The Zombies — “A Rose for Emily”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — March 8, 2024

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,138) The Zombies — “A Rose for Emily”

Zombies eat “Eleanor Rigby” for breakfast! Here is “a gorgeous telling of the sad story of a woman who lives her long life without ever finding love. . . . Very ‘Eleanor Rigby’, but without aping that earlier song so much as to seem derivative or plagaristic.” (Brutally Honest Rock Album Reviews, https://brutallyhonestrockalbumreviews.wordpress.com/2019/09/27/album-review-the-zombies-odessey-and-oracle/) The song is “[a] real English ballad. Surrounded by an elegant, wistful, classically inspired piano figure, Rod Argent’s take on a lonely spinster is one of the most evocative songs on the Odessey & Oracle album.” (Matthew Greenwald, https://www.allmusic.com/song/a-rose-for-emily-mt0006791716)

OK, but can any song from Odessey and Oracle really be considered obscure? Well, every song on the album was obscure, the album selling so poorly, until “Time of the Seasons” became an improbable hit in America. As Richie Unterberger relates:

By 1967, the group hadn’t had a hit for quite some time, and decided to break up. Their Decca contract expired early in the year, and the Zombies signed with CBS for one last album, knowing before the sessions that it was to be their last. A limited budget precluded the use of many session musicians, which actually worked to the Zombies’ advantage, as they became among the first to utilize the then-novel Mellotron to emulate strings and horns. . . . The album passed virtually unnoticed in Britain, and was only released in the States after some lobbying from Al Kooper. By that time it was 1968, and the group had split for good. The Zombies had been defunct for some time when Odessey track “Time of the Season” was released as a single, almost as an afterthought. It took off in early 1969 to become their biggest hit, but the members resisted temptations to re-form, leading to a couple of bizarre tours in the late ’60s by bogus “Zombies” with no relation to the original group.”

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-zombies-mn0000582313#biography

But even after the O&O phenomenon, “Rose” remains one of the album’s lesser known songs. As Tom Breihan says, it is “a fairly obscure song” (https://www.stereogum.com/1932324/helado-negro-trey-pollard-zombies-a-rose-for-emily-soundtrack-s-town-podcast/news/), or at least it was until that darn S-Town podcast! (https://www.stereogum.com/1932324/helado-negro-trey-pollard-zombies-a-rose-for-emily-soundtrack-s-town-podcast/news/)

Carl Scott:

“Rose” . . . stands in a long tradition of tragic songs, in which a sadness, often about love, has been made beautiful. The likes of Augustine and Plato rightly warn us against occupying ourselves with tragic beauty, but it has been employed here in a modest way that ennobles this Emily while still alluding to the more modern and degrading way of understanding her loneliness. I do not mean the allusion to Faulkner, but the one to the Beatles song.

https://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2011/12/carls-rock-songbook-the-zombies-a-rose-for-emily

Luke Spears:

[F]rom the moment the haunting melody started playing, I was captivated. Little did I know at the time that this song was based on a short story by the renowned American author, William Faulkner. The song beautifully captures the essence of Faulkner’s story, depicting a lonely woman named Emily who longs for love and companionship but is left empty-handed. The lyrics recount Emily’s life, as she watches her flowers grow and lovers come and go, without anyone bringing her a rose. In the chorus, the lead vocalist sorrowfully asks, “Emily, can’t you see, there’s nothing you can do? There’s loving everywhere, but none for you.” These lines convey the heartbreaking reality that Emily is trapped in a cycle of unrequited love and loneliness. The imagery created by the lyrics is striking, as the fading roses in Emily’s garden symbolize her fading hopes and dreams. She holds onto her pride as a shield against the pain she feels, but as the years pass, she grows old and eventually dies. The song ends with the tragic revelation that not a single rose is left for Emily’s grave. “A Rose for Emily” is the perfect example of how music can bring literature to life. The Zombies did an exceptional job of capturing the melancholic and somber tone of Faulkner’s story in their song. The haunting melody and poetic lyrics transport listeners into Emily’s world, allowing them to empathize with her plight. Released in 1968 as part of the album “Odessey and Oracle,” this track stands out as one of the band’s most memorable and thought-provoking compositions. With its chamber pop and psychedelic influences, “A Rose for Emily” showcases The Zombies’ versatility and exceptional musicianship. Listening to this song, I couldn’t help but be moved by the story it tells. It reminds us of the universal longing for love and companionship, and the devastating consequences of isolation and neglect. The poignancy of “A Rose for Emily” is a testament to the power of music to capture complex emotions and narratives. In conclusion, “A Rose for Emily” is more than just a song; it is a poignant reflection on the human condition. Combining the genius of William Faulkner’s storytelling with The Zombies’ musical prowess, this track leaves a lasting impact on listeners. . . . “A Rose for Emily” is a masterpiece worth exploring.

https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-a-rose-for-emily-by-the-zombies-2/

Some consider “Rose” far superior to “Rigby”. Carl Scott again:

The Beatles’ narrator has pitying discernment enough to notice poor Eleanor amid the lonely masses and to guess what her story is, but he retains a modish critical edge, analyzing her hoped-for self-presentation as a face that she keeps in a jar by the door. . . . How differently the Zombies’ narrator speaks of Emily’s shortcomings! . . . [H]e speaks of her coping mechanism without contempt: her effort to protect herself from pain, to keep her pride somehow is understandable, even admirable. Her effort to save face is not dismissed as putting on a formaldehyde-preserved standard-issue “face in a jar” mask. It is not described in the language of ironic and sociology-informed modern poetry, but in the language of traditional poetry. She is recognizably human, and the song honors her tragedy, itself becoming, in all its beauty, a Rose for Her. “Eleanor Rigby,” by contrast, shapes its characters into reductive caricatures . . . .

https://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2011/12/carls-rock-songbook-the-zombies-a-rose-for-emily

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