Sally Go Round The Roses by The Jaynetts

[sneakyrabbits]

interesting hearing this upbeat original version after hearing Grace slicks darker rendition with the Great Society for years.

[TheMustangsally75]

Kind of like Elton Johns "All the Girls love Alice". If you want to make a comparison.

[jimmatera]

Thats just dumb---she says --see your baby with another girl--why would you think it has anything to do with gay or lesbians-if she says --see your baby, women call there lovers --there baby and vice versa--

anyway get over the gay thing gee,s --when you die god is gay -ok

[raremark]

This song is haunting,weird and quite beautiful. It was a HUGE hit in September 1963 charting on Billboard for 10 weeks and reaching all the way up to #2. It was never banned anywhere and the lesbian contents in just a matter of interpretation. To me it sounds like a female warning her friend (also a female) not to go downtown and run into her boyfriend with another girl. The song says "baby" which could be a boy or a girl. I don't think back in 63 they wanted to put on the air a lesbian tune.

[TheMustangsally75]

@raremark

Well said my friemd!

[TheMustangsally75]

OK, I have a question. Were these girls lesbians? Not that it matters but the lyrics say it all.

BTW my name is Sally and I have a sister named Jane! he he

[freddiemercerful]

"The saddest thing in the world is to see your baby with another girl" sally go round the roses- is this song about lesbianism? I am not being facetious, I am genuinely wondering, I grew up on a John Renbourn version of this and have only just now considered it!

[weimaranerwench]

@freddiemercerful

There's no lesbian reference whatsoever. And you said muslims are dumb???

[freddiemercerful]

@weimaranerwench I said muslims were dumb? Not specifically muslims I am sure just religion in general which being based on belief without evidence is inherently stupid. What was my reason for raising the question then? Well the line "the saddest thing in the whole wide world is to see your baby with another girl" then "sally don't you go down town" implies a narrative involving two woman. Roses as well are historically symbolic of female genitalia hence I ask is this to do with lesbianism?

[LDixon007]

I think of this as the last 50s classic - even though it's from around 1963.

The 50s styles of music lasted from about 1954 to 1963.

[freefadayzs1]

In this music era Blacks could be heard but not seen.That's why they put white people on the covers.That was messed up.Check it out for yourself.

[LDixon007]

@freefadayzs1 - yes - people can do a Google Image search on their name, to see what they looked like.

[styrbjornful]

i used to listen to the radio late at night all by myself, and i recall that this song always had a haunting quality that would send me into a dreamlike state. back then the world seemed so full of promise and hope for the future

[UrbanBoi80]

I understand this song caused a lot of biggoted discussions because alot of people thought that it was refering to two women, lesbians! I heard it was banned in many areas." Saddest thing in the whole wide word.....see your baby with amother girl!!....."

[weimaranerwench]

Why in the world would they think it has to do with lesbians?!

[MACJO63]

@weimaranerwench funny you say that, For as long as I have known about this song, it has always been linked to lesbians.....I never saw the connection. To me it's about a broken hearted girl......

[freddiemercerful]

@UrbanBoi80 Is this true? Where did you hear this? I have just asked whether it is to do with lesbian because of certain elements in the lyrics, not because of any bigotry but because I was simply wondering. Where was it banned?

[UrbanBoi80]

@freddiemercerful On driving home from a late night shift, years ago, After playing" Sally", the DJ gave a short bit of history on the song. Apparently after its release, several Christian groups thought the part " Catch your baby with another girl!" had a gay lesbian message and got it banned from stations in wisconsin,some in chicago, Ill and several others. I thought that was strange so I asked my mom who was a teen during those years and she said yes  its true. I happen to like the song.

[freddiemercerful]

@UrbanBoi80 Right I see, cheers for that information. I really like the song as well, if it is about lesbianism then I just makes it a bit more interesting, but ace song either way. cheers.

[vanhogan16]

neat tune, very eery and mysterious, love the piano, cool sound.

[jimmatera]

Sally go round the pretty roses--think its a great tune-about love-- but be care full-Love--

[papadave4]

I agree with eelshepherd. listen to this song constantly.

[plwblj]

Gawd,i luv this song

-mby

[eelshepherd]

I'm guessing anyone who likes this song, like I do, will also like "The Mountain's High" by Dick And Dee Dee.

[SuperBrotherBob]

@eelshepherd Yep. It sucks getting old, huh? LOL! I love the stuff from 1960-1970.

[Whateruwatchin]

Donna summer did a cover of this song .

[primogennaio]

Very pretty song but the message is obscure.

[drnubian]

I am sorry that they and this song were one hit wonders, i played this song until the needle was no good on our magnavox stereo. the tag on the end was off the hook

[prettycountrygirl2]

My interpretation of this BEAUTIFUL song is that Sally became pregnant; it's still a secret, (re: the Roses won't tell your secret), the boy is dating another girl; and Sally would probably see them together if she went DownTown. The aroma of Roses will lift her spirits. Do you agree/think that's a good interpretation??

[Geupel]

I love this song and agree with a lot of the comments. But can anybody tell me the meaning of the lyrics? Somebody once said it was about a woman who became a lesbian because she got treated shabby by her man. I don't know. Is it some kind of female empowerment song? Anyway, it is haunting in an odd way and completely unique.

[mannixisle]

mesmerizing, hypnotic. It imitates rhymes children chant and dance to around and around in a circle until they get so dizzy they fall down.

[TheBitsysmom]

Loved it then, love it now.

[titcdrum]

Tim buckley does a great cover

[mikemikeyf]

Huge hit in NYC when it came out.

You could do a nice Lindy to this one.

Unusual vibe here, but it kept the beat nicely.

.

[mcarman150]

Trippy to say the least, and always a pleasure to hear on the radio, numbing, and able to send you into an immediate daydream - nice job!

[virginiabeachgirl]

So haunting, understated, and cool as s**t. And so ahead of it's time. This was pre-Beatles, pre-psychedlic, and this was so unique. One of my favorites of all time.

[billeybop]

I love this sound and the group. Thanks .

[5gorz]

One of the saddest songs to ever crack the Top 40 of yore. Simply a beautiful song, it almost brings me to tears every time I listen to it.

[jimwalsh2001]

A little three-minute psychodrama for the kids. Brilliant!

[roanoke703]

I love the pixs that go with this (it's first time I ever saw Sally - the roses were keeping quiet too I noticed). I love the song. The only other song that this even comes close to this IMO is "Nobody Knows What's Goin' On In My Mind But me" By the Chiffons.Both are haunting -in a beautiful way.

[fordoowopmarty]

Thanks for the kind words! To me it's a mothers plea to save her daughter. A strong song to be sure. .......Marty D.......

[vandywilliam]

The tremendous popularity of "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs was the only thing that kept this record from reaching the No. 1 spot.

[Scarletapril]

Great tune; underplayed and underrated in its day.

[chuckfulton1]

I agree. One of my favorites from that era.

[raremark]

@Scarletapril Underplayed and underrated? You got your facts all WRONG. The song was in the charts for 10 weeks and reached #2.

[zachie124]

Creative and just plain great.

[brownies4you]

WOW! This song was incredibly popular. Kids would jam the dance floor to dance along to this jammin' little tune. It was fun to dance tight and fast to this song. Around 1963-65, this song was always heard at beach barbecues and parties. It was considered a big "party song".

[gabullstud]

Great song from 1963...should have done better than 2 weeks at #2.

[ivycompton]

Masterpiece.

[beeba77]

Nice, creative video for this great song!!! Thanks!

[fordoowopmarty]

Not many people got it. Guess you had to have been there to know where it was.

[Greenman727]

Too bad they did go downtown :(

[Greenman727]

Nice video for this strange yet beautiful song.