_JPG.jpg)
When John Lennon first heard today's "Great Song of 1974," he called it "the best song ever!"
Of course, John had an eclectic taste when it came to other artists' music, but in this case, he was spot on: "I Can't Stand the Rain" by soul singer Ann Peebles truly IS a "Great Song," and just eclectic enough to catch John's attention.
One night in 1973, Ann, her husband Don Bryant, and friend Ernie Miller were getting ready to attend a blues concert when it started to rain--heavily. Ann grumbled something along the lines of "I can't stand this rain," and Don said, "That's a good title!"
Before long, the song was written--with some clever lyrical wordplay--centering around a woman who can't stand the rain on her window pane--because pane reminds her of the pain of her recent breakup. (She might have worked in "plain and Spain," but that's different song.)
Production-wise, the song is noted for the use of an electronic tymbale (which was a new innovation at the time) to create the rain sound effects. Up to that point, pizzicato strings had been the "go-to" for that purpose.
Regardless of how much John Lennon loved the song, it only reached #38 on the Hot 100 in 1974.
HOWEVER, Ann's version inspired the group Eruption to record and release a cover in 1978 that charted in 17 countries--reaching the Top 10 in 15 of them! It topped the charts in Australia and Belgium, reached #2 in Norway and Sweden, and here in the US, it made it to #6 on Billboard's Dance Chart...as well as #18 on the Hot 100."
No word on what John Lennon thought of THAT version, but nevertheless, Eruption's worldwide success added to Ann Peebles' outstanding original, combine to make "I Can't Stand the Rain a "Great Song of 1973 and 1978!"
Note: For the record, in 1985, Tina Turner released a version that topped the charts in Germany and Austria. I've included a link to her version as well.
Comments