Bob Lind's Message Board

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?

How about-

"Yellow Balloon" - by Yellow Balloon,

"The Rain, The Park & Other Things" - Cowsills,

..and, er...um..."Rainy Day Women Nos. 12 & 35" - the other Bob...?

And there's always "Laughter in the Rain" by Neil Sedaka....

',,, you and me and Rain on the Roof...' John Sebastian at his finest for The Lovin' Spoonful... in fact I don't think anyone has written more happier pop songs than John B.. think about it.. Daydream, Summer in the City, You Didn't Have to Be So Nice, You'e A Big Boy Now, Younger Girl, Magical Connnection.... the list goes on and on.. and the guy is still touring.. wonder if the Spoonful's and Bob's paths ever crossed??

I suppose I'm the only one familiar with Juluka's "December African Rain," right?

South African band. Great songwriting. Rain is an old African symbol for prosperity and peace between people.

Geez - EVERYTHING is on YouTube. Here: a video I didn't know existed.

Try to listen without watching....

grant wrote:I suppose I'm the only one familiar with Juluka's "December African Rain," right?

South African band. Great songwriting. Rain is an old African symbol for prosperity and peace between people.

Geez - EVERYTHING is on YouTube. Here: a video I didn't know existed.

Try to listen without watching....

I don't know this song but I do know of Juluka. (Is that the spelling?) Afriend of mine was lent the album Scatterlings of Africa by friends of hers who had been to South Africa.

I believe they later renamed themselves to "Johnny Clegg and Savuka."

Well, that's not exactly the same band - Juluka was (supposedly) an equal partnership between Johnny Clegg (who was white) and Sipho Mchunu (who was a Zulu).

Sipho got swept up in some kind of local politics (the rumor I heard was he was out-earning his chief, who became dangerously envious, but grain of salt) and took a break from music for a few years.

Savuka is what Johnny Clegg did when Sipho went away.

My favorite album of theirs is the first I heard, African Litany, although I think my favorite song of theirs is "Simple Things" which might be on Scatterlings....

Well...Small Faces had a song called "Rene"...close, at all? (No, on second thoughts, I suppose not...)