"Walking in the Rain" is a song written by

Barry Mann Barry Mann (born Barry Imberman; February 9, 1939) is an American songwriter and musician, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil. He has written or co-written 53 hits in the UK and 98 in the US. Early li ...

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

, and

Cynthia Weil Cynthia Weil (born October 18, 1940) is an American songwriter who wrote many songs together with her husband Barry Mann. Life and career Weil was born in New York City, and was raised in a Conservative Jewish family. Her father was Morris Weil ...

. It was originally recorded by the girl group

the Ronettes The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. ...

in 1964 who had a charting hit with their version.

Jay and the Americans Jay and the Americans are an American rock group who formed in the late 1950s. Their initial line-up consisted of John "Jay" Traynor, Howard Kane (born Howard Kirschenbaum), Kenny Vance (born Kenneth Rosenberg) and Sandy Deanne (born Sandy Ya ...

released a charting hit cover of the song in 1969. The song has since been recorded by many other artists over the years, including

the Walker Brothers The Walker Brothers were an American pop group of the 1960s and 1970s which included Noel Scott Engel (eventually known professionally as Scott Walker), John Walker (born John Joseph Maus, but using the name Walker since his teens) and Gary Le ...

The Ronettes version

The Ronettes The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. ...

were the first to release "Walking in the Rain". Their single reached number 23 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 adverti ...

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 ...

chart in 1964. The song also reached number three on the

R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

Chart in 1965. The single contains sound effects of thunder and lightning, which earned audio engineer

Larry Levine Larry Levine (May 8, 1928 – May 8, 2008) was an American audio engineer, known for his collaboration with Phil Spector on the Wall of Sound recording technique. Biography Levine received the 1966 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording ...

a Grammy nomination. Phil Spector produced the record. In 2004, the Ronettes' version was ranked at No. 266 on ''

Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine '' Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 i ...

'', while being moved down to No. 269 in the 2010 update.

Jay and the Americans version

The

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

group

released a cover of "Walkin' in the Rain" in 1969 on their album '' Wax Museum, Vol. 1''. Their version of the song reached number 19 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and peaked at number 14 on ''Cash Box''. it also hit number 8 on the Adult Contemporary chart; it was the last top-40 hit for the group.Jay and the Americans singles
/ref>

Chart history

;The Ronettes ;The Walker Brothers ;Jay & the Americans ;The Partridge Family starring David Cassidy ;Cheetah

Other versions

*1967 –

The Walker Brothers The Walker Brothers were an American pop group of the 1960s and 1970s which included Noel Scott Engel (eventually known professionally as Scott Walker), John Walker (born John Joseph Maus, but using the name Walker since his teens) and Gary Le ...

, single backed with the original b-side "Baby Make It Last the Time". This version alters the gender of the lyrics for a heterosexual male perspective. It reached number 26 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. It was the group's final UK single before their first split. *1973 - featured on the television show

The Partridge Family ''The Partridge Family'' is an American musical sitcom starring Shirley Jones and featuring David Cassidy. Jones plays a widowed mother, and Cassidy plays the oldest of her five children, in a family who embarks on a music career. It ran from S ...

, single released in Canada, England, and other parts of Europe backed with "Together We're Better"; also with gender-altered lyrics, reached number 10 on the

. *1978 - non-album single by the female-led Australian rock group

Cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...

, reaching number 10 on the

Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. *1990 - The Party (from the Mickey Mouse Club) covered this song on their debut album. Dee Dee Magno sang lead vocals. *2003 – the English

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a r ...

duo

Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...

included a cover version of "Walking in the Rain" on their tenth studio album ''

Other People's Songs ''Other People's Songs'' is a cover album by English synth-pop duo Erasure released on 27 January 2003. The album was originally conceived as a solo project for singer Andy Bell. Once Vince Clarke, the other member of Erasure, became involved ...

''. Singer Andy Bell, an out gay man, does not alter the original lyrics sung by

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Walking in the Rain Songs about weather 1964 singles 1964 songs 1967 singles 1970 singles The Ronettes songs Jay and the Americans songs The Walker Brothers songs The Partridge Family songs Songs written by Barry Mann Songs written by Phil Spector Song recordings produced by Phil Spector Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements Songs with lyrics by Cynthia Weil United Artists Records singles Philles Records singles