Bette Midler made the song famous when she recorded it for her 1979 film The Rose, in which it plays during the closing credits.
It has been recorded multiple times, including by Conway Twitty and Westlife who had US Country & Western and UK number one hits with the song, respectively.
However, the song was not written for the movie: Amanda McBroom recalls, "I wrote it in 1977 [or] 1978, and I sang it occasionally in clubs.
McBroom believes the song struck a universal nerve because "It's a message of hope that's very easily understandable".
[4][5] Midler won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "The Rose", beating out formidable competition from Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer among others.
McBroom did however win the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "The Rose", as that award's governing body, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), did not share AMPAS' official requirement that a nominated song be completely original with its parent film.
The single has sold over 200,000 copies in the UK to earn a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
An adaptation of the song entitled "Hǎo xiǎng nǐ" (好想你, "I Truly Miss You") by Taiwanese singer YoYo (金瑞瑶) was released in 1984.
The song was featured in the ending scene of the 1991 Studio Ghibli film Only Yesterday, directed by Isao Takahata.