101 Strings was an umbrella term for a highly successful easy listening sym… Read Full Bio ↴101 Strings was an umbrella term for a highly successful easy listening symphonic music organization, with a discography exceeding a hundred albums and a creative lifetime of roughly thirty years. Their LPs were individualized by the slogan "The Sound of Magnificence", a puffy cloud logo and sepia-toned photo of the orchestra. According to the photograph, the 101 Strings orchestra was composed of 124 string instruments (all male except for the harpist) and was conducted by Wilhelm Stephan. The orchestra's famous official photograph was taken in the Musikhalle Hamburg. In reality, of course, the recordings also featured a full brass, woodwind and percussion section, and not quite as many strings as are shown in the photograph. In later years (right up to the 80's), the recordings were made by a session orchestra in London, with a line-up including a modern "pop" rhythm section. In the late 1990's, the 101 Strings Orchestra was revived with "The New 101 Strings Orchestra" for a series of modern recordings.

I'm Always Chasing Rainbows
101 Strings Orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm always chasing rainbows
Watching clouds drifting by
My schemes are just like all my dreams
Ending in the sky
Some fellows look and find the sunshine
I always look and find the rain
Some fellows make a winning sometimes
I never even make a gain

Believe me, I'm always chasing rainbows
Waiting to find a little bluebird in vain

I'm always chasing rainbows
Watching clouds drifting by
My schemes are just like all my dreams
Ending in the sky
Some fellows look and find the sunshine
I always look and find the rain
Some fellows make a winning sometimes

I never even make a gain
Believe me, I'm always chasing rainbows

Overall Meaning

At its core, "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" is a song about longing and unrequited dreams. The singer describes himself as someone who constantly chases after something that might not be attainable, hence the metaphor of rainbows. He compares his schemes and dreams to clouds that never really land anywhere, but simply fade away into the sky. He contrasts himself with other men who are able to find happiness and success more easily, while he seems doomed to continually come up short. The repeated line, "Believe me, I'm always chasing rainbows," underscores the singer's sense of desperation and frustration, as if he's pleading with the listener to understand his plight.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm always chasing rainbows
I'm constantly chasing something that's just out of my reach, like an unattainable dream.

Watching clouds drifting by
I spend a lot of my time lost in my own thoughts, watching the world pass me by.

My schemes are just like all my dreams, ending in the sky
My plans and aspirations are grandiose and unrealistic, and always end up falling apart or disappearing like a mirage.

Some fellows look and find the sunshine
Some people are more positive and optimistic than I am, and are able to see the good things in life.

I always look and find the rain
I tend to focus on the negative aspects of life, always expecting the worst to happen.

Some fellows make a winning sometimes
Some people are successful and achieve their goals occasionally.

I never even make a gain
I never seem to make progress or achieve anything significant.

Believe me, I'm always chasing rainbows, waiting to find a little bluebird in vain
Despite my repeated failures and disappointments, I continue to pursue my impossible dreams in vain, hoping to find some sort of happiness or fulfillment.

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY CARROLL, JOSEPH JOE MC CARTHY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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