"My Rainbow Race" is an American folk and children's song. Originally released by

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and social activist. He was a fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s and had a string of hit records in the early 1950s as a member of The Weav ...

on his album '' Rainbow Race'' in 1973 with the name "My Rainbow Race".

Norwegian translation

The song was adapted into Norwegian by

Lillebjørn Nilsen Lillebjørn Falk Nilsen (born Bjørn Falk Nilsen; 21 December 1950 – 27 January 2024) was a Norwegian singer-songwriter and folk musician. He was born in Oslo, and was considered by some to be the leading "voice of Oslo", thanks to numerous c ...

as "Barn av regnbuen" (which in English means "Children of the Rainbow"). It was released in 1973, and was the sixth-highest selling single in Norway that year.

Public mass performance during Norway terror trial

The song was performed by Nilsen and a crowd of more than people in Youngstorget in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

and at squares across the country on April 26, 2012, as a protest against statements given in court by

Anders Behring Breivik Anders Behring Breivik (; born 13 February 1979), officially named Fjotolf Hansen from 2017 to 2025, and Far Skaldigrimmr Rauskjoldr av Northriki since March 2025, is a Norwegian neo-Nazi terrorist and mass murderer. He carried out the 2011 No ...

, the perpetrator of the July 22 attacks in 2011. The performance was inspired by

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

reactions after Breivik claimed in his

trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...

testimony that the song was an example of

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

and that it was being used to "brainwash" Norwegian children. Organization was made at the level of Norwegian Minister of Culture, and other Ministers of Culture from

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

and the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

were also present. The song was thus performed a few days later, in the midst of the ongoing trial. In Oslo the

sing-along Sing-along, also called community singing or group singing, is an event of singing together at gatherings or parties, less formally than choir singing, sometimes with a songbook. Common genres are folk songs, patriotic songs, kids' songs, spirit ...

was followed by a march up to the site of the trial, where the crowd laid down flowers. The song was performed both in Norwegian and English, and Nilsen had personally contacted Seeger, who responded with the words: "Oh me, oh my. I wish you luck." Psychiatrist Thor Kvakkestad criticized this public outpouring of emotions during an ongoing trial and called for a focused discussion about the

hate Hatred or hate is an intense negative emotional response towards certain people, things or ideas, usually related to opposition or revulsion toward something. Hatred is often associated with intense feelings of anger, contempt, and disgust. Ha ...

that seems to be building in the Norwegian populace. He also compared the rally to a

pillory The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, used during the medieval and renaissance periods for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. ...

.Sammenligner folkets allsang med en gapestokk(Sing-along compared to a pillory)
Bjørnar Tommelstad, ''

Verdens Gang (), generally known under the abbreviation ''VG'', is a Norway, Norwegian Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper. In 2016, circulation numbers stood at 93,883, declining from a peak circulation of 390,510 in 2002. Nevertheless, ''VG'' is ...

'', April 26, 2012

ECOSY 2012

The song was performed by delegates attending the 2012

ECOSY Young European Socialists (YES), formerly the European Community Organisation of Socialist Youth (ECOSY), is an association of social democracy, social democratic youth organisations in Europe and the European Union. YES is the youth organisa ...

Summer Camp held in

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

in July and a was recorded in support of the victims of the attacks in Norway.

References

{{authority control 2011 Norway attacks 2012 in Norway 1973 songs Pete Seeger songs Songs written by Pete Seeger