Roses Are Free
"Roses Are Free" is a song by Ween from the 1994 album Chocolate and Cheese.
Song Details[edit | edit source]
Recording and Composition[edit | edit source]
"Roses Are Free" is in the key of A# major.
The song was entirely written by Gene Ween, including the guitar solo, which eventually was performed by Dean Ween on the album and is usually performed by both of them during live performances. Gene sings the lead vocals.[1] Both Gene and Dean have said that the song is reminiscent of the music of Prince.[2] (The Prince influence is more apparent in the early 4-track demo version of the song.)
Live Performances[edit | edit source]
Although "Roses Are Free" is known today as one of the most popular live Ween songs, it actually was not performed until 1997 on the Mollusk tour, and even then not commonly until 1999. The unlikely impetus for Ween to start playing the song was when it became a popular live cover for the band Phish. The cover version was credited with introducing many new fans to Ween at the time. Both Gene and Dean have stated that they do not like the Phish cover musically, but nevertheless they appreciated the influx of new fans that came with it. Deaner has stated that until the Phish cover, Ween had not normally played "Roses Are Free" live because they didn't have a live keyboard player. But by the time Phish started covering the song, Ween had hired Glenn McClelland on keyboards, and so they started playing the song live to "reclaim" it. Ever since then, it has been a live staple in Ween's sets.[3][4]. A recording from 11/7-9/2003 on the Quebec tour can be heard on the Live in Chicago album.
In addition, "Roses Are Free" was played numerous times by the Dean Ween Group during the Ween hiatus in 2015.[5]
Dean Ween has stated that "Roses Are Free" is his favorite Ween song to play live: "I love it because every single guy in the band is doing something different, and is playing full-tilt the whole song. . . . Everybody is doing something tasty at the same time as hard as they can, and it makes this one big beautiful sound. So that's actually my favorite song to play live."[6]
Music Video[edit | edit source]
The music video for "Roses Are Free" was directed by Rob Schrab and released in 2003 as part of the Super Midnight Movie Show. Schrab eventually sold one of the robot puppets used in the video on an eBay auction in 2021.[7]
Lyrics[edit | edit source]
Official lyrics were printed in the Chocolate and Cheese liner notes:
Take a piece of tinsel and put it on the tree
Cut a slab of melon and pretend that you still love me
Carve out a pumpkin and rely on your destiny
Get in your car and cruise the land of the brave and free
But don't forget to understand exactly what you put on the tree
Don't believe the florist when he tells you that the roses are free
Take a wrinkled raisin, and do with it what you will
Push it into third if you know you're gonna climb a hill
Eat plenty of lasagna till you know that you've had your fill
Resist all the urges that make you wanna go out and kill
But don't forget to understand exactly what you put on the tree
Don't believe the florist when he tells you that the roses are free
Throw that pumpkin at the tree
Unless you think that pumpkin holds your destiny
Cast it off into the sea
Bake that pie and eat it with me[8]
Song Themes[edit | edit source]
Love, Sung by Gene Ween, Tape Speed Manipulation
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ H. Shteamer, Chocolate and Cheese, p.95–96
- ↑ H. Shteamer, Chocolate and Cheese, p.96
- ↑ H. Shteamer, Chocolate and Cheese, p.96–98
- ↑ https://brownbase.org/every_time_played.php?band=all%20bands&song_id=165
- ↑ https://brownbase.org/every_time_played.php?band=all%20bands&song_id=165
- ↑ Dean Ween Interview | Music Is My Life Podcast Episode 18 | Berklee Online Time=36:00
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20210309182133/https://www.ebay.com/itm/174673448033
- ↑ From the Chocolate and Cheese liner notes.