Rainbow (Kacey Musgraves song)

"Rainbow" is a song recorded by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves. It was released as the fifth single from Musgraves' third studio album Golden Hour (2018) in February 2019. Musgraves co-wrote the song with Shane McAnally and Natalie Hemby. Its release coincided with her performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.[1]

"Rainbow"
Single by Kacey Musgraves
from the album Golden Hour
ReleasedFebruary 11, 2019
GenreCountry
Length3:34
LabelMCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Kacey Musgraves singles chronology
"Slow Burn"
(2018)		 "Rainbow"
(2019)		 "Oh, What a World"
(2019)
Music video
"Rainbow" on YouTube

"Rainbow" was nominated for Song of the Year and won Music Video of the Year at the 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards.

Content

"Rainbow" is a piano ballad in the key of E-flat major with a slow tempo of approximately 64 beats per minute. Musgraves' vocals range from G3-E♭5.[2] It was penned by Musgraves with Shane McAnally and Natalie Hemby six years prior to its release as the closing track on Golden Hour. According to the singer, it began as an encouraging note to herself and transformed into "a message of hope for anyone in the midst of dark times."[3] It holds significance for Musgraves for several reasons, as it was the last song her grandmother heard her write and was played at her funeral, and she also noted that she hoped the song would be an anthem for those facing adversity, such as those in the LGBT community.[3]

Live performances

The song was debuted with a live performance on the 61st Annual Grammy Awards on February 10, 2019. During the show, Musgraves won the Grammy for Album of the Year for its parent album Golden Hour, in addition to Best Country Album.[4] For the performance, Musgraves donned a simple white gown and was accompanied by a pianist playing a rainbow piano behind her.[5]

She also previously performed "Rainbow" on Late Night with Seth Meyers on June 20, 2018.[6]

The song was performed on the Together at Home global concert event on April 18, 2020.[7]

Music video

The music video was directed by Hannah Lux Davis (who also directed her "High Horse" music video), and premiered on February 10, 2019, coinciding with her performance on the Grammy Awards.[8] In it, various characters are shown in different rooms of a dimly lit house, including "a single mother taking care of her child, a man facing his alcohol abuse, a young person wrestling with gender identity, and a teenager caught in the middle of a family crisis."[8] Scenes of Musgraves performing the song either accompanying the others or alone are mixed in throughout the video and near the end she is seen sitting on the floor of a room surrounded by lush greenery and flowers as a rainbow appears overhead.[9]

Commercial performance

"Rainbow" debuted at No. 58 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart for the chart dated February 16, 2019. In its second week, it entered the top 40 of that chart, making it her highest-peaking single since "Keep It to Yourself" in 2014. It also debuted at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and at No. 98 on the Billboard Hot 100. On the latter, it became her first song to chart in six years. The song was certified Gold by the RIAA on October 18, 2019,[10] it has sold 143,000 copies in the United States as of January 2020.[11]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[10] Gold 500,000 / 143,000[11]

*sales figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

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References
  1. Annie Reuter (February 12, 2019). "Kacey Musgraves' 'Rainbow' Shines at Country Radio Following Grammy Performance and Wins". Billboard.com. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  2. "'Rainbow' sheet music". MusicNotes.com. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  3. Cillea Houghton (February 11, 2019). "Kacey Musgraves Shares the Story of 'Rainbow,' Her New Single". Taste of Country. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  4. Jennifer Velez (February 11, 2019). "Kacey Musgraves Wins Album Of The Year For 'Golden Hour' | 2019 GRAMMYs". Grammy.com. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  5. Sterling Whitaker (February 10, 2019). "Kacey Musgraves Delivers Delicate 'Rainbow' at 2019 Grammy Awards". Taste of Country. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  6. Alessandra Rincón (June 21, 2018). "Kacey Musgraves Performs Encouraging Piano Ballad 'Rainbow' on 'Seth Meyers': Watch". Billboard.com. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  7. "One World: Together At Home". Global Citizen. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  8. Jon Freeman (February 10, 2019). "See Kacey Musgraves' New Music Video for 'Rainbow'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  9. Courtney Carr (February 11, 2019). "Kacey Musgraves Releases 'Rainbow' Music Video Following Grammys Performance [Watch]". The Boot. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  10. "American album certifications – Kacey Musgraves – Rainbow". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  11. Bjorke, Matt (January 7, 2020). "Top 30 Digital Country Songs Chart: January 7, 2020". Rough Stock. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  12. "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  13. "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Hot Canadian Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  14. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 25, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  15. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  16. "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  17. "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  18. "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  19. "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  20. "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  21. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
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