"She's a Rainbow" is a song by

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

and was featured on their 1967 album ''

Their Satanic Majesties Request ''Their Satanic Majesties Request'' is the 6th British and 8th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in December 1967 by Decca Records in the UK and by London Records in the US. It is their first to be relea ...

''. via the Digital Library of the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School, ...

. It has been called "the prettiest and most uncharacteristic song" that

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

and

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

wrote for the Stones, although somewhat ambiguous in intention.

Composition and recording

The song starts with a carnival barker saying: The song includes rich lyricism, vibrant piano by

Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...

and

Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English multi-instrumentalist and singer best known as the founder, rhythm/lead guitarist, and original leader of the Rolling Stones. Initially a guitarist, he went on to prov ...

' use of the Mellotron. The second verse includes:

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...

, later of

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

, arranged the strings of this song during his session days. 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 Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the love o ...

, 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. The song is in the key of B flat. The ascending run starts on C and goes up the Bb scale : C D E F G B A.

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 "

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up their blues beat with orchestrations that surround the listener in a swirling collage of offsetting tonal colors." It has regularly featured on Stones' hits compilations, including ''

Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) ''Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)'' is the second compilation album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in September 1969 by Decca Records in the UK and London Records/ABKCO Records in the US. Background Accordi ...

'' (1969), ''

More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies) ''More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies)'' is a compilation album by the Rolling Stones released in December 1972 on London Records. The album was a follow-up to the hugely successful '' Hot Rocks 1964–1971''. When '' Hot Rocks 1964–1971 ...

'' (1972), ''30 Greatest Hits'' (1977), '' Singles Collection: The London Years'' (1989), ''

Forty Licks ''Forty Licks'' is a double compilation album by the Rolling Stones. A 40-year career-spanning retrospective, ''Forty Licks'' is notable for being the first retrospective to combine their formative Decca/London era of the 1960s, now licensed b ...

'' (2002), and ''

GRRR! ''GRRR!'' is a greatest hits album by the Rolling Stones. Released on 12 November 2012, it commemorates the band's 50th anniversary. The album features two new songs titled "Doom and Gloom" and "One More Shot", which were recorded in August 2 ...

'' (2012).Eder, Bruce. The Rolling Stones "She's A Rainbow" AllMusic. 2007 (accessed 31 October 2008).

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon: The Rolling Stones *

lead vocal, harmony vocal,

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

acoustic guitar, lead guitar *

Mellotron * Bill Wyman bass * Charlie Watts drums * Unidentified musicians (played by the Rolling Stones) backing vocals, percussion Additional personnel *

piano, harpsichord *

string arrangement * Unidentified session musicians string section

Charts

In popular culture

* The song was used in a 1998 advert for

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

iMac G3 The iMac G3, originally released as the iMac, is a series of Macintosh personal computers sold by Apple Computer from 1998 to 2003. The iMac was the first major new product release for Apple under Steve Jobs, Apple's interim CEO and cofounder ...

computer, to showcase the iMac's wide variety of colours. * At the end of the 3rd episode ("

Forbidden Fruit Forbidden fruit is a name given to the fruit growing in the Garden of Eden which God commands mankind not to eat. In the biblical story, Adam and Eve eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and are exiled from Eden. As a ...

") of '' American Horror Story: Apocalypse'', music from a radio changes to the song, as witches

Cordelia Cordelia is a feminine given name. It was borne by the tragic heroine of Shakespeare's ''King Lear'' (1606), a character based on the List of legendary kings of Britain, legendary queen Cordelia of Britain, Cordelia. The name is of uncertain origi ...

, Myrtle, and

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

emerge from the shadows. * In Season 2, Episode 5 episode of ''

Ted Lasso ''Ted Lasso'' is an American sports comedy-drama television series developed by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly. It is based on a character of the same name that Sudeikis first portrayed in a series of promos for NB ...

'', the song plays as Roy Kent (

Brett Goldstein Brett Goldstein (born 17 July 1980) is a British actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for writing and starring as Roy Kent in the Apple TV+ sports comedy series ''Ted Lasso'' (2020–present), for which he received the Primetime Emmy ...

) journeys from a television studio to the stadium, joining the coaching staff of AFC Richmond. * In the 2021 film '' Cruella'', the song serves as the introduction to Estella ( Emma Stone), whose artistic genius, shown onscreen in a colorful burst of outfits, is also reflected in the song lyrics: "She comes in colours everywhere. She combs her hair. She's like a rainbow."

Notes

References

Sources

* {{Authority control Psychedelic pop songs British psychedelic rock songs The Rolling Stones songs London Records singles Decca Records singles 1967 singles Songs written by Jagger–Richards Music videos directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg 1967 songs Baroque pop songs