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45 single, Side A. Columbia (38-69040) (1989)
Image credit: spidey2 at 45cat.com
"Yellow Roses" is a single by Dolly Parton. It was released on July 31, 1989, by Columbia Records as the second single from Dolly's twenty-ninth solo studio album, White Limozeen. It was written by Dolly and produced by Ricky Skaggs. The single peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming Dolly's twenty-third song to top the chart.

Track listing

Side A
  • Yellow Roses (Dolly Parton) 3:55
Side B
  • Wait 'Til I Get You Home (duet with Mac Davis) (Dolly Parton, Mac Davis) 2:58

Audio

Critical reception

The single was reviewed in the August 12, 1989 issue of Billboard magazine. The review said, "After her raucous "Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That", Parton shows a soft and forlorn side. This narrative of love and loss is slow, sweet, and compelling."

Cashbox reviewed the single the following week in their August 19, 1989 issue. It said, "In this song, written by Dolly, a single yellow rose sparks the memory and the pain of a love that's gone. Brilliantly produced by Ricky Skaggs, this tune is pure country, and one that is sure to go straight up the charts for this Tennessee songbird."
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Billboard review, August 12, 1989.
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Cashbox review, August 19, 1989.

Commercial performance

"Yellow Roses" debuted at number 56 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated August 26, 1989. It peaked at number one on the chart dated November 25, its fourteenth week on the chart. It charted for 26 weeks. It also peaked at number one on the Cashbox Country Singles chart and on the RPM Country Singles chart in Canada.

Accolades

​"Yellow Roses" received the Country Award from BMI in 1990 and received a Million-Air Award in 2020 for over one million broadcast performances.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the White Limozeen liner notes.
"Yellow Roses"
  • Eddie Bayers – drums
  • Barry Beckett – piano
  • Mike Brignardello – bass
  • Richard Dennison – background vocals
  • Lloyd Green – steel guitar
  • Doug Johnson – mixing
  • Nashville String Machine – strings
  • Dolly Parton – lead vocals
  • Denny Purcell – mastering
  • Lisa Silver – background vocals
  • Ricky Skaggs – producer
  • Bergen White – string arrangement, string director
  • Curtis Young – background vocals
  • Lianna Young – background vocals
"Wait 'Til I Get You Home"
  • Eddie Bayers – drums
  • Mac Davis – duet vocals
  • Richard Dennison – background vocals
  • Paul Franklin – steel guitar
  • Steven A. Gibson – electric guitar
  • John Jarvis – piano
  • Doug Johnson – mixing
  • Mac McAnally – acoustic guitar
  • Craig Nelson – bass
  • Dolly Parton – lead vocals
  • Denny Purcell – mastering
  • Lisa Silver – background vocals
  • Ricky Skaggs – producer
  • Curtis Young – background vocals
  • Lianna Young – background vocals