“‘Rose in Paradise”
Waylon Jennings
Written by Stewart Harris and Jim McBride
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
April 3, 1987
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
April 25, 1987
Following some personal struggles and a departure from his longtime home of RCA Nashville, Waylon Jennings was getting back on track when he returned to No. 1 as part of the Highwaymen in 1985.
Building on that success, Jennings moved from RCA to MCA, where he co-produced a string of successful albums with Jimmy Bowen. He made a deliberate attempt to move away from the outlaw sound, and it worked. His 1986 album Will the Wolf Survive became his first solo No. 1 studio album in six years, and it produced three top ten hits.
He continued his momentum with 1987’s Hangin’ Tough, which featured his final No. 1 single, “Rose in Paradise.” This song truly benefits from his non-outlaw approach to it. It’s a story song that feels no need to tie up any loose ends, though it is heavily implied that the Georgia banker who married a gorgeous woman eventually killed her out of jealousy.
Evocatively, a rose grows in the garden of his mansion, and it blooms during all times of the year. That Georgia banker is often caught staring at that part of the garden, and it certainly seems like those who believe that she ran off with the gardener are engaging in some wishful thinking.
Jennings stayed on MCA for the remainder of the decade, before pivoting to Epic in 1990, where The Eagle produced his final top ten hit, “Wrong.” He continued to record throughout the nineties, garnering critical acclaim for his work with producer Don Was. The decade ended with his induction into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, which was followed by induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.
Sadly, his health took a turn for the worse at the turn of the century, and diabetes complications soon claimed his life. Jennings passed away in 2002 at the age of 64, leaving behind a musical legacy that altered the course of country music for the better.
“Rose in Paradise” gets an A.
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