"Whiskey and Rain" is a song 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, ...

singer Michael Ray. It was released on September 25, 2020 as the lead single from his upcoming fourth studio album, and released to

country radio Country radio refers to radio stations that play country music. Most country radio stations are commercial radio stations. Most country radio stations usually play only music which has been officially released to country radio by record labels. The ...

on October 26, 2020. The song reached number one on the

Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990. This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored ...

chart dated January 22, 2022, giving Ray his second number one single on the chart. The song was co-written by

Jesse Frasure Jesse Vernon Frasure (born September 18, 1981), also known as DJ Telemitry, is an American music publisher, record producer, songwriter, and DJ. Biography A Detroit native, Frasure (DJ Telemitry), now lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wif ...

and Josh Thompson, and produced by

Ross Copperman Ross Copperman (born October 1, 1982) is a Grammy-nominated American singer-songwriter and producer with 29 number one radio hits. After his experience as an artist in the UK, Copperman discovered his talent for writing and producing country mus ...

Content

"Whiskey and Rain" describes someone drowning their sorrows in a glass of something strong, and Ray pointed out the song's vibe draws to mind some of his country forebearers. He told website ''Everything Nash'': “I guess I always knew that I wanted more of a traditional country sound. That’s what I grew up on, what I listen to, to this day. And I just always felt like that was the record I wanted to make. It took this year, I guess, to really realize that on my own. So this song, it was just that catchy, hooky melody, that throwback to the

Gary Allan Gary Allan Herzberg (born December 5, 1967) is an American country music singer. Signed to Decca Records in 1996, Allan made his country music debut with the release of his single " Her Man", the lead-off to his gold-certified debut album '' U ...

. It sounds like Gary Allan,

Dwight Yoakam Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and film director. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album '' Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerab ...

— all of that. It just stood out. And really, we felt was a great way to introduce this new record and new sound.”

Composition

"Whiskey and Rain" is a song with a 90s country vibe. Frasure tweaked the demo with a sibilant, '80s-pop drum sound and light, flute-tinted piano chords.

Music video

The music video was released on October 29, 2020, directed by Sean Hagwell, and he brings the song’s throwback style to life. The video revealed Ray riding out the storm. Ray told to CMT about the message from this video: “We wanted the video to show that going through rough spots in life can open you up to different people and their situations. Maybe you can listen to their stories for a while. I think the video reflects the depth of the song, and it shows how sometimes the negative things in life can bring people together.”

Charts

"Whiskey and Rain" reached number one 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 ...

chart dated January 22, 2022, becoming Ray's second number one on that chart, and his first since his debut single " Kiss You in the Morning" in August 2015. Having taken 65 weeks to reach number one, it tied a record previously set in June 2020 by

Travis Denning Travis Denning (born December 1, 1992) is an American country music singer and songwriter signed to UMG Nashville's Mercury Nashville label. He has charted with the singles " David Ashley Parker from Powder Springs" and " After a Few", the latter ...

's " After a Few" for the slowest ascent to the top. It also became Ray's first Top 40 single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 37.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2020 singles 2020 songs Songs written by Jesse Frasure Songs written by Josh Thompson (singer) Song recordings produced by Ross Copperman Warner Records Nashville singles