Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head

"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1969 film ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid''. The uplifting lyrics describe somebody who overcomes his troubles and worries by realizing that "it won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me."

The single by B. J. Thomas reached No. 1 on charts in the United States, Canada and Norway, and reached No. 38 on the UK Singles Chart. It topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for four weeks in January 1970 and was also the first American No. 1 hit of the 1970s. The song also spent seven weeks atop the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the No. 4 song of 1970. According to ''Billboard'' magazine, it had sold over 2 million copies by March 14, 1970, with eight-track and cassette versions also climbing the charts. It won an Oscar for Best Original Song. Bacharach also won Best Original Score.

Composition and recording

Bacharach and David composed the song for ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid''. Director George Roy Hill wanted something for a particular scene involving a romantic bike ride. Ray Stevens was first offered the opportunity to record it for the film, but turned it down. Bob Dylan is supposed to have been approached for the song, but he reportedly declined too. Carol Kaye played electric bass on the song.

B. J. Thomas accepted the offer to record the song, and he recorded the version heard in the film in seven takes, after Bacharach expressed dissatisfaction with the first six. Thomas had been recovering from laryngitis, which made his voice sound huskier. The film version featured a separate vaudeville-style instrumental break in double time while Paul Newman performed bicycle stunts. Two weeks later Thomas re-recorded the song at A & R Studio in New York City for its single release.

Reception

Some felt the song was the wrong tone for a western film like ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'', but Hill insisted on its inclusion. Robert Redford, one of the stars of the films, was among those who disapproved of using the song, though he later acknowledged he was wrong:

Legacy

In 2004, it finished at number 23 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema. In 2008, the single was ranked 85th on ''Billboards Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs and placed 95th in the 55th Anniversary edition of the All-Time Hot 100 list in 2013. ''Billboard Magazine'' also ranked the song 15th on its Top 50 Movie Songs of All Time list in 2014.

On December 3, 2013, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced that the single would be inducted into the 2014 Grammy Hall of Fame.

Chart performance

Weekly singles charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications and sales

In popular culture

* It was mentioned in a candidate's name in the ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' Election Night Special sketch in the "It's a Living" episode in 1970.
* The song is used in the background of a montage in ''Spider-Man 2'', where Peter Parker decides to opt out of being a superhero after he loses his powers.
* The song was used in the outro sequence of ''The Simpsons'' in episode 16 of season 4, "Duffless", as a reference to ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969).
* The chorus of the song is referenced in the Genesis song "In the Cage" on their 1974 album, ''The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway'', which is sung by Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins.
* In season 6 episode 19 of the ''Young Sheldon'' series, Sheldon plays this record when he is down and this is the most angst-filled song he could find in his mother's record collection.
* In '' Final Destination: Bloodlines'', it is played in one of the first scenes.

Cover versions

*In 1970, the song was covered by Roy Ayers, with his group the Roy Ayers Ubiquity, on their album ''Ubiquity'', as the second track.
* Peggy Lee on her album ''Bridge Over Troubled Water'', released by Capitol Records.
* Barbara Mason, whose cover reached U.S. Bubbling Under number 12 and R&B number 38.
* John Farnham, whose version was the number-one hit (for seven weeks) in Australia on the ''Go-Set'' National Top 40 from January 24 to March 13.
* Bobbie Gentry, from her album ''Fancy'', which reached number 40 in the UK chart.
* Robert Goulet on his album ''Robert Goulet Sings Today's Greatest Hits''.
* Perry Como on his album ''It's Impossible''.
* Brazilian singer Wilson Simonal on his album ''Mexico '70''.
* Sacha Distel, in French as "Toute La Pluie Tombe Sur Moi", while his English-language version was a number 10 hit in the UK Singles Chart, and number 13 in Ireland; the French version reaching number 10 in his home country. Distel also recorded a version in Italian, ”Gocce Di Pioggia Su Di Me”.
* Portuguese-born television and radio presenter Pedro Biker, who released a Danish version re-entitled "Regndråber Drypper I Mit Hår".
* Swedish singer Siw Malmkvist in Swedish as "Regnet det bara öser ner" (The rain just pours down). It peaked at #5 in the Swedish best selling chart "Kvällstoppen".
* Dionne Warwick, for the album ''I'll Never Fall in Love Again''.
* Patty Pravo in the 1970 album of the same name, (RCA Italiana- LP8S 21102), in Italian, entitled ''Gocce di pioggia su di me'' (Raindrops on me).
* In 1973, the Barry Sisters covered the song in a Yiddish version ("Trop'ns Fin Regen Oif Mein Kop") on their album ''Our Way''.
* The 1995 cover version by Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers is credited with adding greater nuance to the song, the ''Financial Times'' citing their recording as transforming the song from carefree optimism to "an exhortation to keep going in the face of tragedy", and noting that singer James Dean Bradfield's voice "added grit to the facile lyric". The group often spent their downtime on the tour bus watching the film ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'', and incorporated the song into live sets. After the disappearance of lyricist Richey Edwards, the band decided to continue rather than split up. Having booked studio time in France to record their fourth album, '' Everything Must Go'' (1996), they were invited to record for the War Child charity album ''The Help Album'' (1995). The project required all songs to be recorded in one day. While band biographer Simon Price has described the recording and release of the record as a "coded message" that the band still existed, Bradfield recalls the events differently: "...us putting it out wasn't planned as us saying 'We're OK, guys!', but the deadline was the next day after we'd arrived in this place, for some kind of new beginning." The band's recorded version of the song contains the first recorded instance of drummer Sean Moore performing on trumpet, and also appears on their 2003 B-sides and rarities compilation album '' Lipstick Traces (A Secret History of Manic Street Preachers)''. The Manics further reference the film ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' with the B-side "Sepia".
* in 1998, Ben Folds Five took part in Bacharach's 'One Amazing Night' tribute concert and covered the song.
* Lisa Miskovsky covered the song in the extended version of her self-titled (2004) album.

See also

* List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1970s
* List of RPM number-one singles of 1970
* List of number-one hits of 1970 (Mexico)
* List of number-one hits in Norway
*List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1969 (U.S.)
*List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1970 (U.S.)
* List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1970 (U.S.)

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head
1969 songs
1969 singles
1970 singles
B. J. Thomas songs
John Farnham songs
Nancy Wilson (jazz singer) songs
Bobbie Gentry songs
Andy Williams songs
Barbara Mason songs
Barry Manilow songs
Songs with lyrics by Hal David
Songs with music by Burt Bacharach
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Cashbox number-one singles
RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Number-one singles in Australia
Number-one singles in Norway
Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songs
Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients
American soft rock songs
1960s ballads
Number-one singles in Mexico
Scepter Records singles
Songs about depression
Songs about weather
Manic Street Preachers songs