Did JOHN SQUIRE Write ‘Just Another Rainbow' About Ian Brown? 

Hello all - just to respond to the various comments saying it should be 'half of the whole' not 'hole', I've taken this spelling from the official lyric video, and also from how it is printed on the front of the 'Rainbow' spray can on the front cover. Both versions use 'hole' instead of 'whole'. Cheers, JH

If you mix paint of all the colors of the rainbow, you get the color Brown.

The mention of 'Pot of Gold' more likely associated with 'Fools Gold'. As the lyric 'No pot of gold' = a fools gold.

Lets face it, the Stone Roses were a band that were much greater than the sum of their parts and all the parts were awesome, apart from Brown's voice but his lyrics and persona more than made up for that. Reni counted his blessings and contently moved on to become a family man, Mani had sweet ride with the festival staple Primal Scream, Ian recognised his shortcomings and carved out an impressive solo career, with a little help of modern electronics, despite his voice, and Squire, perhaps the most talented of them all didn't come close to fulfilling his potential but how many of us do? If the lyrics represent a feeling of bitterness on Squire's part that's a shame because the song could have been so much better if he hadn't, as you suggest, compromised them with a cryptic message. They all rock in their own way. Just a shame from my point of view that we didn't get to enjoy a lot more of Squire's prowess. Fingers crossed, Squire and Liam continue to work together and turn out many more tunes showcasing Squire's ability to make us sit up and take notice. Finally check out Squires art if you haven't already it's equally as awesome.

I’m pretty sure Ian and John finished the last gig at Hampden with a cuddle for one another, which tells me they were on a decent enough footing at the end. There looked to be visible tension between Brown and Reni though. Brown proceeded to drum through Reni’s intro to IATR on his bongos, definitely looked like a fuck you to him. Would love to see them go again, one of the worlds best live.

I love all this sort of stuff, this is a brilliant video James

I love the lyrics to this song. Simple, profound, poetic. Also windmills are industrial structures designed for commercial ends.

There's definitely something to it, Jamie, for sure. The fact John has mentioned disappointment in the interview points to the way the Roses ended up. I was at Leeds in 2017 knowing they had allegedly had a bust up the previous night in Edinburgh. A guy told me who knows some of their crew. As the gig finished, Ian and John remained on the stage to embrace. Reni and Mani were gone. That sticks with me. Squire is pure class and I will forever think about him at the Etihad, hair totally covering his face, looking like Darth Vader! He looked and sounded a million dollars, with a three pick-up Les Paul. There's more enthusiasm in Liam's vocal and attitude in the video than I have seen in any of his solo work, which I do love. He struck gold with Why Me, Why Not. Misunderstood is a classic. Keep up the good work mate! Adam

(Just Another Tick on My Bucket List) (Just Another Tick on Liams Bucket List.) Interesting that the Spray Can says 7 Colours yet its Red White and Blue . i could carry on but won,t bore the crap out of everyone

"Just to hear Ian Brown dripping on my tree" sounds quite saucy haha

The windmill reference. It think it is related to the Who, with Pete Townshend, the guitar hero doing "windmills" on stage, for a legendary band that broke up and reunited many times. I understand it in that way. Squire is using the "windmill" reference, to say he was the reluctant "guitar hero" of the last Stone Roses reunion tour...

To me Just Another Rainbow is lyrically a metaphorical version of ‘Is That All There Is?’ By Peggy Lee.

This is a truly amazing analysis. If you think of it in terms of the backwards guitar, it's like a cryptic crossword clue.

You said you were struggling to come up with a theory about the line ‘Paying the bills, am I your windmill?’, well here’s my take on it. Pete Townsend of The Who famously has his trademark ‘windmill’ guitar style, and Townsend wrote all The Who’s songs, basically carrying Roger Daltry for 60 years. Much like Squire had been doing with Brown. While Brown wrote a lot of the lyrics on the first album, Squire wrote the melodies which are, if we’re honest, the more exciting parts of the songs. Then the second album was all written by Squire. And the live shows were about Squires guitar and Renis drumming, because as we know Browns live voice isn’t up to much. So Squire, like Townsend has been playing his windmill so Brown could pay the bills, particularly the divorce bill. Feel free to point out the flaws in my theory people. Open to opinions.

I thought the "rainbow" was just an excuse for Liam to sing Lennon's "rain" lyric.

I love your videos mate.

Ian Brown also has a song called “by all means necessary” which ties in with the theory on beautiful thing

Your a mad fella man

Ego's always wreck a Band..

Or Just Hate Ian Brown is another anagram of that

Beautiful Thing was fairly explicitly about them kicking Liam Gallagher off the Roses tour entourage I thought

I'm more curious to know if any of these new songs were originally planned for that aborted Roses album.

Weather/Winds of fate supply power to windmill/Squire to be able to grind it out - flour/tough job

Have you heard this mashup, James? Same key and chord progression. Makes you wonder if JAR was Squire’s response to the First World Problems video where Brown throws Squire’s guitar into the canal. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FWRQiAjeujE.htmlsi=ijhJk1ULDmunUN4D

Interesting

Lyrically, I bet this song took all of 4 minutes to write.

Wouldn’t it have to mean something to be about somebody?

Just to hear ian brown Could also be Or just hate ian brown Or JS hate Ian Brown tour

I personally think they have both done a lot of s**t myself but what do I know 😂

I absolutely love it. It’s like a throw back to good old fashioned rock and roll. The guitar straight up bussin

In the video the bass player is Barrie Cadogan. I met him when he sold vintage guitars in Denmark Street over 20 years ago. We bonded over our love of Stone Roses and John Squire. It gives me goosebumps to see him playing with the guy who inspired him to pick up a guitar. Edit: He wrote and played the theme song for Better Call Saul.

Dude I love your vids, but you're an artist, why are you using AI art?

Ian and John have personalities like Zippy and George

The windmill is also a guitar move. So 'Am I your windmill?' could be 'Am i your guitar showman?'

This is a pretty contrieved explanation. You basically have no knowledge about their lives and what's on their minds, yet you try to shoehorn the meaning of this song to fit some of the few tidbits of information you have on them. And anyway, do you really think John Squire would be so consumed by hatred towards Ian Brown that he would repeatedly keep making up secret anagrams about it? He has debunked the myth about the Seahorses (there's actually a pretty intriguing story behind the name) and I don't think he would have rejoined the Stone Roses if he really hated Ian Brown that much.

Interesting stuff! When 'Love is the Law' came out, IB said that tune had been around a while before The Seahorses. I reckon this Squire tune was written ages ago and is just one he pulled out of the bag. The lyrics are an anagram of "Squire bores us again with his Led Zep guitar".

Maybe the list of the colours of the Rainbow means Brown has shown his true colours 😊

The Seahorses NEVER was an anagram of he hates roses - John has told this a thousand times, why don't you mention this? Just another rainbow as well isn't an anagram of just to hear Ian Brown. that's absolutely ridiculous!!

It's us Stone Roses fans that were/are bothered about the break up of the band: Squire is clearly loving playing with a singer with a voice as brilliant and reliable as Liam's. I don't think Ian Brown is even on his radar, let alone so present in Squire's mind that he wrote a song about him. If the band members were missing each other they wouldn't have broken up (again).

Here's one for you James Hargreaves. - "just another rainbow hanging over me' 'I couldn't stand another second in your company'

I think it's the second best song released on that day, only behind Kula Shaker's new single, I love that song and I pre ordered a signed CD of the album

Nonsense

I was an IT consultant at Zomba Records in Willesden (who owned Silvertone) during the Stone Roses 'contract difficulties' era. I was more into A Tribe Called Quest (on Jive Records) who were recording there. I used to eat in the inI house bistro where I saw Sam Fox. #goodolddays

Ian Brown dripping on Squire's tree is conjouring up some strange imagery I have to say....

My initial take of the song was along these lines - regrets over the end of the reunion tour - and we know they made money - but if they could stand to be around each other a bit longer they could have been making tens of millions every few years going back out on the road. Like you say though mate, might be miles off, you never know.

This is without doubt the most ridiculous video ever posted online. “John squire likes to put anagrams in his titles” 🤣🤣🤣 that was just a 17 year old nme student came out with “he hates roses” as for the rest 😂😂😂😂 a bit of fun? I’d sincerely hope so because it’s the biggest load of nonsense ever posted from a man with ZERO IDEA whatsoever about John Squire the musician or the person.

Its a fun theory! And it might even be right! But the one thing that springs to my mind is - and if I'm wrong on this do please correct me - Liam has always mentioned Ian Brown as one of his heroes. Same as all the Roses are to him. I am not aware of any bad blood between any of them. So whereas Liam and Squire doing a song together makes perfect sense (yes I'm aware they collaborated as far back as The Seahorses days) I'd be surprised that Liam (knowingly???) would sing on an "anti-Ian" song. That makes NO sense! Also, once saw Chris Helme of the Seahorses do a solo acoustic gig and a heckler asked him about the anagram story and he said it really was Squire hitting his head on a seahorse ornament in a pub. Ok might have signed a NDA or whatever, but, this was years after, why would he lie?

Ahh, yes the anagram thing would not surprise me at all, had not realised that (and Ian uses Own Brain himself over the years.... They do like their anagrams and double meanings.

If you are a windmill, it means you do all the work whilst someone else reaps the rewards/benefits.

Beautiful thing was written about Reni

A wonderfully fanciful load of marvelous bull. Good work as always 👍

I dont think its about ian brown nor do i think "Its a beautiful thing" is aimed at john squire as were talking about grown men here. Everyone has totally overthought it. Its a piece of music, and squire has clearly mentioned that it its a song for what an individual wants it to be. Not to be aimed at an individual. Squire and brown personally for me are my all-time favourite musicians they were perfect together. Please dont push the two songs onto a hateful direction.

I see the windmill as the work horse which grounds the flour which makes the food/money. The windmill, who cares about it, its just a means to an end. we just want the flower (flour) roses. 😅 Just joking btw :p

I think you’re on the money with most of it but the windmill bit, I think that’s about John being the guitarist as “windmilling” is an action done with a guitar, not that John would do that, but it’s a play on words.

as much as i love both oasis and the stone roses, i found the song to just kinda be nothing. i wasn't expecting it be some innovative form of experimental music, i'm fine with it being derivative i just don't think it's very good.

Just to add to this, the choice of Liam Gallagher to vocalise these words will always elevate the words. As Liam, it can be argued, is a better version of Ian Brown.

Listen to Ian brown - first world problems ! It's an obvious 2's up to Ian brown for him thinking squire is just his Pete Townsend - ( am I just your windmill

James lad…forgive me if you’ve already made the point (without me watching your vid back) but ‘am I your windmill?’ Line…windmill makes bread and bread is slang for money

No doubt it's about Ian and/or the Roses but I thought Beautiful Thing was written by Browny about Reni because he sabotaged their booked studio time by not turning up and thus he refused to play it live. At the last gig at the end Reni moves seemingly very angrily towards Ian, who hotfoots it off stage and sings a few lines of Beautiful Thing from backstage. Even in their reunion announcement press conference I think it was Ian who was promising new material and Reni seemed to be pouring scorn on the idea.

Stop press - the next single will be John Squire's 'covid' song

Am i your windmill- perhaps meaning he was the money naking machine to browns hot air

I love Oasis, Love the Roses, but honestly listening to this song i just cant get into it. Its like a pastiche of 1967 Beatles, it sounds forced and gives me cringe shivers but each to your own. Its everything i expected to be honest except one thing is missing wich would have nailed the awfulness of it all and thats the word Shiiine. Liam loves skies and his shiiine.. Awful turgid song. (Shudder).

I thought the amercian critics suggested the stone roses single- all for one sounded like rainbow - the band. Just throwing that in the mix...

Dude. You debunked the whole anagram 'he hates roses' stuff in your own video! A far more likely solution is that Squire just writes piss poor lyrics, see that unreleased tomb raider song for more details. I honestly don't think squire understands why the roses songs were so good.....

Ah will you stop.. your reading way to much in to it.. no way is Squire writing cryptic songs about Ian Brown.. he can't stand Brown.. they only got back together for a big day..

James is the Alex Jones of the Oasis / Stone Roses world. He’s just sick of them putting chemicals in the water that make Oasis not get back together.

Lots of great suggestions in the comments it really is a song asking a lot of questions. In an interview JS said “his song was complete when he heard Liam sing it”, he was full of praise of Liams voice.

Can’t we just leave our memories alone of The Stone Roses my favourite band and album of all time, I am 55 years old and tired of bullshit

Windmills grind grain into flour , which in turn makes dough ( money) and makes bread ( money) maybe ha

Other Possible Anagrams... Jus' a Hotter Ian Brown Just a other Ian Brown And for "Another Rainbow" theres "He a rot, Ian Brown"

I was at the final show in Glasgow and Brown and Squire were arm in arm (instigated by Brown) mid-set (as I recall). I'm not saying the final split was smooth, but I don't think it's anywhere near as bad as in the mid 90s. I would expect Beautiful Thing to be more likely to have been written about Reni than John (assuming Brown wrote the lyrics). John also stated in a previous interview that they had a pact and not to speak about any causes for future break ups that he intended to honour. Never say never, but I don't see them having the motivation to do it again. They may have seen each other at Mani's wife's funeral. Also... how many of these songs were written for a potential third album (hence lyrics pre-dating a split)?

If you watch the live footage of I want to be Adored from Wembley 2017, the rainbow colored smoke was being released in the crowd. May have been reflection of those last days.

I think Beautiful Thing was about Reni. Definitely written by Ian.

Makes a lot of sense James a good interpretation of “just another rainbow”

Most of Unfinished Monkey Business was about Squire. Cant See Me, What Happened To Ya, Deep Pile Dreams and Nah Nah were unmissable digs. Anagrams, double meanings and metaphors started with the Roses and this is continuation of that. When they got back together it was because Brown and Squire bonded over the death of Manis mom. Reni sowed the seeds of doubt from the start, while Brown said publicly he had "got gus best friends back" and still wanted "to take over the world" with them. Mani was clearly overjoyed but John barely said anything, still trying to be too cool for school. Such a massive massive shame we never got that 3rd album, reports from the sessions were of modern psychedelic pop. Beautiful Thing showed it was still in them but Reni had no interest in doing an album and constantly said he was going back to his life after touring.

Just watched the clip of them coming on stage for their last ever show in Glasgow. Brown enters stage right, the rest stage left. Think that says it all. This song is also very close to the first Ian Brown release post Roses, 'First World Problems'. That said, it's a shame Liam couldn't perform Roses / Oasis songs with Mani, Reni and Squire, plus the new stuff - it would be awesome to hear Roses songs 'sung' in key, and Oasis songs brought to life by that awesome trio.

It does sound a bit like a ripoff of Rain, for sure the bassline

Does the lyric video really say "Half of a Hole" or "Half a Whole". Doesn't matter, my go to insult for the next week is to call someone "Half a Hole" and then let them figure it out.

This song is written in tribute to a typical Stone Roses fan, after all they pay 'just to see Ian Brown' as he doesn't have a band anymore.

The truth is that no one can stand Noel and Ian Brown.

Just to hear Ian Brown. Or just hate Ian Brown.

Interesting stuff James. Sadly it would be better to think they are just ropey lyrics, but Squire & Brown are clever lyricists, you could be right?

well spotted! the rainbow colours could have even been added to give more credibility to the surface rainbow theme. But it's a bit of a stretch though, but I do feel there is some "Unfinished Squire Business" behind this whole project, and the sentiments you and others point out certainly make sense. For me All For One and Beautiful Thing are more like Ian Brown solo efforts. At least Squire gets a riff and a solo in All For One, but Reni and Mani are missing from both - either in the groove or the mix. Beautiful Thing lyrics in particular have Brown written all over them [sic]. I do like a lot of Brown solo work but who can forgive the rapping he was doing at the end of Love Spreads after the reunion?! I laughed and cringed then like i did at Reading 96. All For One probably more a Squire demo sprinkled with Brown over-auto-tune production and brick wall limiting. urgh. Not surprised it fizzled out, but Squire most likely conceded too much of a passenger to atone for his alleged Second Coming dominance. And on that note, given the relative peaceful Second Splitting there must have been some NDA or pre-agreement to split amicably (at least publicly).

It’s also an anagram of Reni / Brown: a hat joust

Really interesting and thank you! Like the anagram thing and it works, also Ian Brown throws a pink fender guitar in the river on the video for his single for First World Problems

A windmill generates so am I your windmill meaning am I your money maker

I think your thinking too much lol 😂

As repetitive as Beautiful Thing is , I much prefer the lyrics to that song than JAR

It's thought that Ian Brown's What Happened To Ya Part 1 is about John Squire, What Happened To Ya Part 2 is just a big trippy guitar track too!

While your 'Just to hear Ian Brown' is a perfect anagram, don't you think there's something in the fact it also contains 'hates Ian Brown' given 'The Seahorses' was an anagram of 'He hates Roses'?

Too much of a coincidence

Ian Brown ALSO uses the anagram of his name as in; OWN BRAIN quite alot and many others

Windmill could refer to just being a hired guitar player. The motion of playing style akin to that of a windmill.

what a load of nonsense

Its about a song called GLOBAL REJECTION. The riff is clearly the Cornerstones of the piece ...

Speaking of Lewisohn, have you listened to the Another kind of mind podcast series that accuses Mark L (in tune in) of being Lennon centric and downplaying Paul? I have listened to a few episodes. They make an interesting case.

its growing on me

Its a rip off of Lonezone by The Real People

What a lot of 💩 😂

'Tilting at windmills' means attacking an imaginary enemy, from Don Quixote, one of the most famous books ever. Unless you think it's reference to wind farms. "Am i your big, expensive white thing that puts your electricity price up, even though you subsidised it financially in the first place though taxes, makes a droning noise, kills hundreds of birds, and ruins the view of the pristine countryside, then explodes in flames in a high wind?" Yes John you probably are.