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.
Freedom Fighter
Rainbow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chained in mediocrity so I can be like you
I'm not a statue not part of a machine
I'm sick and tired of the whole routine
Calculate your future, computerize your past
Instant replay if it's gone too fast
Take away my freedom, take away my home
I'm only human but it might no show
I'm a freedom fighter I got something to say
I'm a freedom fighter get out of my way
Hide behind your politics, hide behind your rules
Tell me I'm a man but you treat me like a fool
It's the same old story with a different name
You give us all a number and nothing changes
Out in the winter of a world upon it's knees
Everyone is watching but no-one sees
You can't take my freedom you know it is my right
If you try and stop me I'm gonna fight
With all of my might
I'm a freedom fighter and I'm taking command
I'm a freedom fighter and I'm making a stand
Fighting for breath as the world gathers speed
Time's running out for the things that I need
I'm a freedom fighter I gotta make a stand
I'm a freedom fighter, yeah That's what I am
I'm a freedom fighter I can't take it no more
I'm a freedom fighter no no more
I'm a freedom fighter but I'm not afraid
I'm a freedom fighter get out of my way
The song "Freedom Fighter" by Rainbow is clearly about the struggle for individual freedom and self-expression. The lyrics describe a person who is tired of being controlled by society and wants to break free from the constraints that are holding them back. The song starts with the singer making a bold statement that they cannot be controlled by anyone and that they refuse to conform to society's norms. They refuse to be a statue or a part of a machine and reject the whole routine that is imposed on them.
The singer is clearly frustrated with the way their life is being calculated, as if they were nothing more than a series of numbers or a statistic. The lyrics focus on the human element and the desire for personal freedom and autonomy. The verses are filled with vivid imagery, painting a stark portrait of a world where people are chained in mediocrity and have lost their individuality. The chorus, with its powerful repetition of "I'm a freedom fighter," serves as a rallying cry for all those who want to stand up for their rights and break free from the shackles of oppression.
Overall, "Freedom Fighter" is a powerful anthem of hope and liberation, inspiring people to fight for their individuality and creative expression. It's a song that speaks to the human spirit and our deep desire for freedom and autonomy.
Line by Line Meaning
You can't control me tell me what to do
I won't be dictated to, and I refuse to follow blindly
Chained in mediocrity so I can be like you
The system tries to mold us all into the same thing, but I won't be trapped by sameness
I'm not a statue not part of a machine
I'm a living, thinking human being, not just a cog in a system
I'm sick and tired of the whole routine
I'm tired of the monotony and predictability of life without freedom
Calculate your future, computerize your past
Systems try to predict our future and dictate our past, but I reject that
Instant replay if it's gone too fast
We're expected to constantly review our lives, and I won't let life speed by without experiencing it
Take away my freedom, take away my home
Freedom is what makes life worth living, and I won't let anyone take that away
I'm only human but it might not show
I'm taking control of my life, even if it's difficult for others to understand
I'm a freedom fighter I got something to say
I won't be silenced, and I have a message to share
Hide behind your politics, hide behind your rules
Systems of power often try to protect themselves through politics and arbitrary rules
Tell me I'm a man but you treat me like a fool
The system purports to value certain characteristics, like being a man, yet doesn't treat those individuals with respect
It's the same old story with a different name
The oppressive nature of authority remains unchanged despite variations in manifestation
You give us all a number and nothing changes
The bureaucracy of society results in passive individuality with no tangible benefits from societal growth or reform
Out in the winter of a world upon it's knees
In the bleakness of a world in despair, individuals who take control of their lives are fewer in number
Everyone is watching but no-one sees
Many people are complacent and fail to take action, despite recognizing the issues
You can't take my freedom you know it is my right
Freedom is a basic right that cannot be taken away by anyone or anything
If you try and stop me I'm gonna fight
I won't give in or surrender, even if I have to fight for my freedom
Fighting for breath as the world gathers speed
In a rapidly changing world, it's difficult to keep up and breathe when fighting for freedom
Time's running out for the things that I need
The urgency of fighting for freedom is compounded by the rapidly changing state of the world
I'm a freedom fighter and I'm taking command
I'm seizing control of my life and taking command of my freedom
I'm a freedom fighter and I'm making a stand
I'm declaring my intentions and taking action to fight for freedom
I'm a freedom fighter, yeah That's what I am
I am a warrior for freedom, and I won't stop until I achieve it
I'm a freedom fighter I can't take it no more
I've reached the point where I can no longer tolerate the lack of freedom and must take action
I'm a freedom fighter no no more
I'm rejecting the label of passive acceptance and embracing my role as a challenger to authority
I'm a freedom fighter but I'm not afraid
I'm ready to fight for freedom, and I won't let fear hold me back
I'm a freedom fighter get out of my way
I won't be stopped, and I won't be held back. Clear the path for my fight for freedom
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ritchie Blackmore, Roger David Glover
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind