In 1970, country singer and TV personality Lynn Anderson recorded “Rose Garden” after hearing its original version. However, Anderson’s producer – her husband Glenn Sutton – rejected her recording because he thinks “it was not a girl’s song.”

After much convincing and some extra studio time left, Sutton reconsidered.

“I had objected to it because it was a man’s song, and I didn’t wanna do it, but she kept bringin’ it in with her – she loved it,” he recalled. But they had to rework the track by incorporating an uptempo arrangement that included a string section and mandolin to the first version, which was recorded with a “straight, boring beat.”

After Columbia Records president Clive Davis heard Anderson’s “Rose Garden,” the song was officially released as a single.

And we’re glad they did because Anderson’s version became a big hit.

In the United States, it peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and was a crossover hit after it reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 Adult Contemporary. It was also a major hit, climbing the chart’s top spot in several countries, including Canada, Australia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

The song also helped Anderson earn the Best Female Country Vocal Performance award during the 1971 Grammy Awards.

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