She's A Rainbow

Zoo Freaks, get ready to vibe with some colorful trivia about She's A Rainbow by The Rolling Stones, spinning from their psychedelic gem Their Satanic Majesties Request. This track, a radiant departure from their usual blues-rock grit, was one of the first songs tackled for the album in 1967, capturing the band before the chaos of drug busts and internal turmoil fully took hold. Session pianist Nicky Hopkins, a secret weapon for delicate keyboard work, laid down the song’s baroque piano lines, which Keith Richards described as giving the track a “music box” quality. The strings, arranged by future Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, add a lush texture, while Brian Jones’ Mellotron weaves in that trippy, flower-power vibe. Mick Jagger’s lyrics paint a mythical, almost Arthurian female figure, radiating colors like a sunset, a nod to the era’s celebratory optimism. The song’s playful quirks—like the out-of-tune strings and childlike “la la” backing vocals from the band (minus Charlie Watts)—give it a whimsical charm, though the vocals are mixed so softly the lyrics can be hard to catch.

Despite its cult status, She's A Rainbow only hit No. 25 on the U.S. charts when released as a single in November 1967, but its afterlife has been vibrant. In 2018, it exploded in sync placements, powering Acura and Dior ad campaigns and a key scene in American Horror Story’s “Coven” revival, with its iconic piano intro driving its recognizability. Alisa Coleman of ABKCO Records noted the song’s resurgence tied to the 50th anniversary push for Their Satanic Majesties Request, including a lyric video celebrating womanhood through art and history. Fans have kept it alive too, successfully lobbying the Stones to bring it back to their live setlists for a 2016 Latin America tour, where it was played for the first time since 1998. British artist Billy Childish praised its poetic essence, likening it to a Tudor garden idyll, cementing its status as a psychedelic classic that keeps popping up in pop culture, from Ted Lasso to Ghostwriter.

The Rolling Stones, the band behind this kaleidoscopic track, started in London in 1962, born from a shared love of American blues and R&B. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, childhood friends who reconnected over music, teamed up with Brian Jones, a multi-instrumentalist with a knack for slide guitar, and later added Bill Wyman on bass and Charlie Watts on drums. Their early gigs at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, under the wing of promoter Giorgio Gomelsky, built a cult following. Manager Andrew Loog Oldham saw their raw energy as a grittier counterpoint to The Beatles, pushing them to write original songs and cultivate a bad-boy image. Their first single, a cover of Chuck Berry’s Come On, hit the UK charts in 1963, and by 1964, they were riding the British Invasion wave to global fame with hits like It’s All Over Now. Jones’ versatility on instruments like the sitar and dulcimer shaped their early sound, but Jagger and Richards’ songwriting partnership became the band’s engine, churning out anthems that defined rock’s rebellious spirit.

Today, you can keep up with The Rolling Stones on their official website, where you’ll find tour dates, exclusive merch, and archival goodies. They’re active on Facebook, sharing updates and throwback photos, and on < Bonnie>Instagram, where they post tour snippets and behind-the-scenes shots. On X, they engage with fans, dropping news and cheeky commentary. For Zoo Freaks wanting to dive deeper, check out fan communities like the It’s Only Rock’n Roll (IORR) website, a hub for setlists, bootlegs, and fan chatter. The Rolling Stones Fan Club on Facebook is another lively spot for devotees to swap stories and memorabilia. So, crank up She's A Rainbow, let those colors fly, and join the Stones’ enduring rock’n’roll circus!