Rainbow is without a doubt one of Heavy Metal’s superbands, Founded by Deep Purple’s Richie Blackmore. In this line up the band had Ronnie James Dio as the leader singer. “Catch the Rainbow” is by far their best song.
Yet another highlight from Rainbow’s debut album, the song is about a small, but weird, love story.
As explained by Ronnie James Dio in a 1975 radio special:
“Catch the rainbow is lyrically medieval in that it’s concerning a stable boy who makes it with a lady of the court. She sneaks off to sleep on his bed of straw every night and they think it’s all going to work but as we rudely find out, it never does and they kind of go their own way, but it’s a track that I think Ritchie and I are very proud of.”
[Verse] When evening falls She’ll run to me Like whispered dreams Your eyes can’t see Soft and warm She’ll touch my face A bed of straw Against the lace
[Chorus] We believed we’d catch the rainbow Ride the wind to the sun Sail away on ships of wonder But life’s not a wheel With chains made of steel So bless me Come the dawn Come the dawn Come the dawn Come the dawn
[Chorus] We believed we’d catch the rainbow Ride the wind to the sun And sail away on ships of wonder But life’s not a wheel With chains made of steel So bless me, oh bless me, bless me Come the dawn Come the dawn Come the dawn Come the dawn
Who doesn’t know the Rock classic “I love Rock N Roll” by Joan Jett. Released in 1982. it sparked my lifelong love affair with Rock music. However, it may not be a widely known fact but the song had already been released in 1976, by the British Rock band Arrows.
I saw him dancin’ there by the record machine I knew he must a been about seventeen The beat was goin’ strong Playin’ my favorite song And I could tell it wouldn’t be long ‘Til he was with me, yeah, me And I could tell it wouldn’t be long ‘Til he was with me, yeah, me, singin’ I love rock n’ roll So put another dime in the jukebox, baby I love rock n’ roll So come and take your time and dance with me Ow He smiled, so I got up and asked for his name “That don’t matter”, he said, “’cause it’s all the same” I said, “Can I take you home where we can be alone?” And next we were movin’ on He was with me, yeah, me Next we were movin’ on He was with me, yeah, me singin’ I love rock n’ roll So put another dime in the jukebox, baby I love rock n’ roll So come and take your time and dance with me Ow Said, “Can I take you home where we can be alone?” Next we were movin’ on He was with me, yeah, me And we’ll be movin’ on And singin’ that same old song Yeah, with me, singin’ I love rock n’ roll So put another dime in the jukebox, baby I love rock n’ roll So come and take your time and dance with me I love rock n’ roll So put another dime in the jukebox, baby I love rock n’ roll So come and take your time and dance with I love rock n’ roll So put another dime in the jukebox, baby I love rock n’ roll So come and take your time and dance with I love rock n’ roll So put another dime in the jukebox, baby I love rock n’ roll So come and take your time and dance with I love rock n’ roll So put another dime in the jukebox, baby I love rock n’ roll So come and take your time and dance with me Source: LyricFind Songwriters: Alan Merrill / Jake Hooker
This is probably my favourite Rock song of the 21st century. It is often associated with 9/11 and it became symbolic after Hurricane Katrina, where it was dedicated to victims of the disaster.
It was released on June 13, 2005, as the fourth single from Green Day’s seventh studio album, “American Idiot”. The song was written by front man Billie Joe Armstrong about his father Andrew, who passed away in 1982 when Billie Joe was 10 years old.
I think the song resonates with many people, who have lost a father or a loved one. The song’s music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, depicts a couple broken apart by the Iraq War, which was intended to convey the song’s central theme of loss. I understand what they tried to do with that, but I think the story line of the video distracts from the lyrics and actual meaning of the song.
In 2019, Billie Joe spoke to Howard Stern about the song’s title and phrase, explaining, “I think it’s something that just stayed with me; the month of September being that anniversary that always is just, I don’t know, kind of a bummer. But it’s weird: when things happen like that when you’re that young, it’s almost like life starts at year zero, or something like that.”
When asked if he still thought about his late dad when performing Wake Me Up When September Ends, Billie Joe replied, “Yeah. I think about him every day, really. I kinda avoided writing about him for many years, and then finally having a breakthrough like that felt good. It wasn’t like a negative emotion so much, but it was just kind of like honouring him.”
So this Rocktober blog is not only dedicated to the music I love so much but also to my dad, who died 10 years and 2 weeks after this song was released. 16 years has gone so fast
You’re a teenager, you are still experimenting with different types of music. One day you turn the TV, tune in to the Dutch music show TopPop, and you see this lady with a guitar, There are a few drumbeats at the start and then a kick ass guitar riff. You are hooked, you found the music you like. That’s basically how I started my lifelong addiction to Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, and it was all because of a lady called Joan Jett.
“I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” is a rock song written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker and first recorded by the Arrows, a British rock band, in 1975.
It was originally recorded and released by Arrows in 1975 on Rak Records, with Merrill on lead vocals and guitar and Mickie Most producing. Merrill wrote both the music and lyrics but gave a co-writer credit to Hooker as part of settling a debt. In an interview with Songfacts, Merrill said he wrote the song as “a knee-jerk response to the Rolling Stones’ ‘It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It)’.” This version was first released as a B-side, but was soon re-recorded and flipped to A-side status on a subsequent pressing of the record. Arrows performed the song in 1975 on the Muriel Young-produced show 45, after which Young offered Arrows a weekly UK television series, Arrows, which was broadcast on ITV starting in March 1976.
Joan Jett saw the Arrows perform “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” on their weekly UK television series Arrows while she was touring England with the Runaways in 1976.She first recorded the song in 1979 with two of the Sex Pistols, Steve Jones and Paul Cook. This first version was released on vinyl in 1979 on Vertigo records as a B-side to “You Don’t Own Me”. In 1981, Jett re-recorded the song, this time with her band, the Blackhearts. This recording became a U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one single for seven weeks, being the only one for the band.
The rest as they say is history. To those of you who had to endure the many hours of rock music I played throughout the years, you can blame Joan Jett for that.
Finishing up with the aforementioned performance om TopPop.
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This is a very personal blog for me.Not because I was personally involved in it, because I wasn’t, but because it really touched me emotionally. Although I am don’t suffer from depression myself that is really what the song is about,depression and the effects it has especially on teenagers and young adolescents.
I first heard the song on the radio and fell in love with it, but that made the song not unique because I have fallen in love with thousands of songs.It was only after I saw the video of it , it had a profound impact on me, it really gave me the goosebumps.
The music video for “Runaway Train” featured photographs and names of missing children in the style of a public service announcement. At the end of the video, lead singer Dave Pirner appeared and said, “If you’ve seen one of these kids, or you are one of them, please call this number” before a missing children telephone helpline number appeared.
Below is the video but alas without the message at the end, for some reason it is impossible to find a version with the message, but even without that you will appreciate what the video is telling you.
A few days after I had seen the video I saw news footage saying that one of the children in the video had been found because of it. Those goosebumps were back and a few teardrops to complement them.
Finally a music video with real value. I have listened to the song many of time afterwards. not realizing the story didn’t end there.
Earlier this week I looked up the story behind the missing children again, because cynical me doesn’t always take heed to all news reports. Since this was going back for more than 2 decades I just wanted to re-assure the more mature me that the finding of this 1 missing child just wasn’t an urban myth.
Turned out it wasn’t just 1 child, in total 26 children were re-united with their families after being featured in the video.(and whiles I am writing this the goosebumps are back)
Unfortunately not all of them were found alive.
Polly Klaas
Polly Klaas was a 12-year-old girl who went missing in October 1993, a few months after the song had peaked on the charts. The case made national news, drawing more attention to the issue of missing and exploited children.
It was later learned the Klaas was abducted and murdered. by Richard Allen Davis. On October 1, 1993, Polly Klaas and two friends were having a slumber party. Late in the evening, Richard Allen Davis entered their bedroom, carrying a knife. He tied both friends up, pulled pillowcases over their heads and told them to count to 1,000. He then kidnapped the scared Klaas. Davis was caught and arrested and admitted to strangling Polly.After a long, tumultuous trial, Davis was convicted on June 18, 1996 of first-degree murder and four special circumstances (robbery, burglary, kidnapping and a lewd act on a child) in Klaas’ death.A San Jose Superior Court jury returned a verdict of death. At his formal sentencing by a judge, Davis provoked national outrage by taunting his victim’s family, extending both middle fingers at a courtroom camera and later saying that Klaas’ last words just before he killed her were that her father molested her.
Curtis Huntzinger
Below is some of the timeline of his case.
Early May, 1990 — 14-year-old Curtis Huntzinger reportedly tells his parents he has been molested by family acquaintance Stephen Hash, then 35, for whom Curtis was working.
May 11, 1990 — Curtis reportedly recants the allegations when asked about them by then-Blue Lake Police Chief Donald Trumble.
May 18, 1990 — Curtis, an Arcata High School freshman, is last seen at his sister’s Blue Lake home and is reported missing the next day. It is initially believed by authorities that Curtis, who had some trouble in school and a recent brush with the law, ran away from home. Trumble said at the time he was confident Curtis was not a victim of foul play.
April 1999 — Thomas Michael Fox, who was serving life in prison for the killing of 11-year old Danny Williams of Eureka, reportedly confesses to having killed Huntzinger. As a part of the confession, Fox reportedly admitted to shooting Huntzinger and fingered the accomplices who he said helped him bury the boy.
April 24, 1999 — During a confrontation with Huntzinger’s mom, Nancy, family acquaintance Stephen Daniel Hash reportedly admits to killing Curtis Huntzinger, even taking Nancy Huntzinger to her son’s burial site. Hash, however, refuses to talk to law enforcement about the case.
Over the ensuing weeks, police investigators search Hash’s property, even removing the floor boards of his house and sending its carpets to the Department of Justice Crime Lab for testing. The area where Hash claimed to have buried Huntzinger is scoured by dozens of members of the California Conservation Corps, police and the Huntzinger family. Several bones, including a vertebrae, are found, and believed to be those of Curtis Huntzinger. “This could be over in a few weeks,” then Blue Lake Police Chief Floyd Stokes said. The bones are later determined to be animal remains, and the case goes dormant.
Dec. 3, 2008 — Hash is arrested on suspicion of voluntary manslaughter by District Attorney’s Office investigators after reportedly giving a “complete confession” and showing them where Huntzinger was buried.
Dec. 9, 2008 — Investigators find a body believed to be Huntzinger’s located off old State Route 299 between Blue Lake and Korbel in the location Hash had led them to. The body is sent to the Humboldt County Coroner for an autopsy. where it is confirmed that the remains are those of Curtis.
Thomas Dean Gibson
The last image in all three U.S. versions of the song is Thomas Dean Gibson, who disappeared from Glendale, Oregon, in 1991 at the age of 2. He is still missing as of 2014, and age-progressed photos of him at age 19 and age 21 were released in 2009 and 2012, respectively, by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.His father, Larry Gibson, a former deputy sheriff, was convicted of second degree manslaughter for accidentally shooting his son to death when he shot at a stray cat in his front yard even though no remains were ever found. He steadfastly denies killing his son and has worked on finding him since being released from prison in 1996.
The version shown in Australia showed a number of young backpacking tourists whose families were looking for them. Several of them turned out to be victims of Ivan Milat, the Backpacker Murderer.
Dinah McNicol & Vicky Hamilton
The UK version of the video featured Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicol, who each went missing in 1991. Their remains were found in 2007 at a house in Margate. Peter Tobin has since been convicted of both murders.
Also featured in the UK version was Mark Bartley, a runaway who went missing in 1992. He was recognised in the video by a man who knew Bartley was staying in the tenant’s house below them, but was unaware of his missing status. By the time the police arrived, Bartley and the man he was living with were gone. It is unknown what happened to him after this.
Although Soul Asylum had been formed in 1983 the album Grave Dancers Union which includes Runaway Train, was there only successful album.
Released in 1992. The album spent 76 weeks on the Billboard music charts and was certified triple-platinum in 1993, establishing Soul Asylum as one of the most successful rock groups of the first half of the 1990s.
At the 1994 ceremony, this won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song, which went to its writer, Dave Pirner. Dave didn’t attend the ceremony, as he didn’t like the idea of proclaiming one song superior to another. When he won, Meat Loaf accepted the award on his behalf.
The band is still touring. They may not be considered as the best band ever, and musically this might be the case. But I believe they deserve a lot more credit for what they achieved with that 1 song which has changed the lives of so many.
Donation
I am passionate about my site and I know you all like reading my blogs. I have been doing this at no cost and will continue to do so. All I ask is for a voluntary donation of $2, however if you are not in a position to do so I can fully understand, maybe next time then. Thank you.
To donate click on the credit/debit card icon of the card you will use. If you want to donate more then $2 just add a higher number in the box left from the PayPal link. Many thanks.
History of Sorts 
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