Chasing Rainbows (song)
| "Chasing Rainbows" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Shed Seven | ||||
| from the album Let It Ride | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 4 November 1996 | |||
| Genre | Britpop[1] | |||
| Length | 4:17 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Chris Sheldon[2] | |||
| Shed Seven singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Chasing Rainbows" is a song by Britpop band Shed Seven. It was released in November 1996 as the first single from their third studio album, Let It Ride, over a year before the album was released in June 1998.[3] The homesickness-inspired song was written by band members Paul Banks and Rick Witter while on tour promoting their previous album, A Maximum High, and it was produced by Chris Sheldon.
The song was released on 4 November 1996 and debuted at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart on 17 November, becoming the band's ninth consecutive top-40 hit in the UK. On 3 July 2020, "Chasing Rainbows" received a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting sales and streams exceeding 200,000 units.
Background and release[edit]
"Chasing Rainbows" was written while Shed Seven were in Germany promoting their prior album, A Maximum High. Rick Witter said in an interview with Songwriting Magazine that they wrote the song during a murky afternoon while waiting to do their soundcheck. He was sitting in the band's tour bus with bandmate Paul Banks when Banks began composing the main riff on his guitar, then they wrote the lyric quickly afterwards, inspired by their homesickness resulting from constant travel.[4] The two then took the song into soundcheck and received positive feedback, allowing them to record and release the song. Issued on 4 November 1996, "Chasing Rainbows" peaked at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart later the same month.[4][5] Witter believed that if the song had been released on another week, it would have reached number one.[4]
Track listings[edit]
UK 7-inch, CD, and cassette single[6][7][8]
- "Chasing Rainbows"
- "In Command"
- "The Skin I'm In"
German CD single[9]
- "Chasing Rainbows"
- "In Command"
Charts[edit]
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[10] | 61 |
| Scotland (OCC)[11] | 9 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[5] | 17 |
Certifications[edit]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[12] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References[edit]
- ^ Peacock, Tim (18 October 2019). ""We've Stood the Test of Time": Shed Seven on Surviving Britpop and 'Going for Gold'". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Australian-charts.com – Shed Seven – Chasing Rainbows". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ "Shed Seven – Let It Ride". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ a b c "How I wrote 'Chasing Rainbows' by Shed Seven's Rick Witter". 4 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ Chasing Rainbows (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Shed Seven. Polydor Records. 1996. 575 928-7.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Chasing Rainbows (UK CD single liner notes). Shed Seven. Polydor Records. 1996. 575 929-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Chasing Rainbows (UK cassette single sleeve). Shed Seven. Polydor Records. 1996. 575 928-4.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Chasing Rainbows (German CD single liner notes). Shed Seven. Polydor Records. 1996. 573 104-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 48. 30 November 1996. p. 11. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ "British single certifications – Shed Seven – Chasing Rainbows". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
