Edit 4a for headphones, April 2023. This is the album version, with the so called "barker intro", along with some (colorized) photos that I have never seen before.
Recorded May 18, 1967. "She's A Rainbow" was released as a single in December 1967. Charts: Holland #2 (it was in the Dutch charts for 16 weeks), Switzerland #3, Austria #8, Australia, Canada, Sweden #9, France #10, Belgium #13, Spain #19, US #25. It took fourty years before it charted #25 in Denmark. Didn't chart in what's wrong with U, K ?
The song was met with a mixed reaction when it was first released back in 1967 but, as the years have gone by, the track has quite rightly grown in appreciation. Now, the track is firmly seen as a highlight from the psychedelically twinged album "Their Satanic Majesties Request".
Mellotron (among others: the trumpet-dominated horn sound), percussion, guitar: Brian Jones. Lead vocals and percussion: Mick Jagger. Piano & harpsichord: Nicky Hopkins. Guitar: Keith Richards. Bass: Bill Wyman. Drums: Charlie Watts. Strings: arranged by John Paul Jones (who was doing session work two years before he joined Led Zeppelin). Nicky Hopkins: piano. The backing vocals were a joint effort by the entire band apart from Charlie Watts who had managed to escape his duties.
The whole recording process for the song and the album was a giant mess. Their legal ongoings at the time were causing issues after the infamous Redlands bust that saw Mick Jagger and Keith Richards spend time behind bars immediately after the time they began recording.
This meant that it took the band over eight months in total to record the album as the legal problems coupled up with their newfound adoration for psychedelic drugs created a recipe for professional disaster that somehow created incredible art.
In his 2002 book Rolling with the Stones, Bill Wyman describes the situations in the studio: "Every day at the studio it was a lottery as to who would turn up and what – if any – positive contribution they would make when they did," he said. "Keith would arrive with anywhere up to ten people, Brian with another half-a-dozen and it was the same for Mick. They were assorted girlfriends and friends. I hated it! Then again, so did producer Andrew Oldham and just gave up on it. There were times when I wish I could have done, too."
The so called "barker intro" is not on all lp's and digital releases of the album.
I got the lyrics of it from Steve Hoffman's site: forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/shes-a-rainbow-spoken-intro.586901/
(copy ↑ and paste in your browser)
Sound engineer Glyn Johns and assistant sound engineer Eddie Kramer deserve to be mentioned here too: it must have been a real challenge for them to finally put together such a great song from the many many separate studio takes. A true great achievement! Maybe the spinning wheel in the intro more or less reflects how the choices of the takes came about... or not.
SHE'S A RAINBOW
(Jagger/Richards)
alright there, now listen very close I'll explain the game, I'll tell you how to do it, now, love, all you gotta do, love, is when the whistle blows, I want you to give it one spin, one spin only on your ball, any prize, take what you like, one winner, one prize, the pick of the stall, are you all ready? (whistle blows, wheel spins)
she comes in colors everywhere
she combs her hair, she's like a rainbow
coming colors in the air
mm, everywhere, she comes in colors
she comes in colors everywhere
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
she comes in colors everywhere
she combs her hair, she's like a rainbow
coming colors in the air, mm everywhere
she comes in colors
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 comes in colors everywhere
she combs her hair, she's like a rainbow
coming colors in the air, oh everywhere
she comes in colors
she's like a rainbow
coming colors in the air
oh everywhere
she comes in colours
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