I Wish It Would Rain: A Milestone Reached. Article Number 50 for the Glastonbury Care Home Magazine is Published.

I've been writing regular monthly short articles for Glastonbury Care Home and their in-house magazine GCH Matters. Through the many experiences playing live music for people at the very end of their lives, whether that be one to one at their bedside or in singing groups, these articles have evolved into sharing a personal insight into the power of live music that we all experience in our life in our own way.

Over the years I have had many requests to post these monthly articles for a wider audience. On reaching article number 50 it seemed fitting to start this month with August 2026.

As we scorch our way through this summers drought this month's article shines a light on the word 'rain' and how it has never quite had its fair share of positivity in the lyrics from some of our greatest songwriters. The article was inspired after I played Have You ever Seen The Rain by Creedance Clearwater Revival as it was a favourite of that person and had been an important song at various stages of their life.

The article was recently published on Glastonbury Care Homes Facebook page :

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1658630182938805&set=pcb.1658638519604638

Enjoy.

I WISH IT WOULD RAIN 

The grass is brown, trees have autumn leaves and the earth is scorched dry. We need rain. There is a well known wilderness survival "Rule of 3," which dictates that a person can live three minutes without air, three days without water, and three weeks without food. Many cultures historically worshiped rain gods to secure good harvests and survival. In nearly every religion rain and water are seen as a blessing and refreshment.

So what the heck is wrong with song writers? The word rain is a common lyric in songs, rhyming conveniently with ‘pain’, ‘slain’, ‘in vain’, ‘chain’, ‘drain’ and for extra punch loosely with ‘blame’ …. you get the idea. If you hear the word rain in a song you know what’s coming.

Unlike the other survival essentials of life, light, breathing, food, rain gets a bad deal in songs. Its the dark side of emotional story telling. There is Gene Kelly’s Singing in the Rain but even here rain is seen as the bad boy. Despite the heavy rain it can’t do its worst to dampen his euphoria for being in love.

Rain is like the dark side of the moon where light doesn’t shine and there is only gloom, isolation and subsequently sadness. The massive hit Have You ever Seen The Rain by Creedance Clearwater Revival is about the sadness of the break-up of the band at their most successful time. John Foggarty described his lyric “rain on a sunny day” meant bad things happening just when life is so good.

The stunning song Purple Rain by Prince was written to symbolise letting your faith or God guide you through the chaos of an apocalyptic time. Prince explained that "purple rain" means the end of the world where a red and blue blood stained sky mixes into purple. Genius right here.

Then there is Phil Collins massive hit I Wish It Would Rain Down. Collins sings about letting someone down and repeating past mistakes "I never meant to cause you no pain, but it looks like I did it again”. Here there is a little ray of hope for rain’s tarnished reputation. Collins uses rain as a symbol of relief to wash away the heavy burden of sorrow. Then there is The Carpenters Rainy Days and Mondays. The lyrics describing feeling old, out of place, tired of routine, capturing the ordinary struggle of feeling down for no specific reason. Nothing worse than the first work day after the weekend; Monday and to add extra misery it’s also raining! 

The list is long of songs where rain is dealt a bad hand. This is out of sync with our ancient ancestors who saw the importance of rain as something only good. I always thought I was born many centuries too late and should have also been born about 3000 miles to the east (that’s another story). I genuinely love walking in the rain. I love singing in the shower but don’t feel inclined to do so in a sauna. I much prefer to swim than sit in the sun burning to a crisp. Water will always refresh and moisturise but the sun has a side to it that is not good despite vitamin D a plenty, Expert advice is only 5-15 minutes of sun a few times a week is healthy. I hear no limits of time spent walking in the rain. 

The power of song Is such that when I hear the word ‘rain’ I feel that melancholy and sadness take hold. Sometimes it's what I need right there and then. The Temptations in I Wish It Would Rain sang about the weather turning to a heavy downpour so it can mask our tears. Maybe that’s where rain lies we don’t want it but when it does come it is what we need to replenish, start again and subsequently grow into something even more beautiful than before. After all it is rain that shows its true gift to everyone one of us through a rainbow …. the true beautiful colours are hidden in white sunlight that is until it rains.

I’m hoping for rain. 

Paul Denegri (Music Volunteer at Glastonbury Care Home)