"Chasing Rainbows" is a song by

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. It produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music and to the ...

band

Shed Seven Shed Seven are a alternative rock band, formed in York in 1990. One of the groups which contributed to the Britpop music scene of the 1990s, they continue to write, record and release music over thirty years later. They originally comprised sin ...

. It was released in November 1996 as the first single from their third studio album, ''

Let It Ride Let or LET may refer to: Sports * Let serve, when the served object in certain racket sports hits the net and lands in the correct service court, such as; ** Let (badminton) ** Let (pickleball) ** Let (tennis) * Ladies European Tour, the ladi ...

'', over a year before the album was released in June 1998. The

homesickness Homesickness is the distress caused by being away from home.Kerns, Brumariu, Abraham. Kathryn A., Laura E., Michelle M.(2009/04/13). Homesickness at summer camp. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 54. Its cognitive hallmark is preoccupying thoughts of home ...

-inspired song was written by band members Paul Banks and

Rick Witter Richard James "Rick" Witter (born 23 November 1972 in Stockport, Cheshire) is a singer, songwriter in the York-based band Shed Seven. He was educated at Huntington School, York. Professional career Rick Witter formed his first band with sch ...

while on tour promoting their previous album, ''

A Maximum High ''A Maximum High'' is the second studio album by the British rock band Shed Seven, released in April 1996 via Polydor Records. The album was written by all four band members at the time of release; Rick Witter, Paul Banks, Tom Gladwin and Ala ...

'', and it was produced by

Chris Sheldon Chris Sheldon (born 25 September 1962) is an English record producer, particularly of rock music based in London, England. He has produced or mixed records for the Foo Fighters, Garbage, Big Country, Feeder, Therapy?, Biffy Clyro, Oceansize ...

. The song was released on 4 November 1996 and debuted at number 17 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

on 17 November, becoming the band's ninth consecutive top-40 hit in the UK. On 3 July 2020, "Chasing Rainbows" received a silver

certification Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

from the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company wi ...

(BPI), denoting sales and streams exceeding 200,000 units.

Background and release

"Chasing Rainbows" was written while Shed Seven were in Germany promoting their prior album, ''

''.

said in an interview with ''Songwriting Magazine'' that they wrote the song during a murky afternoon while waiting to do their

soundcheck A sound check is the preparation that takes place before a concert, speech, or similar performance to adjust the sound on the venue's sound reinforcement or public address system. The performer and the audio engineers run through a small po ...

. He was sitting in the band's tour bus with bandmate Paul Banks when Banks began composing the main riff on his guitar, then they wrote the lyric quickly afterwards, inspired by their

resulting from constant travel. The two then took the song into soundcheck and received positive feedback, allowing them to record and release the song. Issued on 4 November 1996, "Chasing Rainbows" peaked at number 17 on the

later the same month. Witter believed that if the song had been released on another week, it would have reached number one.

Track listings

UK 7-inch, CD, and cassette single # "Chasing Rainbows" # "In Command" # "The Skin I'm In" German CD single # "Chasing Rainbows" # "In Command"

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1996 singles 1996 songs Polydor Records singles Shed Seven songs Song recordings produced by Chris Sheldon