Rainy Day Tunes

A few friends and I are going camping in Maine next week, a trip we’ve been planning for several weeks now. In the planning process, I always envisioned a string of sunny summer days. But the 10-day forecast for New England is looking pretty dismal right now. There isn’t a single day on which rain isn’t predicted. And, while I can’t imagine the forecasters to be 100% accurate, it’s still a bit disheartening.

The only comfort may lie in the fact that there does exist some music that is perfect for a rainy day. For me, that music is generally mellow and contemplative, perfect for staring out a rain-streaked window and losing oneself in thought.

One of my favorite rainy day tunes comes from Jeff Buckley’s Grace. It’s not “Hallelujah,” though that’s not a bad rainy day tune either. Rather, it’s “Lover, You Should Have Come Over.” The lyrics make it a rather obvious fit for a rainy day; the opening two lines: “Looking out the door I see the rain fall upon the funeral mourners / Parading in a wake of sad relations as their shoes fill up with water.” This sets the stage as the song descends into lonely thoughts of a former lover. Buckley’s vocals are, as usual, sublime, and the result is a song that beautifully builds, like a storm perhaps, from a whispered beginning to an impassioned climax.

Jeff Buckley – Lover You Should Have Come Over (YSI) (filesavr)

Another of my favorite rainy day tunes comes from Jackson Browne: “Song for Adam,” off of his debut self-titled album. The song is an understated requiem for a deceased friend (suicide is implied), featuring only acoustic guitar and strings. The lyrics are perhaps be a bit heavy-handed (“I sit before my only candle, like a pilgrim sits beside the way”), but the unadorned performance renders such sentiments potent rather than pretentious. Simply put, it’s a beautiful song.

Jackson Browne – Song for Adam (YSI) (filesavr)

And, just so this post isn’t too somber, a classic rainy day tune from a classic film: “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head,” from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Written by none other than Burt Bacharach and Hal David, it is a jaunty ode to defying the rain. While it rains all through my camping trip, I'll try to keep this song in mind.

BJ Thomas – Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head (YSI) (filesavr)

Enjoy the rain.