When the Snow is on the Roses was written by Bryan Fustukian and first recorded by Ed Ames in 1967. His recording (RCA 47-9319) did poorly on Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#98), but reached number one for four weeks on the Easy-Listening chart. Sonny James recorded (Columbia 45644) the song in 1972.

Elvis sang When the Snow is on the Roses with only his own piano accompaniment on August 24, 1970, in Las Vegas. It was the first time that he played the piano in concert. Elvis never recorded the song, but his performance does appear on several bootleg LPs.