40 years ago today....it seems like Yesterday.
Turn this one up.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK5G8fPmWeA - John Lennon wrote most of "Rain." It was his first song to get really deep, exploring themes of reality and illusion -- after all, rain or shine is just a state of mind.
- This was the first song to use a tape played backwards, which created the strange audio effect. John Lennon discovered the technique when he put the tape for "Tomorrow Never Knows" on the wrong way. He was stoned at the time, and producer George Martin had to convince him that using a backward recording for the entire song was a bad idea.
- Ringo Starr has said this is his best drumming on a Beatles song.
- The backwards vocal at the end fade out is actually the songs first line: "When the rain comes they run and hide their heads".
- This was one of the first Beatles records to feature loud, booming bass. McCartney's bass line is extremely recognizable, in contrast to The Beatles' older records.
- This was released as the B-side of "Paperback Writer." It was recorded during the Revolver sessions.
As part of the studio manipulation that gave this song such an unusual sound, the rhythm track was played fast and then slowed down on tape.
- The Beatles shot a video for this song with director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who was tapped because he worked on the UK music show Ready, Steady,Go!. The videos for "Rain" and "Paperback Writer" were shot at the same time, with some footage recorded at Abbey Road studios, but most of it outdoors at the Chiswick House gardens in London.
- These videos were done so The Beatles could promote the single without actually performing on the various TV shows that drew huge audiences and drove sales. In doing so, they set a standard for music videos, as other bands followed suit. The "Rain" video uses many elements that would become commonplace, including candid shots from between takes.