Wikipedia

Rain (Madonna song)

"Rain" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fifth studio album, Erotica (1992). Written and produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone, in Australia and most European countries, "Rain" was released as single on July 17, 1993. In the United Kingdom and the United States, it was issued on July 19 and August 5, respectively. It was then included on Madonna's 1995 compilation, Something to Remember. A pop ballad with elements of R&B, trip-hop, and New-age music, "Rain" has lyrics that liken water and rainfall to the power of love.

"Rain"
A close-up image of Madonna submerged with her head above water and her hands over her breasts.
Single by Madonna
from the album Erotica
B-side
ReleasedJuly 17, 1993 (1993-07-17)
Recorded1992
StudioSoundworks (New York)
GenrePop
Length5:24
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Madonna
  • Shep Pettibone
Madonna singles chronology
"Fever"
(1993) 		"Rain"
(1993) 		"Bye Bye Baby"
(1993)
Music video
"Rain" on YouTube

Critical reception towards "Rain" was generally positive. Critics deemed it a standout in Erotica, and one of the best ballads Madonna had released up to that point. Commercially, the single saw moderate success. In the United States, it reached the 14th spot of the Billboard Hot 100. It fared better in Canada and the United Kingdom, where it reached the chart's second spot and top-ten, respectively.

The accompanying music video was directed by Mark Romanek and finds Madonna singing in front of a Japanese film crew. It was awarded Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography at the MTV Video Music Awards. Madonna has performed "Rain" live on the Girlie Show (1993) and Celebration (2023–2024) concert tours. On 2008–2009's Sticky & Sweet Tour, it was used as video interlude. Additionally, "Rain" has been covered by multiple artists ―particularly for tribute albums― including Madonna's former backing vocalists Donna De Lory and Niki Haris.

Background and release

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In early 1992, Madonna founded her own multi-media entertainment company Maverick, consisting of a record company (Maverick Records), a film production company (Maverick Films), and associated music publishing, television broadcasting, book publishing, and merchandising divisions.[1] The first two projects from the venture were her fifth studio album Erotica, and a coffee table book of photographs featuring Madonna, entitled Sex.[1][2][3] For Erotica, Madonna primarily collaborated with American producer Shep Pettibone, with whom she had worked during the 1980s in remixes of several of her singles.[4] According to author Mark Bego, the first batch of songs they worked on were the album's title track, "Deeper and Deeper", "Bad Girl", "Thief of Hearts", and "Rain".[5] Pettibone would create the music and Madonna the lyrics.[6] They came up with "Rain" the night before Madonna was scheduled to come in to the studio; "it was a Sunday, it was raining - ha! - and she wrote the words, and sang the song and harmonies all in that day. ['Rain'] came together very quickly", recalled the producer.[7] According to author Matthew Rettenmund, "Rain" was intended to be part of a planned musical adaptation of the 1939 film Wuthering Heights that never came into fruition, set to be directed by Madonna's collaborator Alek Keshishian.[8]

Recording took place at Astoria's Soundwork Studios on June 8, 1992.[9] Personnel working on the song included Pettibone on sequencing, keyboard arrangement, and programming; Anthony Shimkin was in charge of drum programming; Dennis Mitchell and Robin Hancock worked as recording engineers, and Goh Hotoda was the mixing engineer.[9] In Australia and most European countries, "Rain" was released on July 17, 1993.[a] In the United Kingdom and the United States, it was issued as Erotica's final single on July 19 and August 5, respectively.[10][11] In 1995, "Rain" was added to Madonna's compilation album Something to Remember.[12]

Composition

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"Rain"
A 30-second sample of "Rain". A pop ballad, the song incorporates elements of R&B, trip-hop, and New-age.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Rain" has been noted an "optimistic" pop ballad with influence of R&B, trip-hop, and New-age.[b] It has been compared to the work of Peter Gabriel and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.[13][17] The lyrics use water and rainfall as a metaphor for being in love: Both are cleansing elements that "wash away" past heartache and pain.[18][19] Joe Lynch from Billboard argued that it is a song that "envisions a love in the age of AIDS".[20] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, "Rain" is written in the key note of E♭ major, set in the time signature of common time with a moderate pace tempo of 92 beats per minute.[21] It follows a chord progression of B♭sus2–E♭6/9–F in the refrain, and later switches to E♭–F–B♭ in the verses.[21] The song's instrumentation seeks to evoke a "purifying effect", along with "turbulent elements associated with rain", such as raindrops and lightning bolts. This is achieved through rhythmic patterns and orchestra hits.[19]

Towards the bridge, there is a key change from B♭ major to C major, followed by two spoken parts and a harmony alongside it.[18] Madonna recites out of the left and right channels, "By sheer force of will/I'll raise you from the ground/And without a sound, you'll appear and surrender to me, to love".[22] Also present is a crescendo that refers the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" (1969), and marks, according to John Myers from Yahoo! Voices, an "escape from the deluge of the rain with the breaking of the sun".[18][23]

Critical reception

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A critic compared Madonna's vocals in "Rain" to Karen Carpenter's (pictured)

Upon release, "Rain" was generally well received by music critics, who deemed it one of the best tracks in Erotica, and one of the best ballads Madonna had released up to that point.[c] On his review of Erotica, Billboard's Larry Flick called it "gorgeous [...] though not as lyrically daring as [previous single] 'Bad Girl', ['Rain'] is a wonderfully constructed tune".[28] Writing for The Independent, Giles Smith said the song was the closest "to the Madonna of Like a Prayer as [Erotica] comes, a big and solemn ballad".[29] Idolator's Stephen Sears considered it Erotica's "sole expression of pure love [...] a swooningly romantic" track that "revisits the oceanic sonic landscape" of 1986's "Live to Tell".[22] For Rolling Stone, Arion Berger highlighted "Rain" as one of the tracks that help Erotica sustain its "icy tone".[30] Madonna's vocals also received praise. Sal Cinquemani singled out her "rarely acknowledged harmonies", which Stephen Thomas Erlewine described as "comforting and consoling".[4][15] By his part, Cash Box's Troy J. Augusto noted that, "at times, [Madonna] almost sounds like Karen Carpenter, all tender and shy".[31] The song's new-age and R&B influences were also singled out for praise.[19][15][17]

The song was not without criticism. While Matthew Jacobs from HuffPost opined "Rain" wasn't "terribly distinctive" from other ballads Madonna had released at the time, Rikky Rooksby —author of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna— felt that the lyrical theme "had been used in countless [songs]".[32][18] Chris Willman for the Los Angeles Times, wrote that, "despite having crafted some of the best singles of the '80s, and despite being a genuine wit, Madonna can tend toward terribly banal rhymes", citing "Rain" as an example.[33] Even though she named it a standout track in Erotica, the Sun-Sentinel's Barbara Walker referred to "Rain" as a "mere also-ran" in Madonna's catalogue.[34] Alfred Soto from Stylus Magazine dismissed the song as a "slushy rewrite of that year's 'This Used to Be My Playground', itself a slushy rewrite of Like a Prayer's 'Promise to Try'".[35]

In retrospect, "Rain" has been ranked as one of Madonna's best by Billboard, Parade, The Backlot, The A.V. Club, and PinkNews.[d] Rocco Papa from The Odyssey deemed it "one of the most beautiful songs on one of her most underrated albums".[38] In this vein, The National's Saeed Saeed named it an "ethereal beauty", and one of Madonna's "most criminally underrated" singles.[39] Mark Elliott from website This is Dig! referred to "Rain" as a perfect pop ballad, and added that it helped "wash away" the criticism Madonna was facing at the time, and "remind everyone that her art was as much about the power of love as it was the compelling draw of lust or even the wider platform of sexual politics".[11] In this vein, both Stephen Thomas Erlewine and Sal Cinquemani agreed that "Rain" paved the way for the "softer" "post-Sex" image and sound Madonna would adopt in the mid-1990s.[40][41]

Commercial performance

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In the United States, "Rain" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 52, in the issue dated July 24, 1993.[42] It ultimately peaked at number 14 on the week of September 11, spending a total of 20 weeks on the chart.[43] Additionally, it reached the 30th and eleventh position on the Hot 100 Airplay and Hot Singles Sales charts, respectively.[44][45] On Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, "Rain" peaked at number seven.[46] By the end of 1993, it ranked 38th on the Adult Contemporary chart, and 67th on the Hot 100.[47] "Rain" is Madonna's 40th most successful single in the United States, according to Billboard magazine.[48] In Canada, the single debuted in the 95th position of RPM's Top Singles chart on the week of July 17, 1993.[49] Two months later, it peaked at number two behind Mariah Carey's "Dreamlover".[50] "Rain" reached the seventh spot on RPM's Adult Contemporary chart, and was the 15th best-selling single of 1993 in Canada.[51][52]

In the United Kingdom, "Rain" debuted at the 10th position of the UK Singles Chart on July 31, 1993, and, one week later, peaked at number seven. The song spent 8 weeks on the chart overall, and gave Madonna her 34th top-ten single in the country.[53][11] According to Music Week magazine, over 130,000 copies of the single have been sold in the United Kingdom as of 2008.[54] In Australia, the song debuted at number 21 on the charts before rising and peaking at number five. It was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 35,000 copies.[55] It was less successful in New Zealand, where it barely cracked the top 20.[56] Reception towards the single in Europe was moderate: It reached the top-ten in Ireland and Italy,[57][58] and the top 20 in Sweden and Switzerland.[59][60] "Rain" reached the top 30 in Austria and Germany,[55][61] but was less successful in The Netherlands, where it barely managed to enter the top 40.[62][63] It came in at number 15 of the European Hot 100 Singles chart.[64]

Music video

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Background and filming

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Mark Romanek (pictured) directed the music video for "Rain".

The music video for "Rain" was directed by American filmmaker and photographer Mark Romanek.[65] Madonna became interested in working with Romanek after seeing his work in En Vogue's "Free Your Mind" (1992), and Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way" (1993).[66][65] When she approached him, however, the director turned down the offer, as he felt "intimidated" by the idea of shooting a music video that, "would mark a departure from [Madonna's] ostentatious antics" of the time.[67] He also added, "['Rain'] was really romantic and I didn't really know what to do with something romantic at that point in my life".[65] Romanek eventually accepted, on the condition that he be allowed to make the video "futuristic".[68] According to author Mary Gabriel, Madonna "allowed [Romanek's] imagination to run wild", and he settled with a "simple" idea for the visual: The singer as a "doe-eyed ingenue" filming a music video in Japan.[68][67] He wanted to have Madonna be "the only Occidental [in the video], which would make her more of an outsider".[68] His influences in creating the aesthetic were Japanese designers like Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo. For the filming, he was inspired by a commercial Jean-Baptiste Mondino did with Catherine Deneuve for Yves Saint Laurent; "the way they colored [Deneuve']s face —it just was, at that time, just jaw-dropping how beautiful it was", recalled Romanek.[68][8]

For the video-within-a-video's role of the director, Madonna approached Jean-Luc Godard and Federico Fellini, but both declined;[65] the latter allegedly faxed her a handwritten personal apology note.[68] At the end, Ryuichi Sakamoto was selected thanks to him being what Romanek called, "the most iconic and famous and attractive Japanese icon".[65] Argentine model Daniel Rossi, with whom Madonna was allegedly romantically involved at the time, also participated.[69] Filming for the video took place at a Santa Monica Airport hangar from May 16–19, 1993.[70] Crew included Krista Montagna in production, Harris Savides in direction of photography, Jon Peter Flack in production design, Robert Duffy was an editor, while David Bradshaw was in charge of wardrobe.[71] A studio was created in the hangar that allowed the filming material —wires, cameras, lights— to be seen.[68] The Japanese crew was allowed to walk freely in front of the camera and around Madonna.[68]

As Romanek did not want the clip to be too "clichéd" or literal, he decided to use water, contained in two large walls that were placed on either sides of Madonna.[67] To further capture the track's "crystalline" essence, colored closeups of the singer's face and features —for which she underwent half a day of camera tests— were done.[67] Then, a German lighting fixture was used to achieve a "thoroughly modern, yet classic" effect.[67] Madonna's appearance was inspired by 1940s Paris, and singer Edith Piaf: She wore a "waif-like cap of short black hair with spiky bangs", blue-colored contact lenses and "porcelain-doll perfect" make-up.[68][72] At Romanek's petition, she also grew her eyebrows back.[72] Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons and Vivienne Westwood provided the wardrobe.[72]

Synopsis, release and reception

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The video opens with Madonna in a studio, lying on a riveted aluminum chaise longue —designed by then unknown Marc Newson— decked out in a white dress, with headphones on her ears, composing a song.[8] This precedes closeups of her singing to a blue-toned microphone, in front of a blue backdrop. She is next seen taking a break from filming, following by a scene in which she receives instructions from the director (Sakamoto); they are now both wearing matching black flowing long-sleeved shirts. The director then instructs a scene in which Madonna kisses a long-haired male, and one in which she stands in-between two walls covered with water in a black dress. This last part is interpolated with closeups similar to the ones from the beginning, and of Madonna getting her makeup done by staff.

 
Final screenshot of the "Rain" music video, depicting an air view of Madonna surrounded by umbrellas.

Next is a shot of the singer and a man kissing behind a water-stained crystal wall. Towards the bridge, Madonna, wearing the aforementioned black flowing shirt, poses in front of a wall made up of bright lights. The director and the crew all watch as she dances in front of a backdrop depicting a stormy sky with flashing lights. She now wears a short-sleeved shirt and long skirt. The video closes with an air view of open black umbrellas covering the entire floor, as water from fire sprinklers falls down upon Madonna's face.[73]

"Rain" premiered on MTV on June 21, 1993.[8] Upon release, it was positively received by critics. Both Billboard's Deborah Russell and Los Angeles Times' Maureen Sajbel singled out Madonna's appearance, with the former calling it "chic yet vulnerable, glamorous yet sweet".[67][72] The staff of The Advocate considered it a "gorgeous video that stands the test of time".[74] Bryant Frazer from website Studio Daily applauded "Rain" for pushing "the boundaries of telecine work at the time".[75] By their part, Dave Marsh and James Bernard wrote in New Book of Rock Lists (1994) that it was an example of the influence of Japanese culture on contemporary arts.[76] At the MTV Video Music Awards, Jan Peter Flack and Savides won for Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography, respectively.[77] "Rain" was nominated for clip of the year, and Romanek awarded director of the year at the Billboard Music Video Awards.[78][79] Russell named "Rain" 1993's ninth best music video.[80]

Retrospective reviews have named "Rain" one of Madonna's finest music videos.[e] Rocco Papa from The Odyssey highlighted its "high-contrast look and meta-narrative concept".[38] Idolator's Mike Neid wrote that, with its "gorgeous set pieces and stunning cinematography, ['Rain'] is sheer class".[81] Slant Magazine considered "Rain" the 70th greatest music video of all time; Sal Cinquemani and Ed Gonzalez opined it was one of Madonna's "most beautiful", as well as a "simple and refreshing break from [her] sex-drenched Erotica period".[82] For VH1's Christopher Rosa, it is one of the singer's most underrated music videos, describing it as "simple, [and] electric", and comparing her short hair look to that of Mia Farrow.[83] Jef Rouner from the Houston Press named "Rain" the ninth best music video directed by Romanek: "One of [his] more light-hearted [...] ['Rain'] is a fascinating treatise on the act of creating a music video itself".[84] "Rain" can be found on Madonna's compilations The Video Collection 93:99 (1999) and Celebration: The Video Collection (2009), as well as on the DVD The Work Of Director Mark Romanek (2005).[85][86][87]

Live performances

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Madonna singing "Rain" during one of the London concerts of the Celebration Tour (2023―2024)

On the Girlie Show of 1993, Madonna sang "Rain" with her backing vocalists Niki Haris and Donna De Lory, interspersed with lyrics of the Temptations' "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" (1971).[88][89] The stage was bathed in blue light, with the three women donning long black choir robes.[88] Haris recalled that it was the "first time [on stage] we sat down together and felt our harmonies. Madonna's voice was starting to get strong and she was into trying new things".[90] The number was praised by The Baltimore Sun's J. D. Considine, who opined that, even though the artist "just sat and sang, that hardly took away from ['Rain']'s gorgeous harmonies".[91] The performance recorded at Sydney was included on The Girlie Show: Live Down Under home video release (1994).[92][93]

A mashup of "Rain" and Eurythmics' "Here Comes the Rain Again" (1984) was used as video interlude on 2008―2009's Sticky & Sweet Tour.[94][95] The video depicted the cartoon of an "alien woman chasing fish", while dancers onstage did an Asian-inspired choreography.[96][94] On her review of the Barcelona concert, Lourdes López from La Vanguardia was critical of the number, as she felt it "bordered on boring".[94] The performance was included on the Sticky & Sweet Tour live album release (2010), recorded in Buenos Aires.[97]

The performance of "Rain" on the Celebration Tour (2023―2024) sees a "shadowy reaper" embrace Madonna —who's decked out in a long cape— and "pull[ing] her into the darkness".[98][99] Reviewing the tour's opening concert in London, the staff of OutInPerth criticized the "anti-climactic" number.[98] By contrast, Metro Weekly's André Hereford deemed it a "powerful vocal [performance] in a night where her lungs and body worked prodigiously".[100]

Covers and usage

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See also: List of cover versions of Madonna songs and List of Madonna tribute albums

In 2000, British gothic rock band Rosetta Stone covered "Rain" for the tribute album Virgin Voices: A Tribute to Madonna, Vol. 2; AllMusic's Heather Phares considered it one of the album's finest moments.[101] The following year, a cover by Who's That Girl! was included on the album Exposed, released through Almighty Records.[102] The Vitamin String Quartet covered "Rain" for The String Quartet Tribute to Madonna (2002), while Los Angeles based band Motor Industries did it for The Dancefloor Tribute to Madonna (2003).[103][104] In 2008, the song was recorded by Da Capo Players, and included on Strung out on Madonna: The String Quartet Tribute.[105] That same year, a remix of "Rain" titled "Klubkidz House Party Mix" was included on Madonna impersonator Melissa Totten's album Forever Madonna.[106]

In May 2016, Donna De Lory and Niki Haris recorded an acoustic version of "Rain" and released it as a digital single; this release also included a remix created by Willie Ray Lewis.[107] An EP containing four additional remixes was released on October.[108] As to why they chose to cover the song, Haris told the HuffPost in an email: "I believe [the lyrics] are indicative of the many years [Donna and I] have been together, alternating between sunshine and stormy [...] We feel blessed every time we sing [it]".[109] In the 2019 film Uncut Gems, "Rain" was used in a scene in which Adam Sandler's character walks into his apartment and finds it empty and dark.[110]

Track listings and formats

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Credits and personnel

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Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[9]

  • Madonna – songwriter, producer, vocals
  • Shep Pettibone – songwriter, producer, sequencing, programming, keyboard
  • Robin Hancock – recording engineer
  • P. Dennis Mitchell – recording engineer
  • Tony Shimkin – drum programming
  • Goh Hotoda – mixing engineer

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for "Rain"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[141] Gold 35,000^
United Kingdom — 130,771[54]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

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  1. ^ See sources cited on "Weekly charts" section
  2. ^ Per multiple sources[13][14][15][16]
  3. ^ Attributed to multiple references[24][25][26][27]
  4. ^ Attributed to multiple references[16][17][36][15][37]
  5. ^ Attributed to multiple references[38][40][65][81]

References

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  1. ^ a b Holden, Stephen (April 10, 1992). "Madonna makes a $60 million deal". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2024.(subscription required)
  2. ^ Carpenter, Teresa (September 13, 1992). "THE NEW SEASON/POP MUSIC; Madonna's Doctor of Spin". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2024.(subscription required)
  3. ^ Orth, Maureen (October 1992). "Madonna in Wonderland". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on February 11, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (February 24, 2007). "Review: Madonna, Erotica". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  5. ^ Bego 2000, p. 96
  6. ^ Pettibone, Shep. "Erotica Diaries". Official Shep Pettibone website. Archived from the original on June 27, 2007. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Levine, Nick (October 20, 2017). "An oral story: Madonna's Erotica by the people who helped create it". i-D. Vice Media. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d Rettenmund 2016, p. 424
  9. ^ a b c Erotica (Liner notes). Madonna. Maverick Records. 1992. 9362-45031-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ "Madonna.com > Discography > Rain". Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2024 – via Icon: Official Madonna Website.
  11. ^ a b c Elliott, Mark (August 5, 2023). "Rain: The story behind the song that reset Madonna's career in the 90s". This is Dig!. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  12. ^ Something to Remember (Liner notes). Madonna. Warner Bros. Records. 1995. 9 46100-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  19. ^ a b c Zaleski, Annie (April 19, 2016). "Madonna's 'Rain' established her as a sensual New Age goddess". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
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  21. ^ a b Ciccone, Madonna (October 26, 2009). "Rain: Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
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  23. ^ Myers, John (April 9, 2009). "Classic 90's Music Reviews: Madonna's Erotica". Yahoo! Voices. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  24. ^ Bego 2000, p. 202
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Literary sources

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