WE SALUTE @ IT'S RAINING

It's Raining Songsheet 'It's Raining' was a risky move for Shaky to release in 1981. It was the first ballad for Epic records as a Single. By this time Shaky had arrived and was through the roof on Success. The three previous records were smash hits, two of them were No.1's and another was a massive selling No.2. You Drive Me Crazy was kept off No.1 by the Dandy Highwayman, but it's sales alone were as much as, if not more, than This Ole House & Green Door.

So why was It's Raining a risk? Well by this time the public were well aware of Mr Stevens and knew exactly what to expect from his songs. So to put out a non-rocking, non rubberlegged performance track was a bold move. It could have flopped big time, thankfully it didnt. It may not have reached the dizzing heights of No.1 and No.2, but it was a Top 10 hit (just!).

The Stu Colman produced track was the perfect recipe for a Shaky ballad. That haunting Piano solo start which immediatley set our brains on the sound of rain, Shaky's superb vocals of them lyrics that we all have experienced have made this song a true classic. The washed out video was very classy at the time and just watching it made us all want to snuggle up under a duvet while we longed for the rain to tap on our windows.

HERE'S SOME IT'S RAINING FACTS...

It's Raining Songsheet First appeared in chart (at position): 10/10/1981 (40)
Last Seen in Chart (at position): 05/12/1981 (68 )
Length of time in chart: 9 weeks
Highest position in chart: 10

The sleeve was identical to the 'Shaky' album and like the LP was credited only as 'Shaky' on the front cover.

The song was written by Naomi Neville, which was actually a pseudonym for Allen Toussaint. This guy from New Orleans had written many hits for different artists. It's Raining was originally written for Irma Thomas, and she had it released in 1978. It was never a hit in this country so Shaky certainly done it justice. The B-Side is an absolute classic among the fans and was written by Shaky. 'You & I Were Meant To Be' was a frantic uptempo track and a real contrast to the A-Side. 'You & I..' was also the replacement for 'Ah, Poor Little Baby' when the 'Take One!' album was reissued as 'Hot Dog'. Another Shaky penned track called 'Make It Right Tonight' replaced 'That's Alright'.

So, give that '81 ballad 'It's Raining' a spin right now! Sing along with me.. "..I'll guess i'll just go crazy..tonight..."