POISON - EVERY ROSE HAS ITS THORN 

Released: October 12, 1988

Charted:  US: #1 (3 weeks)   UK: #13 

"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" is Poison's signature song, released in October 1988 as the third single from their album "Open Up and Say... Ahh!". It became the band's only number-one hit in the US, reaching the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 24, 1988, where it remained for three weeks. Additionally, it charted at number 11 on the Mainstream Rock chart and peaked at number 13 in the UK.

Bret Michaels, the lead singer of Poison, wrote "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" as a response to a heartbreak he experienced with his girlfriend, Tracy Lewis. While on tour in Dallas, Texas, Michaels called Lewis at her Los Angeles apartment and heard a man's voice in the background, signaling infidelity. Distraught, Michaels took his acoustic guitar to a Laundromat the next day and penned the song right there. Michaels recalled the experience in a Rolling Stone interview, reminiscing about the yellow legal pad he used to write the song, filled with numerous verses that he later condensed.

Bret Michaels often finds inspiration for his songs during his lowest moments, and "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" is a prime example. Reflecting on the song's genesis during an appearance on CMT Crossroads with Chris Janson, Michaels shared how his heartbreak over a failed relationship with an exotic dancer fueled the song's creation. In a VH1 Behind The Music special, Michaels delved into the metaphorical significance of the rose and thorn in the song, explaining that the rose symbolized his burgeoning career while the thorn represented the toll it took on his relationship with his girlfriend, Tracy.

The music video directed by Marty Callner, captures the poignant narrative of the song. It begins with a melancholic scene of Bret Michaels in bed with a woman, both appearing discontent. Michaels then retreats to play his acoustic guitar, interspersed with footage from the band's tour. Throughout the video, the same woman is depicted driving a Thunderbird in the rain, listening to the song on the car's radio. Filmed at the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and an adjacent empty warehouse, the video concludes with Michaels strumming the final chords of the song and walking away.