"It Keeps Rainin'" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter and pianist

Fats Domino Antoine Caliste Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American singer-songwriter and pianist. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New Orl ...

in 1961 and written by Domino,

Dave Bartholomew David Louis Bartholomew (December 24, 1918 – June 23, 2019) was an American musician, bandleader, composer, arrangement, arranger, and record producer. He was prominent in the music of New Orleans throughout the second half of the 20th century ...

and

Bobby Charles ''This is an article about the singer-songwriter. For the Maine gubernatorial candidate, see Robert B. Charles'' Robert Charles Guidry (February 21, 1938 – January 14, 2010), known as Bobby Charles, was an American singer-songwriter. Ear ...

. It was released in the US on

Imperial Records Imperial Records is an American record company and label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd. The label was reactivated in 2006 by EMI, which owned the label and back catalogue at the time. Imperial is owned by Universal Music Group. Early years to ...

and in the UK on

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of "I Just Cry". The song was covered by

Bitty McLean Delroy Easton "Bitty" McLean (born 8 August 1972) is a British reggae, lovers' rock and ragga singer. He is best known for his three UK Top 10 hits in 1993 and 1994, including his debut offering " It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)". Caree ...

in 1993, becoming a chart success in Europe and New Zealand.

Overview

"It Keeps Rainin'" was one of the series of Bobby Charles songs that Fats Domino recorded along with songs such as " Walking to New Orleans". Originally Charles wrote it with different lyrics under the name "Little Rascal". Charles prepared a demo with a rhythm track and it was sent to Domino who was in Detroit for a show. Somehow the vocals were left off from the tape, and Domino wrote new lyrics to the rhythm track to complete the song “It Keeps Rainin’”. Charles claims that his lyrics were better, but his original version has not been released.

Personnel

Personnel are taken from ''The Blues Discography 1943–1970 The Classic Years''. * Fats Domino – vocals, piano * Clarence Ford – baritone saxophone * Robert "Buddy" Hagans – tenor saxophone * Lee Allen – tenor saxophone * Dave Bartholomew – trumpet * Roy Montrell – guitars * Jimmy Davis – bass * Cornelius "Tenoo" Coleman – drums

Charts

Bitty McLean version

British-Jamaican musician

covered the song as "It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)" and released it on July 19, 1993 by Brilliant! and

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

, from his debut album, '' Just to Let You Know...'' (1993). Produced by McLean, the single peaked at number two in the United Kingdom and was a big hit across Europe, reaching number one in the Netherlands. It also peaked at number one in New Zealand for seven weeks and was certified platinum for sales of over 10,000. The accompanying music video for "It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)" was directed by David Betteridge and first aired in July 1993.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' wrote, "The British

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

invasion continues. Former

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the Grammy ...

backing vocalist McLean doesn't stray from that group's winning formula on his solo debut. This is easy-listening reggae, complete with a smooth backbeat and an aloof British vocal. File this between UB40 and Maxi-Priest." Troy J. Augusto from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' described it as "lightweight pop-reggae", that "offers little innovation but enough awareness of what makes a good radio song to earn a few spins at urban and hit outlets." Caroline Sullivan from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' viewed it as "imaginative". Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' commented, "Just like his "bosses" from UB 40 for whom he's backup singer on their current

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Presley's sexuall ...

cover and album, Bitty has dived into

rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

's rich archives to return with a

tune in a new spicy reggae identity."

Mark Frith Mark Frith (born 22 May 1970, in Sheffield) is a British journalist, music critic, and editor. He has been a writer and editor for magazines such as ''Smash Hits'', '' Time Out'' and ''Heat''. He has since branched into TV and radio presenting, ...

from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' deemed it "a clever, innovative record that was really catchy and a deserved big hit." Another ''Smash Hits'' editor, Tony Cross, said it "will keep you bogling till your bogle drops off."

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1961 singles 1961 songs 1993 debut singles Bitty McLean songs Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Fats Domino songs Music videos directed by David Betteridge Number-one singles in New Zealand Songs written by Bobby Charles Songs written by Dave Bartholomew Songs written by Fats Domino