Hail Hail Rock n Roll!!!

Here I am, rock you like a hurricane. (I know that phrasing makes no sense, whaddaya want, they were singing English phonetically) Sorry this is a bit late, but as with Sam, I had a bunch of ideas set to go (songs that mention seasons, songs by Snow Patrol, anything produced by Flood… too many ideas, in fact), then the recent divebombings Mother****ing Nature gave all of us here in Boston soured my mood a bit. Out went all the “She’s A Rainbow”s and “California Sun”s, supplanted by songs about rain, RAIN, RAIN… It turns out that it actually does go away, but comes back another day pissed off and out for revenge. Last week Harvard Square went from slightly gloomy to pitch black and horizontal in about 45 seconds. People turned into running screaming Cloverfield extras. The wind pulled my store’s door open. The rain was so thick I couldn’t see across the street. The only proper descriptive is “chunks”. There were chunks of water falling from the sky. Anyway, this kind of thing affects one’s mood, and therefore one’s playlist.

One interesting thing I kept noticing while searching through my music library is how many songs by Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin kept popping up. I’ve already discussed this with Sam, but from the obvious “Blowin’ In The Wind” to the simple and sweet “Shelter From The Storm”, whether the rain is Hard or Early Morning or Day Women or in Buckets, (not to mention the distinctly non-weather-related “Hurricane”), Dylan is no stranger to weather as metaphor. Then you get Zep and their (admittedly strained at times) attempts to connect with R&B / rock’s delta roots with songs about levees and riversides and… Moby Dick… Sam and I comiserated a bit about the loss of many of those old standby metaphors, replaced by pop music with all the subtlety of, “Hey girl, saw you walkin’ down the street, let’s go dance and then have sex”. I mean sure, I guess that’s what rock n roll was always saying, they just used to find a slightly more interesting way of putting it.

But this is getting off the point a bit. I’m merely trying for once to actually address here in print on the site one of the many rants Sam and I enjoy at the store but make no record of. Maybe, if that last sentence is any evidence, because of my occasionally “interesting” use of grammar. Back to my playlist. Lemon Jelly said it best: “Nice Weather For Ducks”. So setting aside the “Little April Shower” song from “Bambi”, which I used on another playlist not too long ago, I’ve included all the other “All Rain And No Sun Make Homer something something” songs. Perhaps I’ll get back to the sunny side once the jetstream complies. For now, here comes the rain again, falling on my head like… an as easy yet effective metaphor for tears and the blues. So goodbye blue sky, you’re becoming obscured by clouds…

1. Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots, “Into Every Life Some Rain Must Fall”
2. The Temptations, “I Wish It Would Rain”
3. The Cascades, “Rhythm Of The Rain”
4. ELO, “Rain Is Falling”
5. Ann Peebles, “I Can’t Stand The Rain”
6. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Who’ll Stop The Rain”
7. k-os, “The Rain”
8. Peter Gabriel, “Here Comes The Flood”

Enjoy!

Download: Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots, “Into Every Life Some Rain Must Fall” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Temptations, “I Wish It Would Rain” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Cascades, “Rhythm Of The Rain” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: ELO, “Rain Is Falling” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Ann Peebles, “I Can’t Stand The Rain” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Who’ll Stop The Rain” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: k-os, “The Rain” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Peter Gabriel, “Here Comes The Flood” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)