One of the rainiest autumns in recent years – at least in an unusually gray capital – deserves an adequate soundtrack. We therefore thought we would offer you a playlist with a high level of humidity, collecting some songs – more or less well-known – dedicated to rain. Between those who invoke it as a cure and catharsis, those who paint it as a poetic environmental frame and those who fear it as a definitive catastrophic event.
The theme has fascinated historical groups, such as the Doors of the epic “Riders On The Storm”, Led Zeppelin of the poignant “Rain Song”, Creedence Clearwater Revival of the anthem on the road “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” or the Beatles-Stones tandem of the little-known “Rain” and “Rain Fall Down”. And it has seduced masters of song of all time, such as Burt Bacharach, author of the appicciosissima evergreen “Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head” which each of us has whistled at least once in life, or Leonard Cohen and Paolo Conte, who have linked their names to two authentic hymns to the quintessential rainy day outfit (respectively, “Famous Blue Raincoat” and “Gli impermeabili”).
The 80s also offered valuable contributions to the topic, turned catastrophic by Rem's “So. Central Rain”, dedicated to the floods in Georgia, and also by those, like Peter Gabriel, who prophesied the arrival of a “Red Rain”. More reassuring (perhaps) is the purple one, predicted by Prince in one of his most famous songs (“Purple Rain”), while cult bands of the decade such as the Secret Service, fresh from the flashes of “Flash In The Night”, basked in wet memories (“Rainy Day Memories”), others spoke of drizzly cities (the Scottish Deacon Blue of “Raintown”) and the very refined Jane Siberry sought consolation from the hypothesis of rain permanent (“It Can't Rain All The Time”). A hypothesis which, however, has also found unsuspected supporters, such as the Cult della title track of their 1985 masterpiece (“Rain”), the Cure intent on a propitiatory prayer (“Prayers For Rain”), The The of their rainy kingdom (“Kingdom Of Rain”) and above all the Jesus & Mary Chain–Garbage duo, who even theorized an unprecedented happiness from disturbance (“Happy When It Rains”, “Only Happy When It Rains”).
A rain that can be dark (Lycia, “The Rain”), pop (Madonna, “Rain”, Enya, “Echoes In The Rain”) or jazz-rock (Morphine, “You Look Like Rain”), which is not only winter, as the pioneers of Celtic rock U2 and Alarm have reminded us (“Summer Rain”, “Rain In The Summertime”) and which can even push one into wild races (Pat Benatar, “Run Between The Raindrops”). A rain that can connote an entire place, whether generic (Joe Jackson, “A Place In The Rain”) or geographically identified (Tom Petty, “Louisiana Rain”).
All we have to do is say: good rain (and good listening) to everyone!
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
