Born to a Jewish family in Rochester, New York, Mitchell William Miller and his choir were famed for their campy Sing Along With Mitch television show of the 1960s. During the second season of "Sing Along with Mitch," Mitch Miller himself coined the catch phrase "All Smiles." These were preceded by the instructions to "sing along; just follow the bouncing ball" (a large dot that "bounced" above the words that were superimposed on television of the song that Mitch was singing). Miller's biggest hits with the choir were "The Yellow Rose of Texas," a drum-propelled version of the old March, and "Colonel Bogey March", then enjoying new popularity from its use in the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). In addition to the television show, Miller and his choir recorded a series of best-selling albums.
One of the singers in Miller's choir, Bob McGrath, went on to a long career as one of the hosts of the PBS children's television show, Sesame Street.
As head of artists & repertory (A&R) at Mercury Records in the late forties, and Columbia Records in the fifties and early sixties, Miller gained a reputation for creating records that created what music historian Will Friedwald calls an "aural texture":
“ Miller also conceived of the idea of the pop record 'sound' per se: not so much an arrangement or a tune, but an aural texture (usually replete with extramusical gimmicks) that could be created in the studio and then replicated in live performance, instead of the other way around. Miller was hardly a rock 'n' roller, yet without these ideas there could never have been rock 'n' roll. 'Mule Train,' Miller's first major hit (for Frankie Laine) and the foundation of his career, set the pattern for virtually the entire first decade of rock. The similarities between it and, say, 'Leader of the Pack,' need hardly be outlined here. ”
— Will Friedwald noted in Sinatra: The Song Is You, Da Capo Press, 1997.
While this did not always sit well with Columbia's more established performers (Frank Sinatra, for example), Columbia had an amazing hit-to-release ratio during that time.
Miller signed and produced many important pop standards artists for Columbia, including Frankie Laine, Johnnie Ray, Ray Conniff, Percy Faith, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Guy Mitchell (whose pseudonym actually was based on Miller's first name), and helped direct the careers of artists who were already signed to the label, like Doris Day, Dinah Shore and Jo Stafford to just name a few. He therefore became one of the most successful pop music producers ever.
Miller is frequently (and probably unfairly) referred to by rock music historians as an "enemy" of early rock and roll. He did back John Hammond's signing of Bob Dylan to capitalize on the folk music craze. While he did ultimately lose his job as Columbia head for not signing the types of acts teenagers were buying, Miller did originally attempt to sign Elvis Presley, but balked at the amount Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was asking.
A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Miller is also an accomplished oboe and English horn player. He supported himself in his early career in the 1930s and 1940s as a session oboist; among his more celebrated studio dates in the non-classical field were for The Voice of Frank Sinatra and bebop pioneer Charlie Parker's famous Bird With Strings albums. He played in the CBS house orchestra for the 1938 Orson Welles War of the Worlds broadcast, and he later recorded Sibelius's Swan of Tuonela with Leopold Stokowski for RCA, and the Mozart Oboe Concerto for Columbia. He has also guest-conducted many of the top American orchestras.
The Yellow Rose of Texas
Mitch Miller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nobody else could miss her, not half as much as me
She cried so when I left her, it like to broke my heart
And if I ever find her we never move apart
She's the sweetest little rosebud that Texas ever knew
Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew
You may talk about your Clementine and sing of Rosa Lee
Where the Rio Grande is flowin', and starry skies are bright
She walks along the river in the quiet summer night
I know that she remembers when we parted long ago
I promised to return and not to leave her so
She's the sweetest little rosebud that Texas ever knew
Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew
You may talk about your Clementine and sing of Rosa Lee
But the Yellow Rose of Texas is the only girl for me
Oh, now I'm gonna find her, for my heart is full of woe
We'll do the things together we did so long ago
We'll play the banjo gaily, she'll love me like before
And the Yellow Rose of Texas shall be mine forevermore
She's the sweetest little rosebud that Texas ever knew
Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew
You may talk about your Clementine and sing of Rosa Lee
But the Yellow Rose of Texas is the only girl for me
The lyrics of Mitch Miller's The Yellow Rose of Texas tells the story of a man who is heartbroken from leaving behind his loved one, a yellow rose in Texas. He is eagerly anticipating seeing her again and is sure no one misses her as much as he does. The man cherishes her and never wants to be apart from her again. The song references the beauty of the woman he loves, describing her eyes sparkling like diamonds and compared her to other well-known ladies like Clementine and Rosa Lee. He promises to find her and recreate the happy memories they had before, playing banjo gaily and loving each other like before.
Overall, the lyrics of the song express a deep longing and love for a woman whom the singer cannot wait to see again. The repetition of certain phrases and the use of comparisons to other women illustrate the intensity of his emotions and his clear devotion to the Yellow Rose of Texas.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a yellow rose in Texas that I am gonna see
There is a special person in Texas that I am excited to visit and spend time with.
Nobody else could miss her, not half as much as me
My feelings for her are stronger than anyone else's and I miss her dearly.
She cried so when I left her, it like to broke my heart
When I had to say goodbye to her, it was so difficult because she was very upset and it hurt me deeply.
And if I ever find her we never move apart
If I am able to reunite with her, we will never be separated again.
She's the sweetest little rosebud that Texas ever knew
She is a kind and beautiful girl that Texas has ever seen.
Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew
Her eyes are very beautiful and shine like diamonds.
You may talk about your Clementine and sing of Rosa Lee
While there are many other girls people may talk about, for me, she is the only one that matters.
But the Yellow Rose of Texas is the only girl for me
For me, she is the only girl that truly matters.
Where the Rio Grande is flowin', and starry skies are bright
In a beautiful place where the river Rio Grande flows and the stars shine brightly above.
She walks along the river in the quiet summer night
She enjoys walking along the river during peaceful summer nights.
I know that she remembers when we parted long ago
I am certain that she still thinks about the time when we had to say goodbye to each other long ago.
I promised to return and not to leave her so
I promised her that I would come back soon and never leave her again.
Oh, now I'm gonna find her, for my heart is full of woe
I am determined to find her because I am very sad without her in my life.
We'll do the things together we did so long ago
We will spend time together doing the same things we enjoyed in the past.
We'll play the banjo gaily, she'll love me like before
We will happily play music together and she will love me just as she did before.
And the Yellow Rose of Texas shall be mine forevermore
I will cherish her always and she will always be mine.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bill Black, Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@KaitoTopaz
There's a yellow rose in Texas that I am gonna see
Nobody else could miss her, not half as much as me
She cried so when I left her, it like to broke my heart
And if I ever find her we never more will part
She's the sweetest little rosebud that Texas ever knew
Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew
You may talk about your Clementine and sing of Rosalie
But the Yellow Rose of Texas is the only girl for me.
Where the Rio Grande is flowin', and starry skies are bright
She walks along the river in the quiet summer night
I know that she remembers when we parted long ago
I promised to return and not to leave her so
She's the sweetest little rosebud that Texas ever knew
Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew
You may talk about your Clementine and sing of Rosalie
But the Yellow Rose of Texas is the only girl for me.
Oh, now I'm gonna find her, for my heart is full of woe
We'll do the things together we did so long ago
We'll play the banjo gaily, she'll love me like before
And the Yellow Rose of Texas shall be mine forevermore
She's the sweetest little rosebud that Texas ever knew
Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew
You may talk about your Clementine and sing of Rosalie
But the Yellow Rose of Texas is the only girl for me.
@fredpickett6219
They dont make music as good as this anymore.
@Ms2blackcats
no they don't sir
@ShiroColdkeyesTheHedgehog
I agree
@philipnorris6542
There are always good songs and not-so-good ones, Fred.
@patrioticamerican7409
They sure don’t.
@culturalliberator9425
To true. Too true.
@marianneodell7637
When I was 3-4 years old I used to sit in my little rocking chair and play this over and over and over. It brings me right back to 1956/57
@BlossomFlowerGirl
This is the version I grew up with. It was on the radio and I loved it. I have always associated Texas with yellow roses. I am Australian btw. Such a happy, jolly song.
@peterlittle123
Love this song too ! I remember seeing Mitch Miller on black & white TV back in the early 60s . Greetings from South Australia 🇦🇺
@annmarie1114
I was born in 2000. But this was my favorite song when I was a kid. My mom had a CD of Mitch Miller's greatest hits, and she would play it every time we got in the car. This was track #1, and I always made her restart the CD so we could listen to it first thing :D