Bette Midler

Released: December 3, 1979

Songwriter: Charley Williams Kenny Hopkins

Producer: Paul A. Rothchild

Every time I touch you
My heart skips a beat
Every time I kiss you
I feel love from my head to my feet
Somethin' deep within me, baby
Sayin' you should be mine
Don't you know, baby, somewhere
I got to, I got to draw the line?

Tell me, baby, whose side are you on?
Are you wih me, or am I all alone?
Whoa-oh-oh-oh, baby
Oh, where you been so long?
Since I need you
Oh, won't you please come ho-ome?

And every mornin' I wake up
Can't hide my tears
After all the lovin', baby
We've had through the years
It's a lonely season, baby
For you to leave, leave with no reason, babe
I just can't help believin'
This time you're really, really, really leavin'

Whoa, baby, whose side are you on?
Are you with me, or am I all alone?
Whoa-oh-oh-oh, baby
Oh, where you been, where ya
Where have you been so long?
Since I need you, woo, come on home!

Whoa, baby, whose side are you on?
Since I need you, oh-oo-oh-ho!
Whoa-oh-oh-oh, baby
Where you been, where you been
Where you been so g-ddamn long?
Since I need you
Whoa, honey, honey, come home!
Owwwww!!!!

Bette Midler is a Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, comedienne and actress. Named in honor of Bette Davis, Midler’s career began performing off-broadway until she developed the stage persona The Divine Miss M while singing at the world-famous Continental Baths gay bathhouse. A pre-fame Barry Manilow, the venue’s in-house piano player, produced her Grammy-nominated debut album which scored three US top 40 singles including the Grammy-nominated “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”. Midler took home the Best New Artist Grammy that year, her first of three career wins.

Throughout the 1970s, Midler found further success with music, Broadway, television and film. The Rose, Midler’s 1979 acting debut, earned her both Oscar and Academy Award nominations, and its namesake song won her a Golden Globe and another Grammy – also giving Midler her first success overseas.

The early 1980s proved less successful for Midler with four under-performing singles and a box office flop with the film Jinxed. However, the second half of the decade would prove far more fruitful with a handful of very successful films including Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Ruthless People, Outrageous Fortune and Beaches, the latter featuring a chart-topping cover of “Wind Beneath My Wings” that won Midler her third Grammy and is considered one of the greatest songs in American film history.

more tracks from the album

The Rose - The Original Soundtrack Recording

From the album

The Rose - The Original Soundtrack Recording (1979)

Bette Midler popular songs

Whose Side Are You On?Bette Midler

Bette Midler

The Rose - The Original Soundtrack Recording