Run for the Roses (song)
{{About|the song by Dan Fogelberg|the song by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter|Run for the Roses (album)}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2008}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Run for the Roses
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Dan Fogelberg
| album = The Innocent Age
| B-side = The Sand and the Foam
| released = 1982
| format =
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Soft rock
| length = 4:20
| label = Full Moon Records
| writer = Dan Fogelberg
| producer = Dan Fogelberg, Marty Lewis
| prev_title = Leader of the Band
| prev_year = 1981
| next_title = Missing You
| next_year = 1982
}}
"Run for the Roses" is a song written and recorded by singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg in 1980.
Background
The chorus mentions "the chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance", at once describing the experience of horse racing and life itself. The song has since been used as an unofficial theme for the Kentucky Derby.
Chart performance
Released as a single from the album The Innocent Age the following year, it peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100.Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications)
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Chart (1981–1982) !Peak |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100
|align="center"|18 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks{{cite book |title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2002 |publisher=Record Research |page=95}}
|align="center"|3 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles
|align="center"|33 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks
|align="center"|1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks
|align="center"|16 |
Popular culture
The song was commissioned by ABC for its telecast of the 106th running of the Derby in 1980, and premiered on the network's Derby preview special the night before. Fogelberg stated that it was written in two days.{{cite web|title=Dan Fogelberg Prodigy Chat transcript Treehouse.org|url=http://www.treehouse.org/fogelberg/intview7.html|accessdate=2013-05-04}} The performance was broadcast from the Red Barn, the student activities building at the University of Louisville.{{cite web|title=UofL's Red Barn marks 50 years as student hub|date=24 October 2019 |url=https://www.uoflnews.com/post/uofltoday/uofls-red-barn-marks-50-years-as-student-hub/|accessdate=2022-08-04}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Dan Fogelberg}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Dan Fogelberg