About the Song
Background
- Album: “She’s a Rainbow” appeared on the landmark 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties Request. This album marked a major psychedelic experimentation phase for the Stones.
- Musical Style: The track leans heavily into psychedelic pop and baroque pop influences, featuring lush string arrangements (courtesy of John Paul Jones, later of Led Zeppelin fame), dreamy piano from Nicky Hopkins, and prominent use of Mellotron by Brian Jones.
- Reception: The song became a moderate hit and is now a beloved Rolling Stones classic.
Lyrics & Themes
“She’s a Rainbow” stands out for its whimsical imagery and celebration of the feminine ideal:
- Colors and Nature: The protagonist is described with vivid color symbolism (“She comes in colors everywhere… like a sunset going down”), drawing parallels with rainbows and natural beauty.
- Idealized femininity: The lyrics paint a picture of an ethereal, almost goddess-like, woman (“Have you seen a lady fairer?”). Her beauty is described with elements of gold, jewels, and otherworldly qualities.
- Ambiguity & Psychedelia: Some have interpreted the song as being drug-inspired, alluding to the heightened senses and colorful experiences associated with psychedelics. This fits with the experimental era when the song was created.
- Sexual Innuendo: Typical of the Rolling Stones, there’s potential sexual undertones to the lyrics. “She comes in colors” could be a suggestive phrase, hinting at a woman’s vibrancy and sensuality.
Overall
“She’s a Rainbow” is a psychedelic gem from the Rolling Stones. With its dreamlike lyrics, lush orchestration, and celebration of an elusive feminine figure, it offers these key things:
- A Psychedelic Trip: The song takes the listener on a mind-bending journey, fitting for the era in which it was created.
- Exploration of Beauty: It explores notions of idealized feminine beauty in an abstract and colorful way.
- The Stones’ Experimental Side: The song showcases the Stones’ willingness to venture into new musical territory beyond their usual blues rock.
Video
Lyric
She comes in colours everywhereShe combs her hairShe’s like a rainbowComing, colours in the airOh, everywhereShe comes in colours
She comes in colours everywhereShe combs her hairShe’s like a rainbowComing, colours in the airOh, everywhereShe comes in colours
Have you seen her dressed in blue?See the sky in front of youAnd her face is like a sailSpeck of white so fair and paleHave you seen a lady fairer?
She comes in colours everywhereShe combs her hairShe’s like a rainbowComing, colours in the airOh, everywhereShe comes in colours
Have you seen her all in gold?Like a queen in days of oldShe shoots her colours all aroundLike a sunset going downHave you seen a lady fairer?
She comes in colours everywhereShe combs her hairShe’s like a rainbowComing, colours in the airOh, everywhereShe comes in colours
She’s like a rainbowComing, colours in the airOh, everywhereShe comes in colours