A Rose Is Still a Rose (song)

"A Rose Is Still a Rose" is a song recorded by American singer Aretha Franklin. It was written and produced by singer Lauryn Hill for Franklin's album of the same name (1998). The song focused on a motherly figure giving advice to a younger woman who keeps getting into bad relationships.

Throughout "A Rose Is Still a Rose", Franklin advises that in spite of everything and despite the woman's "scorned roses and thorn crowns," the woman is "still a rose". Elements of the song "What I Am" by Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians were sung throughout the song by Hill herself.

Released as the album's lead single in February 1998 by Arista, the song became a surprise hit for Franklin, reaching the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 while also reaching the top 40 in the United Kingdom, becoming the final top 40 pop hit of Franklin's career. It was her best-selling 1990s single, selling over a million copies worldwide and resulting in Franklin receiving two Grammy Award nominations.