She's a Rainbow

"She's a Rainbow"
Single by the Rolling Stones
from the album Their Satanic Majesties Request
B-side	"2000 Light Years from Home"
Released	November 1967 (1967-11)[1]
Recorded	17–21 May 1967
Studio	Olympic, London
Genre	Psychedelic pop[2] baroque pop[3] psychedelic rock[4]
Length	2:48 (US promo single edit) 4:10 (US single) 4:35 (album version)
Label	London (US) Decca (UK)
Songwriter(s)	Jagger–Richards
Producer(s)	The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones US singles chronology
"In Another Land" (1967) "She's a Rainbow" (1967) "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1968)
Their Satanic Majesties Request track listing
10 tracks Side one "Sing This All Together" "Citadel" "In Another Land" "2000 Man" "Sing This All Together (See What Happens)" Side two "She's a Rainbow" "The Lantern" "Gomper" "2000 Light Years from Home" "On with the Show"

"She's a Rainbow" is a song by the Rolling Stones and was featured on their 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties Request.^[5] It has been called "the prettiest and most uncharacteristic song" that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote for the Stones,^[6] although somewhat ambiguous in intention.^[6]

Composition and recording

The song includes rich lyricism, vibrant piano by Nicky Hopkins and Brian Jones' use of the Mellotron. The second verse includes:

Have you seen her all in gold,
Like a queen in days of old?
She shoots colours all around
like a sunset going down.
Have you seen a lady fairer?^[5]

John Paul Jones, later of Led Zeppelin, arranged the strings of this song during his session musician days.^[7] Backing vocals were provided by the entire band except for Charlie Watts. Notably, all of the vocals sound like soft background singing with the music overshadowing them to the point of the lyrics being difficult to hear. The lyrics in the chorus share the phrase "she comes in colours" with the song of that title by Love,^[8] released in December 1966.

The song begins with the piano playing an ascending run with a turnaround, which returns throughout the song as a recurring motif. This motif is developed by the celesta and strings in the middle 8. Humorous and ambiguous devices are used, such as when the strings play out-of-tune and off-key towards the end of the song, and when the other Stones sing their "La La's" like little children.^[5] The song is in the key of B flat major.^[9] The ascending run starts on C and goes up the Bb scale : C D E♭ F G A B♭.

Release and appearances

"She's a Rainbow" was released as a single in November 1967 and went to No. 25 in the United States. Cash Box said that the Rolling Stones "[step] up their blues beat with orchestrations that surround the listener in a swirling collage of offsetting tonal colors."^[10]

It has regularly featured on Stones' hits compilations, including Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) (1969), More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies) (1972), 30 Greatest Hits (1977), Singles Collection: The London Years (1989), Forty Licks (2002), and GRRR! (2012).^[6]

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon:^[11]

The Rolling Stones

• Mick Jagger – lead vocal, harmony vocal, tambourine
• Keith Richards – acoustic guitar, lead guitar
• Brian Jones – Mellotron
• Bill Wyman – bass
• Charlie Watts – drums
• Unidentified musicians (played by the Rolling Stones) – backing vocals, percussion^{[note 1]}

Additional personnel

• Nicky Hopkins – piano, harpsichord
• John Paul Jones – string arrangement
• Unidentified session musicians – string section

Charts

Chart (1967–1968)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[13]	8
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[14]	13
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[15]	9
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16]	2
Spanish Singles Chart[17]	19
Sweden (Kvällstoppen)[18]	14
Sweden (Tio i Topp)[19]	9
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[20]	3
US Billboard Hot 100[21]	25
Chart (2007)	Peak position
Denmark (Tracklisten)[22]	25
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[20]	91

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23]	Gold	35,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[24]	Silver	200,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other

People have speculated that Gilbert Baker's creation of the rainbow flag was inspired by the Judy Garland song "Over the Rainbow" (Garland being among the first gay icons),^[25][26] but when asked, Baker said that it was "more about the Rolling Stones and their song 'She's a Rainbow.'"^[27]

Notes

1. Margotin and Guesdon suggest the percussion heard from 2:45 on may be bongos played with drumsticks or Cuban timbales.^[12]

References

1. Eder, Bruce (1989). Singles Collection: The London Years (Boxed set booklet). The Rolling Stones. New York City: ABKCO Records. p. 72. 1218-2.
2. Philippe Margotin; Jean-Michel Guesdon (25 October 2016). Rolling Stones All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Hachette Books. p. 433. ISBN 978-0-316-31773-3.
3. Nigel Williamson (2008). The Rough Guide to the Best Music You've Never Heard. Rough Guides. p. 181. ISBN 978-1-84836-003-7.
4. DeRogatis, Jim (2003). "The Stones' Ten Best Psychedelic Rock Songs". Turn On Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 54. ISBN 0-634-05548-8.
5. John Gilliland (narrator). "Show 46: Sergeant Pepper at the Summit - The very best of a very good year (part 2, segment 5)". Pop Chronicles. Pasadena, CA. KRLA. via the Digital Library of the University of North Texas. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
6. Eder, Bruce. The Rolling Stones "She's A Rainbow". AllMusic. 2007 (accessed 31 October 2008).
7. The Database "She's a Rainbow". Time Is On Our Side. 2007 (accessed 31 October 2008).
8. Pierce, Tony (4 August 2006). "R.I.P. Arthur Lee - thanks for all the Love". LAist. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2012. 'Da Capo' also includes Love's biggest hit '7&7 Is' which some regard as the first punk tune, as well as 'She Comes in Colors' which was clearly an inspiration for the Rolling Stones hit 'She's A Rainbow'.
9. "Key & BPM/Tempo of She's a Rainbow by the Rolling Stones | Note Discover".
10. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 23 December 1967. p. 90. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
11. Margotin & Guesdon 2016, pp. 228–229.
12. Margotin & Guesdon 2016, p. 229.
13. "The Rolling Stones – She's a Rainbow" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
14. "The Rolling Stones – She's a Rainbow" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
15. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 100169." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
16. "The Rolling Stones – We Love You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
17. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
18. Hallberg, Eric (1993). Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 - 19. 8. 1975. Drift Musik. p. 243. ISBN 9163021404.
19. Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (1998). Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74. Premium Publishing. p. 313. ISBN 919727125X.
20. "The Rolling Stones – She's a Rainbow". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
21. "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
22. "The Rolling Stones – She's a Rainbow". Tracklisten. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
23. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
24. "British single certifications – The Rolling Stones – She's a Rainbow". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
25. The National Museum & Archive of Lesbian and Gay History; Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center (1996). The Gay Almanac. New York: Berkeley Books. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-425-15300-0. OCLC 636576927.
26. Higgs, David (1999). Queer Sites: Gay Urban Histories Since 1600. Psychology Press. pp. 173–. ISBN 978-0-415-15897-8. Retrieved 19 November 2012 – via Google Books.
27. Fitzharris, Dustin (27 June 2008). "True Colors Shining Through: The rainbow flag, a symbol of LGBT Pride, celebrates three decades". New York Blade. 12 (26): 9 – via EBSCO. I come from the '60s, so [the flag's] more about the Rolling Stones and their song 'She's a Rainbow,'" Baker said. "That era was a time when people were asserting themselves as artists in the true sense. But, I get the Garland thing, and being from Kansas, I double get it.

Sources

• Margotin, Philippe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2016). The Rolling Stones All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. ISBN 978-0-316-31774-0.