Raindrops (Dee Clark song)
| "Raindrops" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Dee Clark | ||||
| B-side | "I Want to Love You" | |||
| Released | April 1961 | |||
| Recorded | 1961 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 2:51 | |||
| Label | Vee-Jay 383 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Dee Clark | |||
| Dee Clark singles chronology | ||||
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"Raindrops" is a 1961 song by American R&B singer Dee Clark, and was released in April of that same year.
Background[]
The ballad is about a man who tries to convince himself that the tears he is crying since his lover's departure are raindrops since "a man ain't supposed to cry." Clark was reportedly inspired to write the song after a late night drive through a heavy rainstorm. Accordingly, the opening and closing of the song both feature heavy rain and thunder sound effects, with the closing augmented by Clark's powerful, swooping falsetto.
Musicians on the record included Al Duncan on drums, Quinn Wilson on bass, Earl Skarritt on electric guitar and Phil Upchurch on acousti guitar, plus a string section. The song was recorded in a three hour session at Universal Recording Studios in Chicago, with Bruce Swedien as engineer.
Chart performance[]
The song peaked at #2 on the Hot 100, behind Quarter to Three by Gary U.S. Bonds.[1] On other US charts, "Raindrops" peaked at #3 on the R&B chart. Billboard ranked it as the ninth most popular song of the year for 1961.
| Chart (1961) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[2] | 2 |
| U.S. R&B Singles Chart[3] | 3 |
Cover Versions[]
- In 1966, Jan & Dean covered the song on their album, Save For A Rainy Day.
- In 1974, Narvel Felts had a Top 40 country hit with his version.
- Other artists to record the song included Tony Orlando and Dawn, David Cassidy
References[]
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1961-06-26
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2007). Top Pop Singles: 1955-2006. Record Research.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2005). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research.
External links[]
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- Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers
- Songs about crying
- 1961 singles
- Rhythm and blues songs
- Vee-Jay Records singles
- 1961 songs
- Songs about loneliness
- Songs written by Dee Clark
- Jan and Dean songs
- Narvel Felts songs
- 1960s single stubs