Like the Rain

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

"Like the Rain"
Single by Clint Black
from the album Greatest Hits
B-side"Desperado"[1]
ReleasedSeptember 2, 1996
GenreCountry
Length4:22 (album version)
3:30 (single version)
LabelRCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)Clint Black
Hayden Nicholas
Producer(s)Clint Black
James Stroud
Clint Black singles chronology
"Life Gets Away"
(1995)
"Like the Rain"
(1996)
"Half Way Up"
(1996)

"Like the Rain" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Clint Black. It was released in September 1996 as the first single from his Greatest Hits compilation album. The song became his 23rd chart single, and in October of that year, it became his tenth Number One hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts. It held that position for three weeks.[1] At the 1997 Grammy Awards, "Like the Rain" was nominated for the Best Male Country Vocal performance.[2] The song was written by Black and Hayden Nicholas.

Content[edit]

"Like the Rain" is a country ballad, backed mainly by acoustic guitar and piano, with heavy snare drum accents. The narrator tells of how he "never liked the rain" until he walked through it with his lover. In the chorus, he adds that he "can't believe [he] never liked the rain", and then elaborates that he is "falling for [her] now, just like the rain". The album version features the sounds of rain and thunder at the beginning and end. These sound effects were lacked from the single edit.

Black also re-recorded the song, at a slightly slower tempo, for his 2007 compilation The Love Songs.

Critical reception[edit]

Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably by saying that the song is a "moody offering with a driving melody and strong lyric." and that Black "turns in his reliably potent vocal performance."[3]

Chart positions[edit]

"Like the Rain" debuted at number 42 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of September 7, 1996.

Chart (1996) Peak
position
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[4] 47
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[5] 1
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] 1

Year-end charts[edit]

Chart (1996) Position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[7] 24
US Country Songs (Billboard)[8] 51

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for Like the Rain
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[9] Gold 500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 50–51. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  2. ^ Ferman, Dave (1997-02-26). "A Texas-size group of Texans are up for Grammys". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  3. ^ Billboard, September 14, 1996
  4. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 9811." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. November 4, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  5. ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 9867." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. November 4, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  6. ^ "Clint Black Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  7. ^ "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1996". RPM. December 16, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  8. ^ "Best of 1996: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  9. ^ "American single certifications – Clint Black – Like the Rain". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 12, 2022.