1. A British rock band.<… Read Full Bio ↴Rainbow is the name of at least four bands:
1. A British rock band.
2. A K-Pop group (레인보우).
3. A U.S. psychedelic rock band.
4. Mid-80's Hi-NRG project.
1. Rainbow was a British rock band formed by Deep Purple founder and former guitarist Ritchie Blackmore in 1975. In addition to Blackmore, the band originally consisted of former Elf lead singer Ronnie James Dio, bassist Craig Gruber, drummer Gary Driscoll, and keyboardist Micky Lee Soule. Over the years, Rainbow went through many lineup changes. including bringing in other vocalists Graham Bonnet and Joe Lynn Turner, before it folded in 1999.
The name of the band was inspired by the Rainbow Bar and Grill, a Los Angeles, California eatery which catered to rock stars, groupies, and rock enthusiasts. It was here that Ritchie spent some of his off time from Deep Purple and met Dio, whose band Elf had toured regularly as an opening act for Deep Purple. Blackmore originally got together with Dio to record "Black Sheep of the Family" as a single, and it turned out so well they needed a B side; when the B side was recorded, however, it turned out to be even better. This led to them recording an album, and that effort caused the formation of the entire band. Rainbow's debut album, 'Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow', was released in 1975; it featured the minor hit "Man on the Silver Mountain".
Blackmore fired everybody except Dio shortly after the album was recorded. He recruited drummer Cozy Powell (formerly of the Jeff Beck Group), bassist Jimmy Bain, and keyboard player Tony Carey. This lineup went on to record the album 'Rising', which was released in May 1976 and was a big success in the U.S. (hitting #48 on the Billboard 200 chart).
For the next album, 1978's 'Long Live Rock 'n' Roll', Blackmore kept Powell and Dio and replaced the rest of the band. Blackmore had difficulty finding a bass player for this record, so he played bass himself on all but three songs ("Gates of Babylon", "Kill the King", and "Sensitive to Light"). After the release and supporting tour, Dio left Rainbow.
Blackmore continued with Rainbow, replacing Dio with ex-Marbles vocalist Graham Bonnet. Powell stayed and was joined by former Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover and keyboardist Don Airey. The first album from the new lineup, 1979's 'Down to Earth', featured the band's first single successes: "All Night Long" and "Since You Been Gone". Bonnet possessed a powerful voice on stage, yet he struggled with the band's quieter numbers and lacked Dio's range. In 1980, the band headlined the inaugural Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington in England. This was Powell's final performance with Rainbow.
The next album saw yet another line-up change as Bonnet and Powell were replaced by Joe Lynn Turner and Bobby Rondinelli, respectively. The title track from their 1981 album, 'Difficult to Cure', notably was a version of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The album also contained the guitar-driven piece "Maybe Next Time". Although facing mixed success commercially, the Difficult to Cure tour was the first tour in which Rainbow headlined in the U.S.
Rainbow's next studio album was 'Straight between the Eyes'. The band added a new keyboardist, David Rosenthal. The album was more cohesive than 'Difficult to Cure' and had more success in the U.S. The band, however, was alienating some of its earlier fans with its more slick, arena rock based sound. The single "Stone Cold", a popular power ballad, had some chart success and has since been included in several multi-artist collaboration albums. The successful supporting tour skipped the U.K. completely and focused on the U.S. market.
1983's 'Bent Out of Shape' saw drummer Rondinelli fired in favour of Chuck Burgi. The album featured the single "Street of Dreams". The song's video was banned by MTV for its supposedly controversial hypnotic video clip. The resulting tour saw Rainbow return to the U.K. and also to Japan, where the band performed with a full orchestra. Though fans greatly enjoyed the band's lively touring, the band's material was getting mixed critical reviews, and its members had a sense of needing to find direction.
By the early to mid-80s, Blackmore and Glover had reformed the Deep Purple "Mark II" lineup, and Rainbow was disbanded in 1984. A final Rainbow album, 'Finyl Vinyl', was patched together from live tracks and B-sides of singles. This album contained the instrumental "Weiss Heim", made widely available for the first time.
After Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple for the final time in 1993, he put together a new version of Rainbow in 1994, this time named Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. This incarnation of the band included Doogie White (vocals), Paul Morris (keyboards), Greg Smith (bass), and John O'Reilly (drums).
The new band released Stranger in Us All in 1995 and embarked on an extensive world tour to promote it from late 1995 to late 1997. For the tour John O'Reilly was replaced by Chuck Burgi and then by John Micelli for the U.S. leg of the tour (as well as their final show in Esbjerg, Denmark).
The tour proved very successful, and a show in Germany was professionally filmed by Rockpalast. It has never officially been released, but has been heavily bootleged. The live shows featured frequent changes in set lists and musical improvisations that proved popular with bootleggers, and many shows are still traded over a decade later.
However, fed up with stadium rock, Blackmore turned his attention to rennaisance and mediaeval music, a lifelong interest of his. Rainbow was put on hold once again and played its final concert in Denmark in 1999. Blackmore, together with his partner Candice Night as vocalist, then formed the renaissance-influenced Blackmore's Night.
2. Rainbow, the tag for all releases by the K-Pop group 레인보우, responsible for tracks: "A", "Gossip Girl", "Mach", and about a dozen more.
3. One of any number of Los Angeles, U.S.A.groups of their time (1968), Rainbow's best-known LP was After the Storm The album's one cover is a take with saxophone of Willie Dixon's "I Just Want to Make Love to You". The lineup was: Darrell Devlin (drums), Bob Gay (bass),
W. David Mohr (keyboards), and Harry Vavela (guitars).
4. Rainbow was a short-lived Hi-NRG project by Allan Coelho (of Tapps and more) that released only one single, Humpty Dumpty, in 1986.
Can't Happen Here
Rainbow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Huge supertankers on Arabian trips
Oily propaganda from the leaders' lips
All about the future
There's people over here, people over there
Everybody's looking for a little more air
Crossing all the borders just to take their share
Planning for the future
And we're so abused, and we're so confused
It's easy to believe that someone's gonna light the fuse
Can't happen here, can't happen here
All that you fear they're telling you, can't happen here
Supersonic planes for a holiday boom
Rio de Janeiro in an afternoon
People out of work but there's people on the moon
Looking for the future
Concrete racktracks nationwide
Juggernauts carving up the countryside
Cars by the million on a one way ride
Using up the future
And we're so abused, and we're so confused
It's easy to believe that someone's gonna light the fuse
Can't happen here, can't happen here
All that you fear they're telling you, can't happen here
Satellites spying for the CIA
The KGB and the men in grey
Wonder if I'm gonna see another day
Somewhere in the future
We got everything we need for a peaceful time
Take what you want but you can't take mine
Everybody's living on the Siegfried line
Worried 'bout the future
And we're so abused, and we're so confused
It's so easy to believe that someone's gonna light it
Easy to believe someone's gonna light the fuse
Can't happen here, can't happen here
All that you fear they're telling you, can't happen here can it?
The song "Can't Happen Here" by Rainbow is a politically charged anthem that addresses the concerns of society and the future of humanity. The lyrics talk about a range of contemporary issues like environmental degradation, propaganda from leaders, the pursuit of money to the detriment of society, and the constant feeling of being watched and controlled by the powers that be. The theme of the song is plain: all these issues are interconnected and slowly leading us into a dystopian future. As individuals, we feel powerless and confused about the future, but we must not believe that everything is doomed.
The first verse talks about how human activities have impacted the environment, and the leaders are telling lies about the future. Fishes are contaminated, and microchips are increasingly becoming part of our everyday lives. Huge supertankers are being built and sent across the Arabian Sea, spreading more pollution into our oceans. People are running out of air, even in their own countries, and are crossing borders to find a way out. The chorus of the song emphasizes how we are all abused and confused by what is happening, and it is easy to believe that someone might just light the fuse, that could result in catastrophic events. However, there is still faith that it can't happen here.
The second verse focuses on how technology is continuously changing the world, and how this change affects people's lives. Supersonic planes are being manufactured to cater for a holiday boom, and in an instant, people can reach Brazil from anywhere. People are also losing their jobs, and there are those who are looking for the future on the moon. Concrete racktracks are constructed, and juggernauts are used to build roads all over the country, destroying the countryside. Cars are manufactured in great numbers, leading to more air pollution. The third verse highlights how we are constantly watched by satellites, and we don't know if we will live to see another day. The final lines of the song reiterate the chorus stating that everything we need for a peaceful time is available, but we still worry about the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Contaminated fish and micro chips
The world is being polluted and corrupted by advanced technology and waste.
Huge supertankers on Arabian trips
Giant oil container ships are moving oil around the globe, contributing to environmental damage.
Oily propaganda from the leaders' lips
Leaders are spreading lies and fake news to manipulate the public perception of their actions and intentions.
All about the future
All of these events and actions have deep implications on the future of this world.
There's people over here, people over there
People are everywhere and they are affected by these issues in different ways.
Everybody's looking for a little more air
Everyone wants more freedom and opportunity itself.
Crossing all the borders just to take their share
People are willing to do whatever it takes to gain the things they want or need.
Planning for the future
People are actively making decisions that will shape the future.
And we're so abused, and we're so confused
The public feels overwhelmed and disoriented by the current state of affairs.
It's easy to believe that someone's gonna light the fuse
It is plausible that one person's actions or decisions could trigger catastrophic consequences.
Can't happen here, can't happen here
People are in denial or disbelief that their society could experience such calamities.
All that you fear they're telling you, can't happen here
Leaders are telling people not to worry about the things they fear are capable of happening.
Supersonic planes for a holiday boom
Air travel is accelerating at an unsustainable rate.
Rio de Janeiro in an afternoon
Air travel is making remote destinations more accessible in less time, further exacerbating the above issue.
People out of work but there's people on the moon
People are suffering economic hardship, while resources are being directed towards expensive space exploration.
Looking for the future
As a species, humanity is always looking ahead - sometimes with reckless abandon.
Concrete racktracks nationwide
Infrastructure is being built everywhere with little regard for the long-term environmental impact.
Juggernauts carving up the countryside
Large vehicles are destroying the natural environment in many different ways.
Cars by the million on a one way ride
Automobile traffic is a major contributor to pollution and congestion.
Using up the future
These actions are using up valuable resources that future generations may need.
Satellites spying for the CIA
Advanced technology is being used to spy on individuals and groups in secret.
The KGB and the men in grey
Other governments and covert organizations are also engaging in secret surveillance and espionage.
Wonder if I'm gonna see another day
People are uncertain about the future of their own lives.
Somewhere in the future
The events and decisions made today will ultimately determine the course of the future.
We got everything we need for a peaceful time
The resources to build a better future are available now, but leaders are not using them effectively.
Take what you want but you can't take mine
People are unwilling to surrender their personal freedom and property to people who would use them to further the above issues.
Everybody's living on the Siegfried line
People are living in a state of tension, like soldiers stationed on a battlefield.
Worried 'bout the future
People are concerned and anxious about what lies ahead.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RITCHIE BLACKMORE, ROGER DAVID GLOVER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jeffreykoger3978
Almost 40 years later, this song is strangely prophetic...
@leemday5731
Who needs Nostradamus when you've got Rainbow????
@timothygrayson
Saw Rainbow at the Queens Hall in Leeds in the 80s. Love the lyrics to this track.
@TaylorTCarlson
Joe Lynn Turner is a killer vocalist, and this is one of many great songs showcasing it. The first and easily my favorite record of Rainbow's Turner era.
@mr-mz4ed
next to dio hes my fave rainbow singer
@thetruthhurts6652
Agree. Although Rainbow Slaves and Masters was pretty good.
@fredojun01
JLT. New Jersey in the house!
@rhianjones1319
Can’t Happen Here is one of my favourite song by Rainbow
@candidcameracat
That album cover is perfect for today's enviroment.
@stevenmaginnis1965
So is the song.