On This Day in 1970, Lynn Anderson Was at No. 1 With an International Crossover Hit She Had To Fight To Record

On this day (December 29) in 1970, Lynn Anderson was at No. 1 on the country chart with “(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden.” It spent five weeks at the top of the chart and reached No. 3 on the Hot 100, making it a major crossover hit. The song also went international, becoming a hit in multiple countries.

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Songwriter Joe South penned “Rose Garden,” and Billy Joe Royal released the original version in 1967. Two years later, Dobie Gray had a minor hit with the song. Anderson’s 1970 recording was by far the most successful rendition of the song. More than a major crossover hit in the United States, the song made Anderson an international success.

“(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden” went to No. 1 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Additionally, it brought Lynn the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female. However, she almost didn’t get the chance to record the major hit.

Lynn Anderson Had to Fight for “Rose Garden”

Joe South wrote “Rose Garden” from the perspective of a man. Lyrics like I could promise you things like big diamond rings make the narrator sound traditionally masculine. According to Songfacts, that is why Lynn Anderson’s husband and producer, Glenn Sutton, didn’t want her to record the song. He didn’t believe it would sound right coming from a woman.

Anderson continued to push to cut the song. Fortunately, they had some extra studio time. So, Sutton agreed to let Anderson record her rendition of the song as an album cut. Then, Clive Davis, an executive at Columbia Records, heard the song. He knew it would be a hit and insisted that it be released as a single.

“It was popular because it touched on emotions,” Anderson said of the song. “It was perfectly timed. IT was out just as we came out of the Vietnam years, and a lot of people were trying to recover. This song states that you can make something out of nothing,” she explained. “You take it and go ahead.”

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