Playlist: It's Raining Again
Yes, in the last few weeks southern England has finally seen something we were beginning to think we would never see again. After more than seven weeks (52 days) without any measurable amount, the tail end of August finally brought us some rain!
So, to celebrate, here are ten top tracks from across the years that are all about the rain. As always, hopefully something in here for everyone. Enjoy....
1. Creedence Clearwater Revival: Who Will Stop The Rain
I don't think we're quite ready for the rain to stop just yet around here, but here is another lovely soulful blues drenched folk-rock tune from John Fogerty, written for CCRs 1970 record, Cosmo's Factory. Its three verses use different tenses, covering the past and the present to provide a sense of unease, being pondered by "good men through the ages". While many interpret bits of it as a reaction to the war in Vietnam, it seems it was written after visiting the mud-bath at the Woodstock festival in 1969. It's a beautiful way to start the playlist...
(audio only)
2. Led Zeppelin: Rain Song
Jimmy Page brought a laid back orchestral style arrangement to this mega ballad (possibly better than Stairway?), which he had prepared before he got to the studio - with Robert Plant adding the words. It was, Plant felt, one of his best vocal performances across their catalogue - quite a high bar, but listening to it you can understand why - a real powerhouse number. It is one of those songs also famous for Page using the double-necked Gibson guitar - so very 70s!
(live at Earl's Court, London - 1975)
3. The Cult: Rain
Rain was the second single from The Cult's breakthrough record, 1985's Love. While it was a fan favourite, it appears that singer Ian Astbury didn't seem so keen, despite the fact that it mixes so well their new dynamic rock sound, with some great melodic elements. Whatever he thought, it's a great melodic driving rock track, and had earned its place in the playlist.
(official music video)
4. Garbage: I'm Only Happy When It Rains
This song, which would provide Garbage with a breakout UK hit in 1996, actually originated from sessions in 1994 and 1995. It is, as singer Shirley Manson said, "a song for people that know what it is like to live on the dark side of life." To match that slightly bleak note, music geeks will like to note it is in G#m, as minor chords are known for adding a bit of darkness to a song. Despite all that, Manson has an air that draws you into the song, I guess making it somewhat sadistic.
(official music video)
5. Missy Elliott: The Rain
The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) to give the song its full title, was Missy Elliott's debut single, written by Don Bryant, Bernie Miller, Timbaland and Elliott herself. The rain runs deep with this one, including a sample from Ann Peebles' soul classic I Can't Stand The Rain, which becomes the chorus (and virtually makes the track worthwhile by itself). Some critics argued at the time, that Elliott's lyrics were a bit lazy and she relied too much on Timbaland's beats - but the best part of three decades later it's still pulling its weight, so what do they know? Plus, NASA chose it for their Deep Space Network project, beaming songs to planets - The Rain ended up being transmitted to Venus, which as Elliott herself said, "symbolizes strength, beauty and empowerment" and so was the first hip-hop song played in space.
(official music video)
6. Eurythmics: Here Comes The Rain Again
In a period where everything they wrote (or certainly released as a single) seemed to be a nailed on banger, but Here Comes The Rain Again was probably always my favourite. Principal songwriter and guitarist, David A Stewart, commented that he always liked to try and bring elements of melancholy into his songs - and he was certainly successful with this one, painting a slightly bleak but beautiful picture. There was also a string arrangement by legendary conductor and composer Michael Kamen, who wrote it, while the British Philharmonic Orchestra played it.
(official music video)
7. Brook Benton: Rainy Night In Georgia
I think that the 80s Randy Crawford version is possibly more well known, but we are going to be authentic here and go with the 1969 Brook Benton super smooth original. It had actually been written by singer-songwriter Tony Joe White (apparently nicknamed The Swamp Fox...) in 1967, about moving down to Marietta, Georgia. He had a job driving a dump truck, but when it rained he didn't have to work, so he could stay home and play guitar instead. Brook Benton had been bigger a decade or so earlier, and he picked this song up for his 'comeback' record, 1969's Brook Benton Today. Despite it being a bit melancholic, it gave him a hit, reaching number four on the U.S. chart.
(audio only)
8. Bob Dylan: A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall
Dylan brought an air of revolution to his music for this song, with the Cuban Missile Crisis large in everyone's minds and with him spending time reading on the Civil War and classical literature, which apparently fuelled Dylan to write something he considered to be "one long funeral song". You can say what you like about his voice, and let's be honest, it's not great - but he knows how to write a proper tune.
(audio only)
9. The Beatles: Rain
Let's be honest, while most bands would prize this as their greatest track, this was just the B-Side to The Beatles' gloriously hard rockin' Paperback Writer. Both that and Rain were products of the sessions for Revolver but weren't on the album. Rain was a John Lennon tune, although as usual it was credited to the Lennon-McCartney double act. For those British people reading this, it is a song that Lennon said was about "people moaning about the weather all the time." 😁 Like some of the songs that would appear on Revolver, it includes some reversed instrumentation and a slowed down rhythm track, meaning it has an air of the Indian music they were getting into, without actually having any Indian instruments on it.
(official music video)
10. Peter Gabriel: Red Rain
This is such a glorious tune to wrap things up; inspired by a dream Peter Gabriel had about swimming in his pool drinking red wine - but then fused with another dream where people shaped bottles were falling from a cliff, smashing on the ground and releasing red liquid. Hmmm... that does make it sound pretty bleak, yet the song also comes across as quite a soothing, calming song too (perhaps the influence of the titular rain, provided for the song by Stewart Copeland, providing the delicate hi-hat notes).
(live on Later With Jools, 2011 - with the New Blood Orchestra; a suitably majestic take on a great song)
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