Lynn Rene Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was a multi-award-w… Read Full Bio ↴Lynn Rene Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was a multi-award-winning American country music singer known for a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s, most notably her 1970 country-pop, worldwide megahit "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden". Anderson's crossover appeal and regular exposure on national television helped her to become one of the most popular and successful country singers of the 1970s.

Anderson charted 12 No. 1, 18 Top 10, and more than 50 Top 40 hits. In addition to being named "Top Female Vocalist" by the Academy of Country Music (ACM) twice and "Female Vocalist of the Year" by the Country Music Association (CMA), Anderson won a Grammy Award (earning seven nominations), People's Choice Award and an American Music Award (AMA). She was named Billboard's Female Artist of the Decade (1970–1980).

Anderson was the first female country artist to win the American Music Award (in 1974), as well as the first to headline and sellout Madison Square Garden that same year.

Anderson debuted in 1966, at the age of 19, and had her first hit with Ride, Ride, Ride. After a series of Top 10 hit singles on the country charts during the late 1960s, Anderson signed with Columbia Records in 1970. Under Columbia, she had her most successful string of hits. Her signature song, "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden", remains one of the biggest selling country crossover hits of all time. In addition, the song also went to No. 3 on the Billboard Pop Chart and reached the top of the charts in several countries, an unprecedented achievement at the time. CMT ranks "Rose Garden" at No. 83 on its list of the "100 Greatest Songs in Country Music History". Anderson continued to record and remained a popular concert attraction until her death, regularly headlining major casino showrooms, performing arts centers and theaters.

She grew up in Sacramento, California with her mother, acclaimed singer-songwriter Liz Anderson who wrote "The Fugitive" and "(All My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers", both Merle Haggard hits, among others. She began her solo career in 1966 with "In Person", followed by a hit with her mother's "If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)".

In 1968 she married Glenn Sutton, a future Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, with whom she had a daughter, Lisa. (They divorced in 1977.)

Consistent hits followed, and she was a regular on The Lawrence Welk Show during the 1967-68 season. In 1969 Anderson signed to Columbia where her work veered a bit more toward a polished, pop sound. She released her signature song, "Rose Garden" in late 1970. The song, written by Joe South, won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance reached number 1 on the U.S. country charts, and also hit number 3 on the pop charts, as well as being a hit in fifteen countries. Anderson also received Grammy nominations for her recordings "Big Girls Don't Cry" (1968), "That's a No No" (1969), and "How Can I Unlove You" (1971)> Anderson's other hits during this period included "You're My Man", "Listen to a Country Song", "Top of the World" (a number 1 country record for Anderson before becoming a pop hit for The Carpenters), "Cry", "Keep Me in Mind", "What a Man My Man Is" and "Smile For Me". In 1971, she was voted Top Female Vocalist of the year by both the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association. Anderson charted eight no.one singles, 18 Top-Tens and earned a total of 17 international Gold records. She was perhaps the most in-demand country female vocalist on network television throughout the 1970's but after 1975 her records usually peaked in the top 20 as opposed to her earlier top ten success.

Anderson married a Louisiana businessman in 1978. The second marriage produced two more children, and she was divorced in 1982.

Anderson remained one of the top female country singers into the 1980's. Her last top ten record was 1984s "You're Welcome to Tonight". During the late 1980's and early 1990s, she received much press for her disputes with her now-divorced second husband. After spending time on her ranch, raising horses and participating in equestrian events, she began recording again in 1992.

"The Bluegrass Sessions", released in 2004, earned Anderson her first Grammy nomination in over 30 years.

That same year Anderson was arrested in Denton, Texas, for drunk driving.

The American Rose Society created and named in her honor a white and raspberry hybrid tea rose.

Anderson released a new CD of original songs entitled "Cowgirl" in 2006, all of the songs penned by her mother, the acclaimed songwriter Liz Anderson.

Ich Hab' Einen Boy in Germany
Lynn Anderson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Er schrieb mir heut
Ich liebe dich
Mein Girl aus Tennessee
Du bist die Lorelei für mich
Und ich vergess dich nie

Ich hab einen Boy in Germany
Am schönen River Rhein

Mein Herz ist auch in Germany
Nur ich bin hier allein

Doch bald schon mach ich Holiday
Am schönen River Rhein
Dann werden wir uns wiederseh'n
Und wunschlos glücklich sein

Was wir uns zärtlich dann sagen
Zwischen Köln und Rüdesheim
Das steht in keinem Wörterbuch
Darauf gibt's keinen Reim

Ich hab einen Boy in Germany
Am schönen River Rhein
Mein Herz ist auch in Germany
Nur ich bin hier allein

Doch bald schon mach ich Holiday
Am schönen River Rhein
Dann werden wir uns wiederseh'n
Und wunschlos glücklich sein

Ich hab einen Boy in Germany
Am schönen River Rhein
Mein Herz ist auch in Germany
Nur ich bin hier allein

Doch bald schon mach ich Holiday
Am schönen River Rhein
Dann werden wir uns wiederseh'n
Am schönen River Rhein

Dann werden wir uns wiederseh'n
Und wunschlos glücklich sein

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Lynn Anderson's song "Ich Hab' Einen Boy in Germany" tell the story of a girl who has a boyfriend in Germany. The boy sends her a message expressing his love for her and comparing her to the Lorelei, a mythical siren who lured sailors to their doom on the Rhine River. Despite being physically separated, the girl's heart is also in Germany, and she longs to be with her boyfriend again. She plans to take a holiday on the beautiful Rhine River, where they will reunite and be blissfully happy together. The song emphasizes the uniqueness of their relationship, as the things they say to each other between Cologne and Rüdesheim cannot be found in any dictionary or expressed in any poetic rhyme.

Overall, the lyrics depict a long-distance relationship filled with love and anticipation for a future reunion. The Rhine River serves as a symbol of their connection and the place where they will finally be together again.

Line by Line Meaning

Er schrieb mir heut
Today, he wrote to me

Ich liebe dich
I love you

Mein Girl aus Tennessee
My girl from Tennessee

Du bist die Lorelei für mich
You are the Lorelei for me

Und ich vergess dich nie
And I will never forget you

Ich hab einen Boy in Germany
I have a boy in Germany

Am schönen River Rhein
By the beautiful River Rhine

Mein Herz ist auch in Germany
My heart is also in Germany

Nur ich bin hier allein
Only I am here alone

Doch bald schon mach ich Holiday
But soon I will go on vacation

Am schönen River Rhein
By the beautiful River Rhine