Rocky (song)
"Rocky" is a song written by Ronald Johnson and performed by American singer Austin Roberts. It was released in May 1975 as the lead single and title track from his studio album of the same name. It was an international success, reaching Number 1 in South Africa, as well as being a moderate hit in the UK, reaching Number 22 on the UK Singles chart, his only chart appearance there. The song has also spawned multiple successful cover versions, including a Country version by Dickey Lee three months later as the fifth single from his album of the same name, which was a North American Top 10 country hit, where it peaked at Number 1 on the US Country Chart, as well as two successful foreign-language adaptations in Europe the following year, in German by Frank Farian, and in Dutch by Don Mercedes.
Content
In a paradoxically upbeat melody in a major key, Rocky, the title protagonist, tells the tragic story of his young wife in first person. He first recalls the day four years earlier where, as an 18-year-old college student, he met his wife-to-be and recalls how well they hit it off. She accepts Rocky's marriage proposal, and they spend the next several months fixing up an old house to make their home. The two soon learn they are expecting their first child, a girl.Although the family has its usual problems, the happy memories outweigh the bad. One example is a particularly rambunctious first birthday party for the couple's daughter. With things going well and the family settling in on a content life, Rocky soon gets devastating news: his wife has been diagnosed with an apparently inoperable illness — the specific illness is unidentified in the song — and that she has only a short time to live.
All of this is told in flashback, as in the final verse, his young wife has died. Rocky is now a widower and raising his daughter alone. He feels a sense of sadness every time he looks at his daughter, who strongly resembles her mother, and now doing the same things alone that he once did with his wife. However, he feels a sense of hope, with his wife looking down on him and the couple's daughter and reassures that his love for her will always remain safe.
Each of the first three verses — telling one of the chapters in the couple's life — ends with the woman having a sense of fear of the unknown, expressed through the refrain's statement, "Rocky, I've never…," followed by the appropriate follow-up and the unassured, "Don't know if I can do it." However, both he and she realize that the strength they have in each other can help them meet each challenge head on. At the end, Rocky says that "if the world would end, your love is safe with me." The fourth refrain has Rocky envisioning hearing his deceased wife reassure, "Rocky, you know that you've been alone before, you know that you can do it," and that in her own way, she can still advise him in his time of need.
Chart performance
Year-end charts
| Chart | Rank |
| South Africa | 16 |