{"id":536254,"date":"2026-04-17T16:27:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T16:27:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/536254\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T16:27:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T16:27:14","slug":"the-1983-song-ronnie-james-dio-never-wanted-to-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/536254\/","title":{"rendered":"The 1983 song Ronnie James Dio never wanted to release"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ronnie<\/p>\n

(Credits: Far Out \/ Adam Bielawski)<\/p>\n

Fri 17 April 2026 14:31, UK <\/p>\n

\u2018Rainbow in the Dark\u2019, a song by heavy metal titans Dio, is one of their most unique and oddly uplifting tracks. The introduction of an upbeat keyboard backs sunnier lyrics than Dio\u2019s normal output: \u201cI cry out for magic, I feel it dancing in the light.\u201d <\/p>\n

Despite its success, Ronnie James Dio <\/a>almost destroyed the master tapes to the classic hit, convinced the song was too poppy and would clash with the other, admittedly heavier tracks on Holy Diver.<\/p>\n

\u201cI absolutely hated that song,\u201d Dio once said<\/a>. \u201cI hated that song in context to what I was trying to accomplish with the album.\u201d The bulk of the LP, recorded in early 1983 in Los Angeles\u2019 Sound City Studios, explored ideas like personal agency, disenchantment with life, and Biblical figures.<\/p>\n

Its iconic album artwork featured a demonic entity drowning a priest, which goes some way to explaining why \u2018Rainbow in the Dark\u2019 and its earnest message to let go of personal demons might not have fit Dio\u2019s vision. Still, it\u2019s considered a classic song from an even more classic album, one which Corey Taylor covered in the memorial album Ronnie James Dio \u2013 This Is Your Life, and Norwegian rockers Jorn covered on 2016\u2019s Heavy Rock Radio.<\/p>\n

A deep-set fear of sounding too commercial followed Dio throughout his career after being ousted from Rainbow for refusing to sing what he reckoned was \u201cpop-punk rubbish<\/a>\u201d in 1979. But nonetheless, the song was a signature single from Holy Diver, which featured a blistering riff that began as the Sweet Savage track, \u2018Lady Marianne\u2019. <\/p>\n

\"Ronnie<\/a>(Credits: Far Out \/ Alamy)<\/p>\n

That mindset goes a long way in explaining why \u2018Rainbow in the Dark\u2019 rubbed him the wrong way from the outset. For an artist so committed to a darker, more theatrical vision of heavy metal, anything that hinted at accessibility risked feeling like a compromise rather than an expansion.<\/p>\n

At the same time, that tension is precisely what gives the track its staying power. The contrast between the shimmering keys and the muscular riffs doesn\u2019t dilute Dio\u2019s sound; it adds another dimension to it, showing that even within the rigid expectations of metal, there was room for something a little more open-hearted.<\/p>\n

In hindsight, it\u2019s almost ironic that the song he nearly scrapped became one of his defining moments. It stands as proof that sometimes the instincts artists fight against are the very ones that connect most strongly, turning what once felt like an outlier into a cornerstone of their legacy.<\/p>\n

Sweet Savage was the Belfast-based band Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell had started at just 16. Campbell played it for drummer Vinny Appice and bassist Jimmy Bain at the studio when Dio walked in and started singing the melody on top of it.<\/p>\n

Appice then took to a Yahama keyboard the band had set up, came up with the delightful motif heard on \u2018Rainbow in the Dark\u2019, and the song was essentially completed in ten minutes. The track\u2019s accompanying video was filmed shortly after in central London and follows a pretty nefarious-looking man following a woman through the streets. During a frenzied guitar solo, Campbell and Bain scare him off, seemingly with the sheer force of their shredding, as the woman dances triumphantly.<\/p>\n

Dio\u2019s efforts on \u2018Rainbow in the Dark\u2019, no matter his personal opinion on the song, mark a trifecta of classics for him, having had his hand in not only Holy Diver but Rainbow\u2019s Rainbow Rising and Black Sabbath\u2019s Heaven and Hell.<\/p>\n

His onstage surname, \u2018Dio\u2019, is Italian for God, and it\u2019s quite fitting that an absolute titan of heavy metal, able to create three of its best albums, was given such a name.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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