Songfacts®:

• "Feels Like Rain" was written by John Hiatt, who released the original version on his 1988 album Slow Turning. Buddy Guy used it as the title track to his 1993 album, with won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album and brought the song to a much wider audience.
  
  Guy won the same award for his previous album, Damn Right, I've Got the Blues, in 1991, but before that he was struggling - he didn't have a record deal and hadn't put out an album since 1982. Fans of blues music knew him well, but his mainstream resurgence in the '90s was triggered by famous guitarists who talked him up and collaborated with him, notably Eric Clapton. Guy was in his 50s by this time and appreciated every bit of it.
• Bonnie Raitt features on this song, adding vocals and slide guitar. For Raitt, this was an opportunity to support two of her favorite musicians: Buddy Guy and John Hiatt. Raitt had a hit with Hiatt's song "Thing Called Love," and Buddy Guy was a big influence.
  
  Like Buddy Guy, Raitt made a name for herself early on but struggled in the '80s. Her revival came when her 1989 album Nick Of Time won Album Of The Year at the Grammy Awards. Buddy Guy's comeback was also Grammy-powered: he didn't win his first award until 1991 when he was 55, but he became a regular, winning a total of eight trophies.
• The song is about a passionate love that poses challenges but is ultimately rewarding, like a storm that soaks you to the bone but then brings a feeling of contentment and clarity. It has a specific meaning to John Hiatt, who wrote it about his wife, but many listeners adapt it to their own lives.
• The song is set in Louisiana, with the couple in the song going across the bridge to Lake Pontchartrain. This connection suits Buddy Guy, who was born and raised in Louisiana before heading to Chicago to pursue his dream in music.