Dio – ‘Rainbow In The Dark’

Like A Rainbow In The Dark…

In addition to his massive vocal range, it was Ronnie James Dio’s prolific songwriting ability that thrust his band Dio into the spotlight upon the release of their debut album Holy Diver. Songs like the keyboard heavy ‘Rainbow In The Dark’ stand out for their ability to make you feel without losing their edge and while to the untrained ear it can sound a little on the poppy side, it’s actually one that when stacked against the other tracks on Holy Diver can stand on its own.

Maybe that’s why to this day, it’s widely regarded as one of Dio’s best works, second only to ‘Holy Diver’.

Dio wanted to scrap ‘Rainbow In The Dark’ initially; he felt it was a little too on the pop side of things, but lucky for us, the rest of the band insisted he keep it.

To Dio, a ‘rainbow in the dark’ was the dichotomy of having so many wonderful things within you to share with the world but being in too dark of a place in life to even want to share it. That’s one of the best parts about Dio’s songwriting – he understood that to be human was to constantly walk the line between light and dark and question your role within it all, left to try and flourish and shine in a world that is increasingly becoming dark.

Powerful stuff, Dio. Powerful stuff.

+ Rainbow In The Dark lyrics +

When there’s lightning
You know it always brings me down
‘Cause it’s free and I see that it’s me
Who’s lost and never found

I cry out for magic
I feel it dancing in the light
It was cold, lost my hold
To the shadows of the night

No sign of the mornin’ comin’
You’ve been left on your own
Like a rainbow in the dark
A rainbow in the dark

Do your demons
Do they ever let you go?
When you’ve tried, do they hide deep inside?
Is it someone that you know?

You’re just a picture
You’re an image caught in time
We’re a lie, you and I
We’re words without a rhyme

There’s no sign of the mornin’ comin’
You’ve been left on your own
Like a rainbow in the dark
Just a rainbow in the dark
Yeah

When I see lightning
You know it always brings me down
‘Cause it’s free and I see that it’s me
Who’s lost and never found

Feel the magic
I feel it floating in the air
But it’s fear and you’ll hear
It calling you beware
Look out

There’s no sight of the mornin’ comin’
There’s no sign of the day
You’ve been left on your own
Like a rainbow
Like a rainbow in the dark
Yeah, yeah

You’re a rainbow in the dark
Just a rainbow in the dark
No sign of the mornin’
You’re a rainbow in the dark