Hear Polyphonic Spree Cover the Rolling Stones’ ‘She’s a Rainbow’
The Polyphonic Spree have unveiled a new music video for their cover of the Rolling Stones’ 1967 song “She’s a Rainbow.”
The rendition, recently released on the Polyphonic Spree’s latest album, Afflatus, finds the band building upon the original tune with choral vocals, broader instrumentation and a psychedelic sound. Twenty different musicians contributed to the track, playing everything from guitar and drums to cello and French horn.
The accompanying music video echoes the cover’s trippy vibe, as a colorful kaleidoscope of colors follows the Polyphonic Spree while they rehearse. You can watch the band’s music video for “She’s a Rainbow” below.
By covering the Stones, frontman Tim DeLaughter was able to continue a journey he originally began as a teenager. “I was a freshman in high school. Me and another kid, Kevin Swanson, had a band, and all we played were Stones songs,” he tells UCR. “We were set to play the talent show, and ‘Jumpin' Jack Flash’ was the song. On the day of the show, report cards came out, and Kevin was failing some classes. As a result, his folks - really his aunt and uncle, which is another story - didn’t let him play, because he failed. Total BS if you ask me, but that was that.”
Having false started in their first attempt to cover the Stones, DeLaughter and Swanson would later get the chance to perform in front of their school’s lunch crowd: “We’re all set up and raring to go, nervous but excited. We started the show with ‘Jumpin' Jack Flash.’ It was all going great. Then we were blazing through ‘Brown Sugar’ when some kid unplugged the power to the PA, and everything went silent.”
While DeLaughter was stunned, his bandmate became furious. When the PA was plugged back in, Swanson went on a profanity-laced tirade, much to the chagrin of the school staff.
“All I remember was that all of these adults who I would avoid in the halls were now running towards the stage with with their lips clinched in their teeth and eyeballs that looked like they were on a mission,” DeLaughter recalled. “Scared the shit out of me. I got up from behind the drums and ran around the building, and I think I said “holy shit” about 10 times, until I quickly realized it was all over - no more show, total letdown once again.”
Years later, DeLaughter and his adulthood band, the Polyphonic Spree, would start mixing “She’s a Rainbow” into their live set.
“Of all the Stones songs, this is the one that screams Spree, so we decided to do it,” he explains. “It went over so well that it became a staple for a few years. Needless to say, these days, I don’t have to worry about failing grades or being chased by high school teachers and both principals. We had a big school.”