Rainbow – Sixteenth Century Greensleeves

I’ve finally found a video of the namesake of this site! Sixteenth Century Greensleeves has raced to the head of the pack, beyond Stargazer, far past Man on the Silver Mountain to be my all time favorite Rainbow song.

It’s got all the earmarks of a classic Dio composition lyrically. The local evil wizard woman has kidnapped one of the Villager’s kin. So one brave (extremely short) warrior decides its time to stop turning a blind eye and kick some wizard bitch ass! He rounds up the posse and breaks out the armory to bring the Wizardess to a bloody end.

Possibly my favorite passage in the song comes when he non-chalantly namechecks “Crossbows in the Firelight” as if to let you know not only do they have an angry mob but they’re armed to the teeth with the equivalent of the 16th Century AK.

Blackmore’s intro of actually playing Greensleeves only adds to the amazing display of majesty…
God bless you Richie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio for, if even briefly, putting together this confluence of rock savants.