Meaning of She's a Rainbow by The Rolling Stones

Bruce Eder of Allmusic called She’s a Rainbow “the sweetest and most uncharacteristic song Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have written for The Rolling Stones”. In the review, he also recalled that many of the band’s fans perceived the track as “an apostasy, an attempt … to imitate The Sgt. Pepper. John Lennon spoke about it in a similar spirit, calling the composition a copy of All You Need Is Love. But the song still became one of the hits of the legendary band, deserving an article about its history, main idea and legacy.

The history of creation and the meaning of the song She’s a Rainbow

First, let’s talk about possible sources of inspiration. We will not consider the accusations that the authors “equaled” the Beatles’ “Sergeant Pepper”, published earlier in the same 1967. There is clearly no need to talk about plagiarism in this case, and let music critics look for similar motives.

It seems curious that the song She Comes in Colors, which was recorded in 1966 by the American rock band Love, could push Jagger and Richards to compose She’s a Rainbow. Like it or not, it’s hard to say, but the creation of “rollings” begins with this phrase, which leads to certain reflections.

It is even more interesting to guess whether the heroine of the song had a real prototype. Mika’s girlfriend Marianne Faithfull, and The Rolling Stones fan Pamela Des Barres and other groupies claimed this role, but the authors of the composition did not talk about it.

Recording and achievements

She’s a Rainbow featured John Paul Jones, who was not yet a member of Led Zeppelin. He was a string arranger.

In December 1967, She’s a Rainbow was released in the US as a single from Their Satanic Majesties Request. The song reached the 25th line of the official hit parade. Subsequently, it was repeatedly included in the collections of the best tracks of The Rolling Stones.

Clip She’s a Rainbow

Now you can watch the video for the song.

Interesting Facts

The song is often used in advertising by well-known companies. For example, at one time, Apple’s videos for the iMac G3 and Sony’s for the Bravia were very popular.
Naturally, there were music lovers who thought that the song meant drugs. For example, they believe that the line “she comes in colors” means multi-colored pills.

She’s a Rainbow Lyrics

chorus:
She comes in colors ev’rywhere;
She combs her hair
She’s like a rainbow
Coming colors in the air
Oh, everywhere
She comes in colors

Have you seen her dressed in blue?
See the sky in front of you
And her face is like a sail
Speck of white so fair and pale
Have you seen a lady fairer?

Have you seen her all in gold?
Like a queen in days of old
She shoots colors all around
Like a sunset going down
Have you seen a lady fairer?

She’s a Rainbow Lyrics

Chorus:
She appears everywhere in bright clothes,
She combs her hair
She’s like a rainbow
Painting the sky with different colors
Oh, everywhere
She appears in bright clothes

Have you seen her dressed in blue?
Look at the sky ahead of you
And her face is like a sail
A snow-white spot, so spotless and pale
Have you seen a more decent lady?

Have you seen her all in gold?
Like a queen from the past
She paints everything around with bright colors,
Like the sun setting on the horizon
Have you seen a more decent lady?