What was it about rain in the early to mid 80s?

All I know is, don't leave your cake out in it.

 

I don't remember where I heard/read this....

The use of "rain" was mandated in the yearly Billboard board of director's meeting in 1980. Or one of those organizations. "Rain" was to appear in every 43rd release per week. Second time the rule came up... after the 1963-67 debacle where the rule was only adhered to by The Critters (Don't Let the Rain), Serendipity Singers (Ah oh), Searchers (What Have they Done to the Rain), Nancy Sinatra (Sugar Town) and maybe a few others. During the course of the years that the directive was in force, there were many war stories of acts trying to incorporate the word to no avail. For example, remember the interview where Rick Springfield spent weeks trying to get "rain" to rhyme with "moot"?

I believe the Nelson Brothers rolled out one of the last "rain" records in 1990 or so, received an award for finding the last remaining way to rhyme "rain" and the word was officially retired by the board from the assembly lines.

Same general thing happened a few years later in at the meeting discussing country music.....with the overwhelming vote of the members in 1982 requiring either "truck", "hat", and/or "jukebox" to appear in prominent spots on every second release per week. This didn't really pick up until 1983. I think I heard that Don Kirshner had established a write-in petition for "sugar" to be required (in the country category) after only being somewhat successful with the requirement for pop music in 1968. The board deliberated a long time on that before thumbs down. Despite Don not getting traction in the country category, it was I think decided by the board as a concession that every hundred and eighty-forth "act" name would include "sugar" as part of the band/artist name. I think that was voted down after a couple of years in favor of "Ty" or "Tracy" instead.

There was also the required country music apparel directive discussed several times over the years by the board. For example, I believe (and I'm only vaguely remembering what I heard from someone who knew someone who read this), that there was somewhat a concern by 1979 that there weren't enough hats being worn by contemporary country artists on album covers and in person.

For example, despite repeated requests by the board/record companies etc, Glen Campbell still refused.... the Mandrell sisters refused.... and even Buck Owens (who had recently purchased a Mellotron... causing a whole slew of diff issues) refused. Waylon Jennings was okay with it, but Merle Haggard became semi hatless, which negated the effect. Johnny Paycheck was showing support with the size of his hat, but no one knew for sure if it was really him underneath.

Alabama only partly cooperated with the hat directive, but then appeared on Kirshner's Rock concert, playing a few rock covers (and refusing to include the word "sugar" on any of them... and only I think one hat worn in the band), so that sort of negated that impact. After a great amount of concern, the only brute force act the industry could figure would work would be to make "Urban Cowboy". Which indeed did work very well for a while.

Nowadays of course, both rock and country categories pretty freely interchange hats and tattoos and Stratocasters. I've heard that the initiative for the word "rain" is being discussed again as a requirement for some test categories like alt-folk.

Don't mind me. I have to write today and am warming up.

 

Terence Trent d'Arby predicted it would rain, rain.

 

The 80s economic depression likely inspired a lot of "rain" analogies. Rain tends to represent nostalgia for better times. Wasn't much else going on in the 80s of note.

 

R.E.M. were sorry about "So. Central Rain".

 

Maybe it had something to do with that sex scene in 9 1/2 WEEKS. It sure has heck "inspired" me!

 

The 70s, but still, my two favorite Led Zeppelin songs are "The Rain Song" and "Fool In The Rain."

And "Who'll Stop the Rain" (1970) and "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" (1971)...BUT, great observation about the 80s!

Plus, this magic:

Do I have to tell the story
Of a thousand rainy days since we first met
It's a big enough umbrella
But it's always me that ends up getting wet
​

And one of my favorite albums of the era, Sparkle In The Rain.

 

Could have really done without the "Sexx you up" directive in the 90s.

 

"Rainy Days And Mondays" "It Never Rains In Southern California"

 

This thread needs some Blue Nile. Even though only one of their songs - Tinseltown in the Rain - specifically mentions the word in the title, lots of the songs from their two 80s albums conjure up images of Glasgow streets, around either dusk or dawn, still slippy and wet from an earlier storm.

 

Talking of Glasgow, Deacon Blue's Raintown spring to mind.

 

What about the Heat Of The Night? There was enough of that in the late 70s/80s that there's actually a disambiguation page on Wikipedia about it. Was it the popular phrase at the time, like rhyming 'bleeding' and 'breathing' are in modern pop ballads? Or in fact similarly titled songs about heat like "The Heat Is On" (again, multiple examples), "Hot Hot Hot", "Hot In The City", "Some Like It Hot", "Hot Stuff" etc. I guess it must have been so hot in the 80s that was all people could think about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Heat_of_the_Night

Well it could be explained that rain is often used as a metaphor for tears, it's associated with country music, but has been used plenty of other times. It was used in New Radicals' "I Don't Wanna Die Anymore" to great effect.

 

80s...

Dire Straits claimed it never rained.
Phil Collins wished it would rain down.
a-ha bewailed the Soft Rains of April.
Queen resigned themselves that Rain Must Fall.

 

The Alarm had Rain In The Summertime.

 

That's Wales for you.

 

"No swimming in the heavy water, no singing in the acid rain......." - Geddy Lee (1984)

 

the answer to this,
as it is to most questions worth asking,
is blade runner.

 

That wasn't rain, it was Reagan's trickle down economics. And cardboard 50s nostalgia. "Hip to be square!" "Morning In America!"

 

Whitesnake - Cryin' In The Rain

John Mellencamp - Rain On The Scarecrow

Led Zeppelin - Fool In The Rain

 

It was a dreary decade for some, that's why a lot of the music was sad and or ruminative and talked about rain, etc.

 

As my fellow Hoser Neil Peart said in '84.

There's now swimming in the heavy water, no singing in the acid rain

 

Supertramp - It's raining again

 

Rainy days, never say goodbye...

(Gazebo - I Like Chopin)

 

Dragon had a song called Rain too-

Well, it's a happenin' thing and it's happenin' to you
Full moon and thunder, ribbons of blue
Ice on the window, ice in my heart
Fooling with thunder wvery time we start

It's been rainin' for so long
It's been rainin' for so long

Well, isn't it a wonder the streets are dark?
Isn't it a wonder we fall apart?
Day after day straight rain falls down
All over town, rain come

It's been rainin' for so long
It's been rainin' for so long

Don't you go out in the rain
Don't go out in the pourin' rain
If you go out in the rain
You never have that time again

Isn't it a wonder streets are dark?
Isn't it a wonder we fall apart?

All these feelings, they seem so wrong
Remember we were so strong
It's been rainin' for so long
It's been rainin', I can't go on

Don't you go out in the rain
Don't go out in the pourin' rain
If you go out in the rain
You never have that time again

Don't you go out in the rain
Don't go out in the pourin' rain
If you go out in the rain
You never have that time again
Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/dragon/rain-lyrics/#x4Q1lAyMcui8P7rK.99