Rosalie "Rosie" Méndez Hamlin was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon, to a Mexican mother and an Anglo-American father. She spent part of her childhood between Anchorage, Alaska and California, before her family moved to National City, California. She started singing with a band at thirteen. She wrote the lyrics for "Angel Baby" as a poem for "my very first boyfriend" when she was 14 years old, still attending Mission Bay High School in San Diego, California. When she was 15, she and some friends rented the only recording studio they could find within 100 miles of San Diego located in San Marcos, California, to record the song. The studio was owned by an airplane mechanic who had taken part of his hangar to make it. The resulting record had a very simplistic sound, and, in fact, was eventually slightly damaged from excessive playing, so the group was unable to find a record label to distribute it. Finally, after taking the master to a department store, they convinced a manager to play it in the listening booth of the store's music department. The song received positive reactions from teenage listeners, and a scout from Highland Records offered the group a recording contract, under the condition that the company take possession of the master recording, and that David Ponce be named as the author of the song, as he was the eldest member of the group.
"Angel Baby" made its radio debut in November 1960, before the group had even received their contract. When the contract finally came, Hamlin found that she was ineligible to collect record royalties from the song because she was not listed as the songwriter. This led to the group's break-up, and although Hamlin secured the copyright to her music in 1961, decades of battles over royalties followed.
In 1961, "Angel Baby" was also released in Canada on the Zirkon label and in Australia and England on London Records. The British release slightly edited the intro.
After leaving Highland Records, Hamlin recorded a full-length album with guitarist Noah Tafolla for Brunswick Records and toured with the label's other artists.
Hamlin and Tafolla married and had two children together. Their son, Joey Tafolla, is well known Jag Panzer guitarist. In 1963, Hamlin retired from singing to spend time with her family.
She returned to record singles in 1969 and again in 1973, performing occasionally throughout the 1970s and 1980s and more regularly throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
In a 1969 interview with Life magazine, John Lennon named Hamlin as one of his favorite singers. As can be heard on circulating recordings, the Beatles mention the song "Give Me Love" during sessions on 01/24/69. Lennon and friends can be heard in a quickly busked version of "Angel Baby," taped at his birthday in 1971. Lennon recorded a studio version of "Angel Baby" for his 1975 Rock 'n' Roll album, but the track would go unissued until 1986's Menlove Avenue. Rosie and the Originals are referenced by Led Zeppelin in the liner notes from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy, following the printed lyrics of the song "D'yer Mak'er" (pronounced, "Jamaica"). The quote is "Whatever happened to Rosie and the Originals?" "Rosie" also shows up in the Led Zeppelin song "How Many More Times".
In 1995, Rosie & the Originals were portrayed in the film My Family, performing "Angel Baby." Hamlin's part was played by Jeanette Jurado, of the group Expose. In 1996, Linda Ronstadt recorded a version of "Angel Baby" for her album Dedicated to the One I Love.
In 1999, Ace Records released The Best of Rosie & the Originals, including all the Highland tracks as well as Brunswick recordings and unreleased tracks. The following year, the label released the album Angel Baby Revisited, with previously unreleased material.
In 2002, Hamlin performed "Angel Baby" on a PBS-TV program, Red White & Rock.
Rosalie Hamlin passed away on March 30, 2017.
Discography
Singles
"Angel Baby"/"Give Me Love" (Highland, 1960)
"Why Did You Leave Me"/"Angel from Above"(Highland, 1961)
"Lonely Blue Nights"/"We’ll Have a Chance" (Brunswick, 1961)
"Lonely Blue Nights"/"We’ll Have a Chance" (Highland, 1961) [9]
"My Darling Forever"/"The Time is Near" (Brunswick, 1961)
"Kinda Makes You Wonder"/"My One and Only Love" (Globe, 1962)
"You're No Good"/"You Don’t Understand" (Wax World, 1973)
Albums
Lonely Blue Nights (Brunswick, 1962)
The Best of Rosie & the Originals (Ace, 1999)
Angel Baby Revisited (Ace, 2000)
My Darling Forever
Rosie & The Originals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My forever loving angel
I will love you forever,
And I promise to be true
True ooo
Forever yes forever you'll Be mine
You're the only love For me
I love you always and want you near
Please say the words
That I want to hear
Forever And ever we will be together
Because your love is mine,all mine
My darling,my forever loving angel
You're the only one for me
Can't you see we're meant to be
OOO meant to be,we will soon
Be walking down the aisle and
We'll always be together
Ooo ooo mile after mile
Whooooooo mile after mile
Whoooooo mile after mile
Whoooo mile after mile....
In Rosie & The Originals' song My Darling Forever, the lyrics express the deep love and commitment the singer has for their significant other. This love is described as being eternal, with promises to never stray from each other and to always be true. The singer is essentially expressing their undying love for their partner and their desire to spend the rest of their lives together.
The lyrics demonstrate this love with the repetition of the words "forever" and "always" which reinforce the everlasting nature of their relationship. The couple is described as being inseparable and meant to be together, which is further emphasized by the line "You're the only one for me, can't you see we're meant to be?" The idea of walking down the aisle together also shows a commitment to making a life together and being by each other's side through thick and thin.
Overall, the song My Darling Forever is a beautiful tribute to enduring love and the desire to spend a lifetime with one's soulmate. It captures the feeling of being truly in love and making a commitment to a lifetime together.
Line by Line Meaning
My darling
Addressing the listener as a term of endearment
My forever loving angel
Referring to the listener as a faithful and adored partner
I will love you forever,
Stating undying affection towards the listener
And I promise to be true
Making a vow to always be faithful
True ooo
Emphasizing the commitment to honesty and fidelity
Forever yes forever you'll
Incorporating the word 'forever' to reinforce an eternal bond
Be mine
Asking the listener to commit to a monogamous relationship
You're the only love
Stating that the listener is the only one with his/her romantic affection
For me
Highlighting the exclusivity of their connection
Till the end of time
Reinforcing an eternal love that will last forever
I love you always and want you near
Expressing a desire to always be close to the listener
Please say the words
Asking the listener to reciprocate feelings of love
That I want to hear
Referring to words of affection and commitment
Forever
Reiterating the lasting nature of their love
And ever we will be together
Emphasizing an eternal relationship
Because your love is mine,all mine
Stating that the listener's love belongs only to him/her
Can't you see we're meant to be
Expressing the belief that the two are destined to be together
OOO meant to be,we will soon
Reinforcing the idea that their union is fated
Be walking down the aisle and
Referring to a future marriage ceremony
We'll always be together
Stating that their relationship will continue forever
Ooo ooo mile after mile
Expressing the continuity of their love through time and distance
Whooooooo mile after mile
Further emphasizing the lasting nature of their love through repetition
Whoooooo mile after mile
Continuing to emphasize the idea of an endless love that transcends all obstacles
Whoooo mile after mile....
Concluding the song with a final repetition of the idea that their love will endure
Contributed by Xavier K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@zofiamn
My darling
my forever loving angel
i will love you forever
and i promise to be true
true ooo
forever yes forever you'll
be mine your the only left
for me till the end of time
i love you always and want
you near please say the words
that i want to hear forever
and ever we will be together
beacause your love is mine all mine
my darling,my forever loving
angel your the only one for
me cant you see we're ment to be
ooo ment to be,we will soon
be walking down the ile and
we'll always be together
ooo ooo mile after mile
whooooooo mile after mile
whoooooo mile after mile
whoooo mile after mile....
@VanessaLuhv
Oldies Are The Best <3
@MrSacra916King
Yes indeed
@albertquijas9655
I’m 64 years old and still remember all her music great memories from El Paso Texas. Oldies forever
@jimoconnor6382
I can imagine this echoing off those mountains in that city, stirring up ghosts wanting another dance.
@docmason9677
I had always heard Angel Baby as a kid growing up in the late 50's and early 60's but never heard this song until a few days ago.
What a beautiful song and wonderful singer Rosie really was.
@DreAidN
Stumbled on this song by accident. Hands down my favorite accident.
@nevergiveup7502
What country are you from
@Colesalad
Her voice is so heavenly.
@johnverhoef
Can one be in love with a song? Yes, one can. I am so often in love with them old tunes, can't hardly describe it.
@armandozertuche4054
I named my baby girl dog Darling because she was so cute and I loved her more than anything, and it hut so much when she died I played this on repeat and it leveled up my sadness by x1000.