By 1975, Ritchie Blackmore had finally grown tired of Deep Purple and came to the conclusion that he should be himself and play for fun. Inviting Ronnie James Dio and other musicians from the rock band Elf to collaborate, he founded a band called Rainbow.
The debut album of the new band Ritchie narcissistically called Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. One of the tracks on the disc was the beautiful rock ballad Catch the Rainbow.
The history and meaning of the song Catch the Rainbow
Composed by Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio.
Ronnie talked about what Catch the Rainbow is about:
As for the text, Catch the Rainbow is from the Middle Ages, as it is about a young groom doing this to a lady of the court. She sneaks out every night to sleep with him on a bed of straw. They think it will all work, but as we know for sure, it never works, and they go their separate ways. It’s a track that I and I think Richie are very proud of.
Rainbow Radio Special 1975
Release and achievements
The composition completes the “A” side of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, released in May 1975. The song was not released as a single.
Let’s listen to the legendary slow-motion of the cult band.
Video of Catch the Rainbow
The following is a music video recorded at the performance of Rainbow at the Olympic Hall in Munich in 1977.
Cover versions of Catch the Rainbow
Opeth played Catch the Rainbow at the Ronnie James Dio tribute concert.
A cover of Catch the Rainbow was included on the Defiance album by Jack Starr and Burning Starr. This version is included in Dio’s Magic tribute compilation.
Catch the Rainbow Lyrics by Rainbow
When evening falls
She’ll run to me
Like whispered dreams
Your eyes can’t see
soft and warm
She’ll touch my face
A bed of straw
Against the lace
chorus:
We believed we’d catch the rainbow
Ride the wind to the sun
Sail away on ships of wonder
But life’s not a wheel
With chains made of steel
So shine me
Come the dawn x4
Chorus
Come the dawn x4
Lyrics of Catch the Rainbow by Rainbow Alternate
When the night falls
She will come running to me
Like whispered dreams
Which cannot be seen.
Tender and warm
She touches my face.
Lace
On a bed of straw.
Chorus:
We believed we’d ride the rainbow
Let’s ride the wind to the sun
Let’s sail on a ship of miracles.
But life is not a wheel
With chains of steel
Lord have mercy!
Come, dawn x4
Chorus
Come, dawn x4
Song quote
…perhaps the most beautiful pure ballad of Blackmore’s career…
UltimateClassicRock.com
