| "The Rose Song" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Promotional single byOlivia Rodrigo | |
| from the albumHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Soundtrack: Season 2 | |
| Written | 2020 |
| Released | June 18, 2021 (2021-6-18) |
| Length | 2:58 |
| Label | Walt Disney Records |
| Songwriter(s) | Olivia Rodrigo |
| Producer(s) | Matthew Tishler |
| Music video | |
| "The Rose Song" onYouTube | |
"The Rose Song" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter and actressOlivia Rodrigo, released as part of the soundtrack albumHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Soundtrack: Season 2. The song appears inthe second season episode "Yes, And" fromHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Series, in which Nini (Rodrigo)—who is cast as the Rose in a high school production ofBeauty and the Beast—writes a solo for her character after awriter's block. Anemotional piano ballad, "The Rose Song" incorporates themes of independence and individuality. The song was released on June 18, 2021, and received positive reviews from critics. It was also nominated for anMTV Movie & TV Award forBest Musical Moment.
Beginning in 2019, American singer-songwriter and actressOlivia Rodrigo starred inDisney+ seriesHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Series. During this time, she wrote and performed "All I Want", which charted on theBillboard Hot 100 and wascertified gold by theRecording Industry Association of America.[1] In October 2019, the series was renewed for a second season, for which producerTim Federle revealed she had written a "pretty extraordinary" song. He stated: "This was an opportunity to showcase what is the most extraordinary thing about [the show's cast], which is, like, all Olivia needs is a piano."[2]
Rodrigo wrote the first version chords of "The Rose Song" in 20 minutes after being asked to by Federle.[3] She stated she was given the prompt of a "feminist song from the perspective of a rose".[4] The song was written in 2020, approximately six or seven months before the release of her debut single "Drivers License" in January 2021.[5] Rodrigo thought the experience of writing for her character—instead of her music career—was unique and enjoyable. She commented that it was an amazing challenge for her as a songwriter to work inside a prompt and have limitations on her creativity; this contrasted from her own music, where she could write about anything she wanted.[3] For the songs she writes for the series, Rodrigo regularly tries to incorporate both her personal experience and her distinctive songwriting voices.[4] "The Rose Song" was released on June 18, 2021, as part of the soundtrack albumHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Soundtrack: Season 2.[6]
"The Rose Song" is anemotional piano ballad.[7][8]USA Today described it as "sweet [and] uplifting".[3] The song is written solely by Rodrigo.[9] Composed in the key ofF major, it has a moderate tempo of 142 beats per minute.[10][11] During "The Rose Song", Rodrigo's vocal range spans from the low note ofG3 to the high note of G5.[11] The song starts gentle and controlled before a swelling second verse.[12]
InHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Series, "The Rose Song" appears in thesecond season's "Yes, And" episode, which follows Nini (Rodrigo) as she goes through awriter's block.[4] She is cast as the Rose in her school's production ofBeauty and the Beast,[1] and struggles to write a duet between the Rose and theBeast; Nini later ends up writing a solo for her character.[3] During the song, Nini sings about learning she is not what others perceive her to be, growing more independent, and discovering her individuality,[4] singing during the chorus:"'Cause I am more than what I am to you / You say I'm perfect / But I've got thorns with my petals, too / And I won't be confined to your point of view / I'm breakin' through the glass you put me in / 'Cause my beauty's from within."[7][1][13] Of writing the song's message, Rodrigo stated:
I think all of us can feel restricted whether it's by outside forces or by other people's opinions. And I also think it's super cool, because it also ties it to the rose thing, because the roses kept under a glass, and you're breaking through the glass so it could be aglass ceiling thing, too.[4]
"The Rose Song" has received positive reviews from critics.Entertainment Weekly ranked it Rodrigo's second-best song onHSMTMTS, with praise for her emotion and vocals.[12]Comic Book Resources considered it one of the show's best musical moments as well as Rodrigo'sswan song on the series.[8] At the2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards, "The Rose Song" was nominated forBest Musical Moment.[14]
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[15] | 11 |
In December 2022, American singerPink's daughter sang "The Rose Song" at a recital. Several other singers, such asMandy Moore andChrissy Metz, complimented her performance.[16][17] Rodrigo later commented: "I'm crying!!!!! what a special girl".[18]
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