"Like the Rain" is a song co-written and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Clint Black Clint Patrick Black (born February 4, 1962) is an American country music singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Signed to RCA Nashville in 1989, Black's debut album '' Killin' Time'' produced four straight number one singles on the ...

. It was released in September 1996 as the first single from his '' Greatest Hits'' compilation album. The song became his 23rd chart single, and in October of that year, it became his tenth Number One hit on the ''

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 advertise ...

'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

) charts. It held that position for three weeks. At the 1997

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

s, "Like the Rain" was nominated for the Best Male Country Vocal performance. The song was written by Black and

Hayden Nicholas James Hayden Nicholas is a country guitarist and songwriter. Nicholas grew up in the Houston, Texas area. In the early 1980s, he was a member of the band Revolver, headlined by Tim McCrary, which played extensively in Texas. After a stint livi ...

Content

"Like the Rain" is a country ballad, backed mainly by

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

and

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

, with heavy

snare drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

accents. The narrator tells of how he "never liked the rain" until he walked through it with his lover. In the chorus, he adds that he "can't believe enever liked the rain", and then elaborates that he is "falling for ernow, just like the rain". The album version features the sounds of rain and thunder at the beginning and end. These sound effects were lacked from the single edit. Black also re-recorded the song, at a slightly slower tempo, for his 2007 compilation '' The Love Songs''.

Critical reception

Deborah Evans Price, of ''

'' magazine reviewed the song favorably by saying that the song is a "moody offering with a driving melody and strong lyric." She goes on to say that Black "turns in his reliably potent vocal performance."''

'', September 14, 1996

Chart positions

"Like the Rain" debuted at number 42 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of September 7, 1996.

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

1996 singles Clint Black songs Songs written by Clint Black Songs written by Hayden Nicholas Song recordings produced by Clint Black Song recordings produced by James Stroud RCA Records Nashville singles 1996 songs Songs about weather {{1996-country-song-stub