: "Your love is like a razor; my heart is just a scar." She loved the lyric, but didn't agree with the simile.

In "The Rose," McBroom acknowledges that love can be a painful process that can leave a person feeling hurt and vulnerable. However, she also describes the wonderful moments that one might miss out on if they never take a chance on love, and encourages those without hope to remain optimistic:

Just remember in the winter

Far beneath the bitter snows

Lies the seed that with the sun's love

In the spring becomes the rose

McBroom won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, but was not nominated for an Academy Award. With her `divine' performance, Bette Midler was awarded the 1981 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.