Songs About Rain

Message

Ron · #1 Post by **Ron** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 12:46 pm

Southern California has been hit badly by wildfires. People I know at work have lost their homes. Dozens have lost their lives. The Cedar fire is the largest in CA history and it got into San Diego suburbs before the winds shifted, now its devastating the mountain towns and places where I camp and hike. Another bad fire in the Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead area north of LA has burned hundreds of towns and is threatening places where I ski and camp. For a few days ash covered my car and it was hard to breathe for all the smokey air.

Its sprinkling today, and the local pop radio was playing songs about rain, so in the spirit of calling upon the rain gods, what are some swinging songs about rain and storms?

A few I can think of to get you started:

"Stormy Monday" - Barbara Morrison off Live at the 9:20 special or Getting along all right (Or Gene Harris, or Lou Rawls, or T-Bone Walker, any one of the other 344 AMG hits)
"Stormy Weather" - Royal Crown Revue off The Contender (or any of the other 790 hits!)
"Walk Between the Raindrops" - Ray Gelato

Mr Awesomer · #2 Post by **Mr Awesomer** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 1:00 pm

I don't see the fires as a completely bad thing, but we can always use the rain:

Rain - Jimmie Lunceford
Rainin' - Jimmie Lunceford
Raincheck - Duke Ellington
Singin' In The Rain - Claude Hopkins
September In The Rain - Roadrunners
Was It Rain? - Artie Shaw
Lillacs in the Rain - Artie Shaw
Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall - Charlie Barnet

KevinSchaper · #3 Post by **KevinSchaper** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 1:02 pm

"Rain" - Jimmie Lunceford

Ron · #4 Post by **Ron** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 1:37 pm

During the St. Louis exchange, it rained, and Solomon played September in the Rain and another rain song, but I forget what it was...

Shorty Dave · #5 Post by **Shorty Dave** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 3:53 pm

Oh what fond memories of the Boston Exchange a few years back; it was pouring during their outdoor dance on the Commons. I think it was Trager and/or Slick Mike (maybe others) who played nothing but rain/water related songs...Teardrops from my Eyes, Wade in the Water (when it was popular!), Blue Skies, Stormy Weather, etc, etc.

What fun!

Shanabanana · #6 Post by **Shanabanana** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 4:12 pm

That set rocked!

Isn't this a Lovely Day - Stacey Kent - Let Yourself Go
"Isn't this a lovely day to get caught in the rain"

How far are you willing to stretch it?

Miser's Serenade - Chris Connor - Sings Gershwin
"How he loves that golden shower" Ok, golden shower is nasty, but still...

Cry me a river?

Matthew · #7 Post by **Matthew** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 7:30 pm

"Keeps on Raining" - Billie Holiday - Golden Greats: Billie Holiday
"Raining on My Sunshine" - Jay and the Americans
"Walking in the Rain" - Jay and the Americans
"Just Walking in the Rain" - The Champs

Lawrence · #8 Post by **Lawrence** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 7:38 pm

"It's Raining Men." (Kidding)

Seriously, Joe Williams has a great version of "September In the Rain" on "A Swinging Night in Birdland." (1962) So does Betty Roch on "Take the A Train" (1956). (There are 302 other versions of the song according to Allmusic.)

Also, although "rain" is not in the title, one of my favorite Ella Fitzgerald tunes is "Teardrops from my eyes," off "Ella Swings Lightly," which goes, "Now it's raining... Teardrops from my Eyes." (Appropriate on many levels.)

Charles Brown also does a great version of "Teardrops from my Eyes," albeit completely differently: with a rolling Boogie-Blues feeling from a live European CD, "I'm Gonna Push On!"

Not exactly a great song, but still swingy:

"Rain" by Les Brown off "22 Original Big Band Recordings"
"Rain" by Benny Carter off Benny Carter Songbook (1995)

Not exactly Swing, but "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor....
Led Zepplin's "Rain Song" (Houses of the Holy)
John Coltrane: "After the Rain" (many albums, including "Dear Old Stockholm")

BTW, best of luck to you guys out there. My parents' home was a few hundred feet away from a HUGE wildfire this past summer in Tucson while I was visiting them, so I can somewhat relate....

gatorgal · #9 Post by **gatorgal** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 7:44 am

Lawrence wrote:"It's Raining Men." (Kidding)

You should NEVER kid about The Weather Girls. I love that song... especially when I head out to my neighborhood Chippendales Bar.

Seriously, good luck Southern California... our hearts and prayers are with you!

Tina

Nando · #10 Post by **Nando** » Fri Nov 28, 2003 8:50 pm

Shorty Dave wrote:Oh what fond memories of the Boston Exchange a few years back; it was pouring during their outdoor dance on the Commons. I think it was Trager and/or Slick Mike (maybe others) who played nothing but rain/water related songs...Teardrops from my Eyes, Wade in the Water (when it was popular!), Blue Skies, Stormy Weather, etc, etc.

What fun!

I still remember that day vividly! It was Slick Mike who DJ'd that set, because I remember talking to him about it afterwards!