| "She's a Rainbow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single bythe Rolling Stones | ||||
| from the albumTheir Satanic Majesties Request | ||||
| B-side | "2000 Light Years from Home" | |||
| Released |
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| Recorded | 17–21 May 1967 | |||
| Studio | Olympic, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | ||||
| Songwriter | Jagger–Richards | |||
| Producer | The Rolling Stones | |||
| The Rolling Stones US singles chronology | ||||
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| Their Satanic Majesties Request track listing | ||||
10 tracks Side one
Side two
| ||||
"She's a Rainbow" is a song bythe Rolling Stones and was featured on their 1967 albumTheir Satanic Majesties Request.[5] It has been called "the prettiest and most uncharacteristic song" thatMick Jagger andKeith Richards wrote for the Stones, although somewhat ambiguous in intention.[6]
The song includes rich lyricism, vibrant piano byNicky Hopkins, andBrian Jones' use of theMellotron. 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 ofLed Zeppelin, arranged the strings of this song during hissession musician days.[7] Backing vocals were provided by the entire band except forCharlie 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 thesong of that title byLove,[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 recurringmotif. This motif is developed by thecelesta 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 B♭ scale : C D E♭ F G A B♭.
"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] A lyric video for the song was released in 2017 to coincide with the semicentennial reissue of the album it appears on.[11]
It has regularly featured on Stones' hits compilations, includingThrough 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), andGRRR! (2012).[6]
According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon:[12]
The Rolling Stones
Additional personnel
| Chart (1967–1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[14] | 8 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[15] | 13 |
| Canada Hit Parade (CHUM Chart)[16] | 1 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[17] | 9 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] | 2 |
| New Zealand (Listener)[19] | 5 |
| Spanish Singles Chart[20] | 19 |
| Sweden (Kvällstoppen)[21] | 14 |
| Sweden (Tio i Topp)[22] | 9 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] | 3 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[24] | 25 |
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
| Denmark (Tracklisten)[25] | 25 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] | 91 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[26] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[27] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
People have speculated thatGilbert Baker's creation of therainbow flag was inspired by theJudy Garland song "Over the Rainbow" (Garland being among thefirst gay icons),[28][29] but when asked, Baker said that it was "more about theRolling Stones and their song 'She's a Rainbow.'"[30]
'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'.
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.
