ROCK MOMENT – Poison ‘Every Rose Has It’s Thorn’

‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn’ is Poison’s most enduring and heartfelt song, a power ballad that revealed the emotional depth behind the band’s glam metal image. Written by lead singer Bret Michaels, the song was inspired by heartbreak during Poison’s 1987 tour. Michaels had discovered that his girlfriend back home had been unfaithful, and he began writing the lyrics in a Dallas laundromat, using whatever scraps of paper were available as he sat among the spinning machines. That raw, spontaneous moment of vulnerability became the foundation of one of rock’s most iconic ballads.

Michaels crafted the gentle acoustic guitar riff that opens the song, setting a reflective tone. While Poison was known for upbeat, party-ready tracks like ‘Talk Dirty to Me,’ this stripped-down, emotional ballad was a departure. In the studio, guitarist C.C. DeVille layered subtle electric guitar lines, and the rest of the band added understated rhythm sections to support Michaels’ impassioned vocals without overpowering the song’s intimate feel. Producer Tom Werman helped capture that vulnerability, emphasizing clarity and emotional resonance over flashy production.

The music video for ‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn,’ directed by Marty Callner, complemented the song’s introspective nature. It begins with Bret Michaels in bed with a woman, both looking unhappy, before he walks away to play the acoustic guitar. The video then intersperses clips of the band’s tour with scenes of the woman driving a Thunderbird in the rain, listening to the song on the car’s radio. The video was shot at the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and in an empty warehouse nearby.

Released in October 1988 on Open Up and Say… Ahh!, the song quickly became a commercial hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in December. The band was reportedly surprised by its popularity, as it was a slower, softer track compared to their high-energy repertoire, but they embraced it as a signature song. Over the years, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” has been covered by numerous artists and remains a mainstay of classic rock radio, celebrated for its honesty, relatability, and the story of love and loss that birthed it—even in a laundromat in Dallas.