Rain, rain, rain records
鈥淪unshine, blue skies 鈥� please go away. My girl has found another and gone away.鈥�
I first heard those words in 1967, when those Motown legends 鈥� The Temptations 鈥� convinced a record-buying public that they 鈥淲ish(ed) it would rain.鈥�
To understand The Temptations鈥� dilemma, you had to imagine a fellow so overcome by the loss of his girlfriend, his grief made it impossible for him to go outside in public unless rain could mask his tears.
鈥淲ith her went my future. My life is filled with gloom. So, day after day, I stay locked up in my room,鈥� they confessed.
(Where am I going with this? Heck. I don鈥檛 know. But please keep reading.)
As we listened to that catchy late-1960s tune, it became obvious that The Temptations either needed some form of professional help, or they were also going to have a hit on their hands.
鈥淚 know to you it might sound strange, but I wish it would rain,鈥� they proclaimed.
Falling rain was their refuge.
Rain has always been a convenient songwriting device.
Take the R&B group, The Dramatics.
Five years after the Temptations expressed their need to employ rain as a disguise, so did the Dramatics, with their tune, 鈥�(I Wanna Go Outside) In the Rain.鈥�
They weren鈥檛 shy about stealing The Temptations鈥� theme.
They even added the sounds of ominous-sounding thunder in the background, to accentuate the fact that, as they sang, 鈥淥nce the rain starts falling 鈥� on my face 鈥� you won鈥檛 see a single trace, of the tears,鈥� they were crying.
Rain, rain, rain.
B.J. Thomas wanted us to know that 鈥淩aindrops keep falling on (his) head.鈥�
Ray Charles was going to love somebody, 鈥淐ome Rain or Come Shine.鈥�
In 1971, Richard and Karen Carpenter weren鈥檛 very happy because 鈥淩ainy Days and Mondays鈥� were always getting them down.
When I undertook my (not really) extensive research for this column, I was struck by all of the websites that list music using rain as part of their theme.
I found sites that list the top 20, 25, 27, and 30 best songs about rain.
Each of them uses subjective analysis. One site may consider Gene Kelly蘑菇视频 鈥淪ingin鈥� in the Rain鈥� as the top rain-oriented song. Another site might not even list it on theirs.
I found one site that lists 鈥�154 Songs About Rain to Soothe the Soul.鈥�
James Taylor蘑菇视频 haunting Fire and Rain is listed as No. 23 on that site. But I鈥檓 not sure it蘑菇视频 very 鈥渟oothing,鈥� since it蘑菇视频 about a friend of his who committed suicide and about Taylor蘑菇视频 own fight with heroin addiction.
It is, though, part of Mr. Taylor蘑菇视频 greatest hits. Sweet Baby James has had a lot of those.
Rain, rain, rain.
Does anybody know exactly what Prince (the artist who would become the artist formerly known as Prince, before he was 鈥� oh, never mind) meant with his tune, 鈥淧urple Rain?鈥�
Not many people seem to know exactly what purple rain or that song means. Although, for me, it蘑菇视频 got quite a thoroughly infectious quality.
So does the song 鈥淢acArthur Park,鈥� which has been sung by several popular singers. But it was considered to be a big hit when actor-turned-singer Richard Harris released it in 1968.
I found one website that questions whether 鈥淢acArthur Park, And A Cake out in the Rain, is the worst lyrics. Ever.鈥�
Well, you be the judge.
鈥淪omeone left the cake out in the rain. I don鈥檛 think that I can take it 鈥檆ause it took so long to bake it.鈥�
I don鈥檛 know if it蘑菇视频 the worst lyrics. But it may be the worst use of rain in any song ever written.
Albert Hammond lied when he sang that 鈥淚t Never Rains in Southern California鈥� in 1972.
I鈥檝e lived in Southern California twice. I can assure you it does rain out there.
I have to wonder why Hammond, who hails from London, England, is so worried about rain, anyway.
Peabo Bryson asked, 鈥淐an You Stop the Rain鈥�?
Yep!
I can.
Right here.
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 50-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.