Kacey Musgraves's 'Rainbow' has become a comforting anthem in this nightmarish time
About seven years ago, right around the time country singer Kacey Musgraves released her first album, she wrote a tune called "Rainbow" with her friends, hit songwriters Shane McAnally and Natalie Hemby. Inspired by a horoscope she had seen, it was a quiet, piano-driven vocal with a simple but powerful message for someone trapped in a figurative storm: "Hold tight to your umbrella, well darlin' I'm just trying to tell ya, that there's always been a rainbow hanging over your head."
The ballad languished as a demo for years. She thought about including it on her second record; it ended up not quite fitting the tone. But the song was always a favorite of her grandmother's, so when her grandmother passed away, Musgraves knew she wanted to record it. Ultimately, it wound up as the final track on her third album, the acclaimed "Golden Hour," which was released in 2018 and launched Musgraves to a new level of stardom.
In the years since, "Rainbow" has lived many lives. It wound up as an album favorite. It became an anthem for the LGBTQ community. It surged again when Musgraves performed it during the 2019 Grammy Awards, where she won four trophies, including album of the year. And now, in a terrifying time during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has evolved into the comforting song that many people are turning to.
"It was this little song sitting on the shelf all these years. We did not know it would have a life like this," McAnally said in an interview. "Talk about divine intervention or a higher power having a hand in it. ... I certainly wouldn't change the journey of that song."
McAnally said he has been "flooded" with messages on social media in recent weeks about how much the ballad means to people. Musgraves performed it Saturday for the Global Citizen "One World: Together at Home" benefit concert, alongside a montage of pictures of rainbows with inspirational words.
"I just wanted to say a sincere thank you out there to all the people out there that are risking their lives to get everyone through this crazy time. Thank you. It means so much to me," Musgraves said before her performance. As she sang the last line, she looked directly into the camera: "It'll all be all right," she crooned, which seemed to strike a chord with viewers.
"Rainbow" sold about 3,000 downloads that day, the most of any song on the celebrity-filled broadcast, Billboard reported. It stayed near the top of the iTunes chart for days. Even corporate America took notice; it's now in a Target ad about the pandemic.
McAnally was fascinated by the response, particularly because the ballad has been out for so long.
"Everyone was obviously watching that show because they wanted to feel united, not (thinking), 'Oh I have to run to iTunes and buy the song I saw,'" he said. "It seems like the audience who loved it would have already loved it, but it had this whole new wave."
McAnally remembers writing "Rainbow" with Musgraves and Hemby (who were both unavailable for comment) at his old office on Music Row in Nashville. He joked that the one thing he remembers is they actually finished a song that day, given that they usually spend writing sessions talking and catching up. The writing process is a bit blurry to him now, he said, and he suspects it's because the ballad has taken on such a life of its own for others, that sometimes he almost forgets he wrote it.
He also has another deep connection to the song. A close family friend who helped raise his children died of cancer last year, and before she passed away, she told his young kids to make sure to look for her in rainbows. "Rainbow" became both a mantra and a family theme song, he said, and he has been amazed to see how others also feel it so personally.
"The song is sort of a chameleon," he said, as it takes on the meaning of whatever people need it to be at the time. "I'm so proud I was there that day when it came to life."
In an interview with Taste of Country in 2018, Musgraves said she wanted the lyrics to especially connect to LGBTQ listeners, but hoped it would have universal appeal at the same time.
"'Rainbow' is something that I can dedicate to that community, but also to anyone who has any kind of a weight on their shoulders," she said. "It was written as a message to my own self, but anyone who is feeling like they need that is welcome to run with it."