Rose Tint My World

"Rose Tint My World" is a piece in the musical The Rocky Horror Show and its film counterpart, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Written by Richard O'Brien, "Rose Tint My World" is a three-part suite consisting of the songs "Floor Show", "Fanfare/Don't Dream It" and "Wild and Untamed Thing".

Parts

Floor Show

Columbia opens the song describing the innocent and fun beginnings of her escapades with Frank. She sings that it was when Frank started working on Rocky that morals were blurred and things grew out of hand. Rocky sings next of his predicament: that he's only had seven hours of life, loves to orgasm and can't control his desires. Brad sings a different melody dictating the effects of the trance he's in a negative light, whilst Janet sings of the same trance in a positive light. She seems to like Frank. This melody that Brad and Janet sing is once again implemented when Riff Raff cuts the celebration short.

The title of the song refers to the idiomatic expression of looking through rose-colored glasses, meaning that one is an optimist, seeing only the good and either refusing or unable to see the bad things in life.

The song starts off in the key of D major but then, as Rocky Horror's verse starts, the song changes into the key of C major.

Fanfare/Don't Dream It

The second song starts with a fanfare sound announcing Frank N. Furter's appearance on stage. Frank expresses his admiration of Hollywood film star Fay Wray's performance in King Kong, as Frank wishes he could be dressed as delicately as she was. He breaks into the soft "don't dream it, be it" melody with all of the members of the Floor Show. Dr. Scott interjects with a short monologue describing the need to get away from the trap that Frank set – he fails to convince himself and hands himself over to the sensation.

The fanfare section of the song features the same chords as "Rose Tint My World" whilst "Don't Dream It, Be It", features a classic C-Am-F-G chord progression reminiscent of the 1950s and 1960s. At the end of "Fanfare/Don't Dream It, Be It", Frank-N-Furter breaks into "Wild and Untamed Thing", which is the final section of the Floor Show.

Wild and Untamed Thing

This part concludes the Floor Show, as Riff Raff begins to fire on the group, demanding that Frank returns to Transylvania, in the galaxy Transsexual. The title stems from a magazine featured in Richard O'Brien's home town which claimed boldly on the back of each cover "DON'T DREAM IT, BE IT!"

Cover versions

The entire suite has been covered by Suburban Legends. The band Luckie Strike performed a cover on The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show. Post-metal band Jesu used a sample of "Don't Dream It, Be It" on the track "Don't Dream It" on the album Pale Sketches

References