Zharth's Music Log (Revisited)
Week 145: Catch The Rainbow
(Originally finalized on June 18, 2025)
Preface: Although I'm a bigger fan of '70s rock than '80s metal, I have to concede that Ronnie James Dio was a powerhouse vocalist. Ever since I did an episode of Band Connections dedicated to proto-metal, I've been digging into his discography more. In addition to the typical metal tropes you'd expect (fantasy, demons, storms, and darkness), Dio's songs mention rainbows with uncanny frequency. This, of course, could have been influenced by his early participation with Ritchie Blackmore in a band called Rainbow - although this was not Dio's first encounter with rainbows, as we'll see. In any case, I've shared a lot of those songs already, and there are too many to include in one week. But there are a few other rainbow songs of note by other bands, so I thought we could fold them in and do a whole theme dedicated to the subject. And what better time to focus on rainbows than during the month of June?
Monday: Rainbow - Catch The Rainbow [Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, 1975]
Comments: I've named this theme after the first of two songs that Dio recorded with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow that includes the word rainbow in its title. (Stargazer from their second album also references rainbows, in the context of the album's title - Rising). It's a moody, melodic piece with a slower pace. "We believed we'd catch the rainbow."
Tuesday: The Rolling Stones - She's A Rainbow [Their Satanic Majesties Request, 1967]
Comments: The Rolling Stones is another band that has two songs (as far as I know) that include the word rainbow in their titles. The first is from their psychedelic album from 1967. Preceding Beggars Banquet which would be released the following year, it marks the end of the band's awkward adolescence, before they settled in to their classic sound. The other rainbow song hails from a much later period - 1994's Voodoo Lounge. "She's like a rainbow, coming colors in the air."
Wednesday: Elf - Rainbow [Carolina County Ball, 1974]
Comments: And here's where it all began - proving that Ronnie James Dio was singing songs about rainbows before the debut of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. Although it's only one song spread across three albums, Dio would certainly increase that frequency in subsequent bands. "She ain't just another rainbow - silver lining in the sky."
Thursday: Mountain - Sittin' On A Rainbow [Climbing!, 1970]
Comments: You might recall that Rainbow's debut album featured a song about a mountain. Well, Mountain's debut album featured a song about a rainbow! Isn't that funny? It wasn't a big hit like their other song about a queen, but it still sounds pretty good to these ears. "Sittin' on a rainbow, lookin' at the world."
Friday: Dio - Hide In The Rainbow [Iron Eagle (Soundtrack), 1986]
Comments: When it comes to Dio's own band, formed after leaving Black Sabbath and lasting until Dio succumbed to cancer in the 21st century, there are no shortage of songs that include references to rainbows*. The foremost of these is the hit Rainbow In The Dark, but since I already shared that one, we'll have to go a little deeper - to this song from the soundtrack to a movie that could be described as a bargain bin Top Gun. "Go hide in the rainbow. Run to the sun."
Saturday: Uriah Heep - Rainbow Demon [Demons And Wizards, 1972]
Comments: With an oppressive weight that could give even Dio a run for his money, this is one of my favorite Uriah Heep songs, and one of the best rainbow songs out there, in my opinion. Appropriately representing Heep's classic album Demons And Wizards, it sits alongside The Wizard and The Spell (both of which were mentioned in my theme dedicated to Witchcraft and Wizardry), as well as the band's biggest hit, Easy Livin'. "Rainbow demon lives for his sword and his gun."
Sunday: Rainbow - Rainbow Eyes [Long Live Rock 'n' Roll, 1978]
Comments: We started with a rainbow song recorded by the band Rainbow, so why not finish with one, too? Better yet, it's the closer from their third album - the last Dio would record before joining Black Sabbath as Ozzy's replacement. (The two albums Dio would record with that band each feature a song that mentions rainbows). Complete with string quartet and flute accompaniment, this song is like a medieval lullaby. "She had rainbow eyes... rainbow eyes... rainbow eyes."
Honorable Mention: Cream - SWLABR [Disraeli Gears, 1967]
Comments: Disqualified due to its inclusion on an earlier theme, the bizarre and nearly unpronounceable title of this song from psychedelic '67 is reported to stand for the phrase "she walks/was like a bearded rainbow". Therefore, it would sit right at home with the rest of the songs this week. "You've got that rainbow feel, but the rainbow has a beard."
Afterthought: After I'd already pieced together the songlist for this theme, I discovered another rainbow song from the '70s. It's the title track from The Scorpions' second album, Fly To The Rainbow (although other than the title, the song doesn't actually mention any rainbows), recorded in 1974 after significant lineup changes. With a nearly 10 minute runtime, it's a bit of a slow burn - the song has a weak start in my opinion, but it rewards patience.
*Before I conclude this theme, I want to provide an appendix of all the songs I've found from Dio's discography that make a reference to rainbows, for the sake of being thorough. Feel free to make your own playlist.
Elf - Rainbow [Carolina County Ball, 1974] "She ain't just another rainbow."
Rainbow - Catch The Rainbow [Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, 1975] "We believed we'd catch the rainbow."
Rainbow - Stargazer [Rising, 1976] "I see a rainbow rising."
Rainbow - Rainbow Eyes [Long Live Rock 'n' Roll, 1978] "She had rainbow eyes."
Black Sabbath - Wishing Well [Heaven And Hell, 1980] "Think of a rainbow and I'll make it come real."
Black Sabbath - The Sign of the Southern Cross [Mob Rules, 1981] "There's a rainbow; see it shimmer..."
Dio - Rainbow In The Dark [Holy Diver, 1983] "You've been left on your own, like a rainbow in the dark."
Dio - Evil Eyes [The Last In Line, 1984] "Do you ever think about the way I caught the rainbow?"
Dio - Breathless [The Last In Line, 1984] "There could be hell or rainbows."
Dio - Egypt (The Chains Are On) [The Last In Line, 1984] "They had rainbows in their eyes."
Dio - Sacred Heart [Sacred Heart, 1985] "Run along the rainbow before it turns to black."
Dio - Hide In The Rainbow [Iron Eagle (Soundtrack), 1986] "Go hide in the rainbow."
Dio - Dream Evil [Dream Evil, 1987] "Don't go to the edge of rainbows."
Dio - I Could Have Been A Dreamer [Dream Evil, 1987] "I've heard about a rainbow."
Dio - Born On The Sun [Lock Up The Wolves, 1990] "There's a crack in the rainbow."
Dio - My Eyes [Lock Up The Wolves, 1990] "The color/keeper of rainbows..."
Dio - Otherworld [Magica, 2000] "Rainbows and blue skies..."