Rain as metaphor in pop songs
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 4:35 pm
A recent posting mentioned the song "Remember the Rain", and it got me thinking:
This song, like countless other songs in the pop domain, makes rain a metaphor for bad times, loneliness, depression, while sunshine refers to happy times and good fortune. Now I love a fine sunny day as much as anybody, but I also know (and the climatologists keep reminding us) that we need a certain amount of rain to survive. I've also observed in my travels (and I have been to several continents) that places that get lots of rain often tend to be spectacularly beautiful places when the sun comes out. Yet not too many popular songwriters explicitly recognise this. Off the top of my head I can only think of a couple.
"Mamunia", from the Paul McCartney and Wings album Band on the Run, is one:
"Next time you see LA rainclouds
Don't complain, it rains for you and me."
There is also "Mad Man Moon" by Genesis (from the album A Trick of the Tail), which contains the very philosophical lines:
"Within the valley of shadowless death
They pray for thunderclouds and rain,
But to the multitude who stand in the rain
Heaven is where the sun shines."
I'm wondering if we'll see a few more songs about the positive aspects of clouds and rain with the growing awareness of climate change?
This song, like countless other songs in the pop domain, makes rain a metaphor for bad times, loneliness, depression, while sunshine refers to happy times and good fortune. Now I love a fine sunny day as much as anybody, but I also know (and the climatologists keep reminding us) that we need a certain amount of rain to survive. I've also observed in my travels (and I have been to several continents) that places that get lots of rain often tend to be spectacularly beautiful places when the sun comes out. Yet not too many popular songwriters explicitly recognise this. Off the top of my head I can only think of a couple.
"Mamunia", from the Paul McCartney and Wings album Band on the Run, is one:
"Next time you see LA rainclouds
Don't complain, it rains for you and me."
There is also "Mad Man Moon" by Genesis (from the album A Trick of the Tail), which contains the very philosophical lines:
"Within the valley of shadowless death
They pray for thunderclouds and rain,
But to the multitude who stand in the rain
Heaven is where the sun shines."
I'm wondering if we'll see a few more songs about the positive aspects of clouds and rain with the growing awareness of climate change?