Rosie and the Originals were an American 1960s group best known for their s… Read Full Bio ↴Rosie and the Originals were an American 1960s group best known for their single, "Angel Baby." Fronted by lead singer Rosie Hamlin (July 21, 1945 - March 30, 2017) the group produced two singles (including "Angel Baby") for Highland Records and, like many other artists of the era, ended up in protracted legal battles with their record label over royalties and credits.

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)

We'll Have A Chance
Rosie & The Originals Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Iknow some day we'll have a chance
Have a chance for our romance
But this time the good and blast
I was to wild in the past
I played around foolishly
Now I've hurt both you and me
But you would always be in my heart
Although we're far apart

(Instrumental)

I tried to warn you at the start
That I have broken other hearts
I prayed to god that other time
And other time you'll be mine

I played around foolishly
Now I've hurt both you and me

But you would always be in my heart
Although we're far apart

Overall Meaning

The song "We'll Have A Chance" by Rosie & The Originals revolves around the idea that the singer knows that someday she and her love interest will have a chance to be together again. However, she regrets her past mistakes and admits to fooling around in the past which has led to problems between them. The song is a plea for forgiveness and a testament to the enduring nature of love.

Throughout the lyrics, the singer expresses regret for her past actions and their impact on her relationship. She acknowledges that her behavior hurt both her and her partner, but she still holds onto the hope that they will one day have a chance to be together again. Despite the distance between them, she affirms that her love interest will always be in her heart.

The instrumental break in the middle of the song provides a moment of reflection and introspection. It allows the listener to fully absorb the emotions conveyed in the lyrics and the complex nature of the singer's feelings.

Overall, "We'll Have A Chance" is a heartfelt and emotional song that touches on universal themes of love, regret, and hope. The lyrics are relatable and timeless, making the song a classic piece of pop music.

Line by Line Meaning

Iknow some day we'll have a chance
I believe that one day we will get the opportunity to be together

Have a chance for our romance
We'll have the chance to be romantic with each other

But this time the good and blast
This time around it will be both good and exciting

I was to wild in the past
I was too reckless in the past

I played around foolishly
I acted carelessly and played with people's hearts

Now I've hurt both you and me
My actions have caused pain for both of us

But you would always be in my heart
You will always have a special place in my heart

Although we're far apart
Even though we are separated by distance

I tried to warn you at the start
I attempted to caution you about my past behavior from the beginning of our relationship

That I have broken other hearts
I have hurt other people before you

I prayed to god that other time
I have prayed to God in the past for a chance to be with you