"Who Let in the Rain" is a song by American singer

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

, from her fourth studio album, ''

Hat Full of Stars ''Hat Full of Stars'' is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released in 1993. The album was released 4 years after the singer's third studio album, '' A Night to Remember'', which received unfavorable reviews and h ...

'' (1993). Released as the lead single from the album on June 22, 1993, it is a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

about the end of a relationship that proved popular among Lauper's fans. Outside the United States, it was a modest hit peaking in the top 40 in the UK (where it was released in December 1993 as the second single from the album) and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. In the US, the song failed to make the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

and reached only as high as number 33 on the

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

singles chart. Its release featured a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

called "Cold", an up-beat track from the ''

'' sessions.

Junior Vasquez Junior Vasquez (born Donald Gregory Mattern, August 24, 1949) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He has been referred to as one of the only DJs of his time to gain international attention. Career Mattern moved to New York City a ...

produced the song with Lauper. He produced most of the rest of the

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

as well. Lauper wrote the song with

Allee Willis Alta Sherral "Allee" Willis (November 10, 1947 – December 24, 2019) was an American songwriter, multi-media artist, collector, and art director. Willis co-wrote hit songs including "September" and "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind & Fire. She ...

. Lauper re-recorded "Who Let in the Rain" for her ''

Shine Shine may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Shine'' (film), a 1996 Australian film based on the life of David Helfgott, a pianist * Shine, a fictional character in the American animated TV series ''Shimmer and Shine'' Lite ...

'' album, which was released in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

in 2004.

Critical reception

Mike DeGagne from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

viewed the song as one of the "courageous attempts" on the ''

'' album.

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 music ...

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 advertise ...

'' wrote, "It has been way too long since Cyndi's unique voice has filled pop radio's airwaves. She is likely to be warmly welcomed back to the fold with this sad, introspective

from her forthcoming album". He added, "Track grows from a soft stance", like on Lauper's classic " Time After Time", "building to an appropriately emotional climax." The Daily Vault's Mark Millan noted that "the mood is lightened with the R&B flavored "Who Let In The Rain"", adding that it "find the Lauper of old creeping through". 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 ...

'' commented, "Take no pauper if you can get La Lauper. This first single from the forthcoming album ''Hat Full Of Stars'' is a nice drizzle, while the bonus track Cold is a real cloudburst." Alan Jones from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' described it as "a pleasant, low-key affair which builds nicely without ever completely breaking out."

Formats and track listings

* 7" / Cassette :A: "Who Let in the Rain" (Edit) – 4:15 :B: "Cold" – 3:29 * 12" :A: "Who Let in the Rain" (Edit) – 4:15 :B1: "Cold" – 3:29 :B2: "Like I Used To" – 4:28 * US CD Single / Europe 2-Track CD Single / Japan 3" CD Single # "Who Let in the Rain" (Edit) – 4:15 # "Cold" – 3:29 * UK CD1 / Europe CD Maxi-Single / Australian CD Single # "Who Let in the Rain" (Edit) – 4:15 # "Cold" – 3:29 # "Like I Used To" – 4:28 * UK CD2 (Limited Edition) # "Who Let in the Rain" (Album Version) – 4:35 # "

Girls Just Want to Have Fun "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is a song written, recorded and performed by American musician Robert Hazard, who released it as a Single (music), single in 1979. It is best known for the version of American singer Cyndi Lauper, who covered the s ...

" (

Remix) – 6:30 # "

That's What I Think "That's What I Think" is a song by American singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released in November 1993 as the second single from her fourth album, ''Hat Full of Stars'' (1993). Produced by Lauper and Junior Vasquez, the song peaked in the to ...

" (Deep Mix) – 5:26 # "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" (Junior Vasquez Radio Remix) – 3:39

Charts

References

{{Authority control Cyndi Lauper songs 1993 singles Songs written by Allee Willis Songs written by Cyndi Lauper 1993 songs Epic Records singles