Rosealia

Album: Deluxe (1995)
Charted: 71
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • A track from the debut Better Than Ezra album Deluxe, "Rosealia" tells the story of a woman who finds herself in an abusive relationship, with the singer empathizing with her plight and warning her, "His kind of love is going to kill you."

    In our interview with lead singer Kevin Griffin, wrote the song, he explained: "The person I had in mind was this very good friend of mine, Cece Hutchinson, who was this really cool artist I knew in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I always kind of pictured her as the heroine in the story."

    Griffin often creates stories based on a seed of truth, which is what he did here. "I like putting people in situations where some type of drama is going on," he said. "In this case, someone who's in a verbally and physically abusive relationship."
  • The title character in this song came from Rosalea Murphy, who ran a popular restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico called The Pink Adobe until her death in 2000.
  • The line, "Put on your mask, wearing your cape," was inspired by the Zozobra festival in Santa Fe, where revelers put on costumes and burn an effigy that represents anguish and gloom. It is part of the Fiestas de Santa Fe celebration in the city. (We know what you're thinking, and yes, it's a lot like Burning Man. But Zozobra was around first, dating back to the 1920s.)

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Cheerleaders In Music Videos

Cheerleaders In Music VideosSong Writing

It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.

Shaun Morgan of Seether

Shaun Morgan of SeetherSongwriter Interviews

Shaun breaks down the Seether songs, including the one about his brother, the one about Ozzy, and the one that may or may not be about his ex-girlfriend Amy Lee.

Real or Spinal Tap

Real or Spinal TapMusic Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.