Looking out the window, I am watching it rain, again, and cradling a cup of hot tea in my hands. I chose my souvenir mug from The Back Porch restaurant in Destin. Fitting. To me a good cup of hot tea is like sunshine with aroma and flavor. What is it about a cup of hot tea? It has the ability to take the harsh edges off a rough day and make you feel that things will turn out fine. It is a salve for the soul and the key to unlocking your thoughts.
As the rain drops continue to fall, all the songs written about the rain are beginning to play in my head. Well, not all of them, just the ones that I’ve heard. Even though I haven’t heard every rain song ever written, I am surprised at how many I have heard. And in the true course of human nature, I wonder which one is best. Which begs another question: why do we always have to quantify everything? Can’t we just say “here are a bunch of things I like and no one of them is better than the rest of them?
Well, I can and will with the following list. I’m not saying these songs are the best rain songs ever written, but they are some pretty darn good ones if you ask me.
"Rainy Night in Georgia" as sung by Brook Benton.
This one really speaks. I can not only feel the cold, damp rain, but also the loneliness of the writer Tony Joe White. White is also the guy who wrote and had a hit with “Polk Salad Annie”. It is interesting to note that White moved to live with his sister in Marietta for about three months after he graduated high school in Oak Grove, Louisiana. So, he actually knew a thing or two about rainy nights in Georgia. White died in 2018 of a heart attack at the age of 75.
"Kentucky Rain" as sung by Elvis Presley.
This song is so well written that it could've be a hit for any talented singer. But Elvis’ delivery and styling relays perfectly the emotion of someone who is searching for that one true love who, for reasons he doesn’t understand, left him. He’s desperate to find her and is willing to walk, hitchhike, or do whatever it takes to find her. There’s a Hallmark Channel Valentine’s Day movie in this song. But that’s what you get when you have two talented song writers like Eddie Rabbitt and Dick Heard penning the tune. Ronnie Milsap played piano on the record which brings me to the next song on my mental jukebox.
"Smoky Mountain Rain" as sung by Ronnie Milsap.
I had the privilege of seeing Ronnie in concert several years ago. That’s when I first learned that he had played on the Elvis recording of “Kentucky Rain”. As he told it, Elvis wanted him to play a little heavier handed. He wanted to feel the thunder coming from the keyboard. As you listen to “Smoky Mountain Rain”, you hear Ronnie really pound it during the chorus in what could be considered an homage to Elvis. For those who want a little quantification, the song was Milsap’s sixteenth number-one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and his first number-one on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was written by Kyle Fleming and Dennis Morgan. The pair also wrote “Sleeping Single in a Double Bed” for Barbara Mandrell.
"I Wish It Would Rain" as sung by the Temptations.
This one takes a slightly different turn. It isn’t about the rain that is falling, rather it is about the rain the singer wishes would fall. His girl leaves him for another man. The pain is more than he can stand, yet as a man he knows he isn’t supposed to cry, at least not in public. You can hear the pain as he implores the skies to break loose so that he can go outside and cry. The rain drops will mask his tears to the passersby. David Ruffin doesn’t just sing this song, he lives it in his performance. That’s called soul, and that’s difference between singing to an audience and connecting with the world. Norman Whitfield, who wrote and co-wrote a ton of great songs for Motown including “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”, Barrett Strong, who recorded Motown’s first hit “Money (that’s what I want”), and Rodger Penzabene, a gifted lyricist who wrote from personal pain (sadly, the week after “I Wish It Would Rain” was released, Penzabene committed suicide at the age of 23) did a great job writing this one.
"Purple Rain" as sung by Prince (who else right?).
Well, it might have been sung by Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac fame. Or at least co-written since originally Prince sent her the track and asked her to write lyrics. She declined saying that the song was too powerful. So, Prince did it himself and did a fine job. I’ve often wondered what purple rain is. According to Prince, it refers to “the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith guide you through the purple rain.” All I know is the music is powerful and his guitar work is fantastic. But to really experience this song, check out the video of his halftime performance at Super Bowl 41. It’s the last song in the set and just as he hits the first notes, the bottom falls out of the sky and the rain drenches him. Yet, he doesn’t stop. If anything, he digs even deeper and delivers the performance of a lifetime, never missing a note.
"Have You Ever Seen the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
This one always comes up when people talk about rain songs. Taken on the surface, it’s about sun showers. We’ve all seen it. The sun is out and it’s raining at the same time. My mother always said when that happens that the Devil is beating his wife. Not sure what that has to do with the weather, but she always said it. It turns out that when John Fogerty wrote it, that’s not what he was singing about. He has said in interviews in and on stage that it is about what was happening in the band at the time. They had all the measures of success—money and fame—but were unhappy. Their discontent was the rain coming down on their sunny day.
"Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" as sung by B.J. Thomas.
It was almost sung by Ray Stevens. That’s who the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David first offered the song. Hey, Ray, say” no” to drugs, but if Bacharach and David offer you a song, say “yes”. The song was written for the soundtrack of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, but the version you hear in the movie and the one you hear on the hit single are not the same. Thomas had a case of laryngitis when he recorded it. It took five takes to get the version that was used in the movie. A few weeks later when his voice was back to full strength, Thomas recorded the version on the single. The song won an Academy Award and was number one for four weeks early in 1970. The song is positive in its view, which is something you don’t always get from a rain song. It always puts me in a good mood as much for the lyrics as for the memories it conjures. I recall first hearing the song a few years after it came out thanks to the small transistor radio I received for my seventh or eighth birthday. It was never far from my hand. It came with an ear piece which made it easy for me to listen after bedtime without getting into trouble. Some kids read comics under the covers with a flashlight. I spent quality time with the top 40.
My cup is empty and my list is done for now. My list is by no means complete. No doubt there will be other rainy-day cups of tea that conjure up other songs. But it isn’t meant to be. I can think of many others, as I am sure you can as well.
We all have those songs that come to us on rainy days shared with a cup of hot tea. Some we have in common; others we do not. The important thing is we have them. The rain not only makes great music, it inspires it. It is those songs that help us get through those days when it rains on us either literally or metaphorically.
