#1 for weeks of July 14, 21, 28, and August 4th, 1962.
When it comes to 1960's popular music history, Bobby Vinton is a noteworthy figure for a number of reasons. One of those being that he had the last #1 hit of the pre-British invasion era in early 1964. In that way, I almost consider him to be the bookend of the rock and roll crash of 1959 and the rock and musical rebirth starting in 1964. Needless to say, his music certainly is not rock and roll or even modern (for the 1960's) pop, in fact it's quite the opposite.
"Roses Are Red" is definitely a song that sounds firmly dated in the early 1960's, although it could easily have passed for a song from the 1950's. It is very easy-listening musically. The most powerful aspect would be his vocals which are mixed way up front on the recording.
Lyrically the song describes teenage lovers writing in each others yearbooks, their subsequent breakup, and subsequent reunion with families of their own. It reminds me of the style of lyrics that were in "The Three Bells", and as a result, comes across as way too innocent and old fashioned sounding for my taste.
If I could say anything positive, it would be that as usual, despite the song being musically and lyrically way too sugary, Bobby Vinton does at least have a good singing voice. However, it begs to be put to better use than on this song.
The worst element? once again, it's the backing vocals, which really outdate the song even more. The whole tune really is the antithesis of any form of musical progression in the 1960's, and as the decade progressed into turmoil and new horizons, this style of music would become irrelevant.
Final Verdict - Way too sugary and soft-pop for my taste. Unless softer pop is your cup of tea, you can pass on this one.
Coming Up Next - "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" by Neil Sedaka.
Until Next Time, I'm Dr. Rock, taking you through the yearbooks of music history.
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