Rain

Album: Love (1985)
Charted: 17
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Lead singer Ian Astbury has said that this song is purely about sex. The lyrics are certainly full of innuendo: "Hot sticky scenes you know what I mean, like a desert sun that burns my skin. I've been waiting for her so long, open the sky and let her come down."
  • The Cult released their breakthrough single, "She Sells Sanctuary," in May 1985 before they started recording the Love album. When that song took off, their producer, Steve Brown, gave them a directive: Write a very similar song.

    That song was "Rain," which like "Sanctuary" is driven by Ian Astbury's sexually charged lyrics and Billy Duffy's infamous D drone melody. As they hoped, the song gave them another hit in their native UK and became a concert staple, been played on almost every Cult tour since its release.
  • In November 1989, during a concert at Wembley Arena in London, Astbury said after the band finished this song: "So you like that one?" After the audience cheered, Astbury responded: "Personally, I don't."
  • This features on the album, Live Cult, which was recorded live at the Marquee Club, London on November 27, 1991.
  • A remix, "(Here Comes The) Rain," is available on the out-of-print Love Mixes and the limited edition box set Rare Cult. Said remix also features in the 1986 Italian horror film, Dèmoni 2.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Psychedelic Lyrics

Psychedelic LyricsMusic Quiz

Whoa man! Do you know which band came up with these cosmic lyrics?

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."

When Rock Belonged To Michelob

When Rock Belonged To MichelobSong Writing

Michelob commercials generated hits for Eric Clapton, Genesis and Steve Winwood in the '80s, even as some of these rockers were fighting alcoholism.

Vanessa Carlton

Vanessa CarltonSongwriter Interviews

The "A Thousand Miles" singer on what she thinks of her song being used in White Chicks and how she captured a song from a dream.

The Fratellis

The FratellisSongwriter Interviews

Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.

Jeff Trott

Jeff TrottSongwriter Interviews

Sheryl Crow's longtime songwriting partner/guitarist Jeff Trott reveals the stories behind many of the singer's hits, and what its like to be a producer for Leighton Meester and Max Gomez.