"Crying in the Rain" is a song by the English

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

band

Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...

. The song was originally released on the group's 1982 album '' Saints & Sinners'', but was re-recorded on the group's 1987 multi-platinum album ''

''. The song was inspired by singer

David Coverdale David Coverdale (born 22 September 1951) is an English singer who is best known as the lead vocalist of Whitesnake, a hard rock band he founded in 1978. Before Whitesnake, Coverdale was the lead singer of Deep Purple from 1973 to 1976, after wh ...

's divorce.

Overview

The original version of "Crying in the Rain" is very blues-based and features a short guitar solo at the beginning played by

Bernie Marsden Bernard John Marsden (born 7 May 1951) is an English rock and blues guitarist. He is primarily known for his work with Whitesnake, having written or co-written with David Coverdale many of the group's hit songs, such as "Fool for Your Loving", ...

. The original song also has a bit slower tempo compared to the re-recorded version, which had a much heavier and faster sound, influenced by heavy metal. The guitar solo at the beginning of the original was also removed from this version. David Coverdale has stated in interviews that "''

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

'' (Sykes) ''hated blues''". The re-recorded version (sometimes titled "Crying in the Rain '87") was also released as a one-track promo single. The song has been a part of Whitesnake's live performances since its release in 1982, although it is the 1987 version that Whitesnake has kept performing, since 1987. Also, since Whitesnake's reformation in 2002, the song has been extended by a

drum solo A drum solo is an instrumental solo played on a drum kit. A drum solo may be set or improvised, and of any length, up to being the main performance. In rock, drum solos are unique in that traditionally they are minimally or never accompanied, wher ...

in the middle of the song.

Personnel

Original version

– Lead vocals *

Micky Moody Michael Joseph "Micky" Moody (born 30 August 1950) is an English guitarist, and a former member of the rock bands Juicy Lucy and Whitesnake. He was also a founder-member of Snafu. Together with his former Whitesnake colleague Bernie Marsden h ...

- Guitars, backing vocals *

– Guitars *

Jon Lord John Douglas Lord (9 June 194116 July 2012) was an English orchestral and rock composer, pianist, and Hammond organ player known for his pioneering work in fusing rock with classical or baroque forms, especially with the British rock band Deep ...

- Keyboards * Neil Murray – Bass *

Ian Paice Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and last remaining original member of the rock band Deep Purple. He is often cited as one of the greatest drummers of all-time. He remains the only member ...

– Drums *

Mel Galley Melville John Galley (8 March 1948 – 1 July 2008) was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known for his work with Whitesnake, Trapeze, Finders Keepers and Phenomena. Galley was born in Cannock, Staffordshire, England. While a ...

– Backing vocals

Re-recorded version

– Lead vocals *

John Sykes John James Sykes (born 29 July 1959) is an English guitarist, best known as a member of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tang. He has also fronted the hard rock group Blue Murder and released several solo albums. Following a stint in ...

– Guitars, backing vocals * Neil Murray – Bass *

Aynsley Dunbar Aynsley Thomas Dunbar (born 10 January 1946) is an English drummer. He has worked with John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck, Journey, Jefferson Starship, Nils Lofgren, Eric Burdon, Shuggie Otis, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Mick R ...

– Drums, percussion *

Don Airey Donald Smith Airey (born 21 June 1948) is an English musician who has been the keyboardist in the rock band Deep Purple since 2002, after the retirement of Jon Lord. He has had a long and productive career, playing with such acts as Gary Moore ...

– Keyboards * Bill Cuomo – Keyboards

References

Songs about weather Songs about divorce 1982 songs 1988 singles Whitesnake songs Songs written by David Coverdale Song recordings produced by Keith Olsen Song recordings produced by Mike Stone (record producer) Song recordings produced by Martin Birch Geffen Records singles Blues songs {{metal-song-stub es:Crying in the Rain