It Costs About $4 Million to Use 1 Rolling Stones Song That Wasn’t a Big Hit
Not all of The Rolling Stones‘ songs were huge hits when they were first released. One of the band’s tracks became so prominent in the 2010s that it costs around $4 million to use in advertisements. Subsequently, a music publisher discussed how Jennifer Lawrence helped bring the song back into the limelight.
The same Rolling Stones song is connected to a luxury car, a fragrance, and ‘American Horror Story’
According to a 2018 Variety article, The Rolling Stones’ “She’s a Rainbow” appeared in an advertisement for the 2019 Acura RDX, a luxury car. Later the same year, “She’s a Rainbow” was used in advertisements for Dior’s fragrance Joy. The commercials starred Jennifer Lawrence. After that, “She’s a Rainbow” soundtracked a scene from American Horror Story.
Alisa Coleman, the chief operating officer of ABKCO Music & Records, discussed the track’s resurgence. “It all started as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of [the song’s 1967 parent album] Their Satanic Majesties Request,” she said.
“At the end of last year, we released a 50th-anniversary edition of the album, and we did a very special lyric video around ‘She’s a Rainbow,'” she said. “We made a very hard push, in fact we had a couple of commercials that were teetering around the time of release, but everybody couldn’t get the timing right.”
Alisa Coleman discussed why the song had a cultural renaissance
Coleman was asked why the song was having a cultural moment. “When something is great, it’s great,” she replied. “You watch that Dior spot, can you say anything except that it takes your breath away? When you watch that Acura spot, can you not say that is a perfect use for that song?
“As long as we know what those things are, and we’re the gatekeepers, certainly we’re not going to show anybody anything that we’re not personally proud of,” she added. “So that makes it all easier.” Subsequently, Coleman confirmed it cost around $4 million to use “She’s a Rainbow” in the advertising campaigns.
How The Rolling Stones’ ‘She’s a Rainbow’ performed on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom
“She’s a Rainbow” didn’t crack the top 20 in the United States. It reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining on the chart for seven weeks. The song’s parent album, Their Satanic Majesties Request, became considerably more popular. The album hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and lasted 30 weeks on the chart.
The Official Charts Company reports “She’s a Rainbow” didn’t chart in The Rolling Stones’ native United Kingdom. On the other hand, Their Satanic Majesties Request peaked at No. 3 in the U.K. and stayed on the chart for 13 weeks.
“She’s a Rainbow” eventually became very lucrative even if it wasn’t that popular in the 1960s.
