The movie was originally titled "Pearl", which was a biographical movie based on Janis Joplin's life. The film's screenplay was revised and fictionalized after her family declined to allow the producers the rights to her story.
Bette Midler performed the soundtrack album, the title song track "The Rose" was one of the biggest selling vinyl singles of 1980.
Bette Midler admitted in an interview featured in the Criterion release for this film that she was genuinely intimidated by Harry Dean Stanton.
Mark Rydell would only agree to direct if he could cast Bette Midler in the lead. Before that, Midler had only appeared in bit parts, and was known primarily as a nightclub singer.
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