Written by Love frontman Arthur Lee, "She Comes In Colors" was recorded for Love's second album, Da Capo. Released as its third single, it didn't chart but is today recognized as one of Lee's best compositions.
The lyrics are somewhat abstract and open to interpretation, but according to lead guitarist Johnny Echols, they come from the clothing worn by Lee's girlfriend, Annette Bonan.
"He had the knack of taking the most mundane situation into something interesting, and you think, wow!" Echols told Uncut magazine. "He wrote 'She Comes in Colors' about his girlfriend, Annette Bonan. She's Annette Ferrell now, but always wore colorful clothes, Like the flower children did then."
Drummer Michael Stuart-Ware added: "I never really knew what these songs were about. Arthur usually left it to the listener to work out the reality. If he was ever asked, self-depreciation was his blade of choice: 'It's just about some chick.' But maybe he did write that song for Annette."
When Arthur Lee wrote this song, he'd never visited Britain, which probably explains the quaint last verse:
When I was in England town
The rain fell right down
I looked for you everywhere
'Til I'm not around
Echols suggested Lee change the lyric. "When Arthur sang, 'When I was in England town, the rain fell right down' he'd never been to the UK," said the guitarist. "I explained, 'Arthur, it should be London town.' But he sang it anyway. Maybe he didn't want to share songwriting credits, but people here think England town is kinda cute."
On Da Capo, Love broadened their scope into psychedelia. "She Comes In Colors" also incorporates elements of folk rock, jazz, Latin rhythms and baroque pop. Love organist Alban "Snoopy" Pfisterer played the harpsichord and the band's woodwind musician Tjay Cantrelli played the flute.
"He assembled the music like a collage, in his head from what we played," Echols commented of Lee. "He assembled the music like a collage, in his head from what we played. 'She Comes in Colors' was the most difficult song on Da Copa to record. It probably took seven or eight takes, because in a way it's three songs in one, but it's hard to hear where the changes are."
According to Michael Stuart-Ware, playing unusual time signatures didn't present much of a challenge for anyone in the group. "I'd listened to Dave Brubeck in school and played in a high school jazz group," he said. "The jazzy groove on 'She Comes in Colors' was one I had from the get-go. The flute and harpsichord duet were groundbreaking, and Arthur's vocal was diverse and immaculate."
"She Comes In Colors" was reportedly the inspiration for the Rolling Stones' "
She's A Rainbow."
Madonna borrowed from the song unwittingly on her 1999 single "Beautiful Stranger" after producer William Orbit purloined the melody. The estate of Arthur Lee got its publishing share of Orbit's percentage in a 2017 settlement. "Arthur got a credit for that," smiled Echols to Uncut in 2022. "The whole group should have been credited really, but the acknowledgment was nice."
The Hooters covered "She Comes in Colors" on their 1985 album Nervous Night.
Janet Jackson sampled "She Comes in Colors" on her 2015 track "Gon' Be Alright" from her Unbreakable album.
The single version of "She Comes In Colors" and the album version were mixed differently. "Their flute and harpsichord were more prominent on the album because it was a stereo mix," explained Johnny Echols to Uncut. "The single was mono, so the vocal, as well as the guitars, were more forward, and the ancestry instruments were further back in the mix."
