STUCK INSIDE? The Top 5 songs about rain

Here are the top 5 songs (plus a few extras) perfect for a rainy day.

Rain Drops. Photo: John Gass / Daily News. Picture: John Gass /TWE270112raindrop

Some places are getting it big time, other places not so much. The promise, the build-up and then the deliverance. Regardless, we want it, we need it and sometimes, it brings out a person's creativity to the point they create a masterpiece. 

Here's a few of those and few thrown in for fun. Grab a hot cup of Joe, snuggle into the uggies and listen to the Top 5 songs about Rain. According to me.

Leave your favourites in comments. What was missed?

November Rain - Guns and Roses (1992)

Regardless of what you think of Axl (and especially the bike shorts he sports in this live clip from Tokyo 1993), he's come up with a gem here. One of G'n'R's bonafide epics....a tale of love and loss. He goes alright on the piano too. Skip ahead to the three minute mark for the start of the song if you must.

Anything with Slash anywhere near it is a winner.

Purple Rain  - Prince (1984)

His Purpleness got his career off to a great start with this pearler about his fabled purple rain. No purple rain here today, just the usual clear stuff, but turn this up and marvel at the artist formerly known as and his musical wizardry. So simple but perfect and what a solo!

The Rain Song - Led Zeppelin (1973)

Recorded by a group nearing the height of their powers, this is a lilting melodic super-song. Beautifully played by Bonham, Page and Jones, accompanied by the fantasy prose of the wannabe Elven Lord himself, Robert Plant. Check out the amazing short film accompanying an awesome live version of this classic. There's fire, sword-fights, horses, caves and castles....brilliant. Almost as amazing as Plant's hair. Stick with it though, for the live concert footage near the end is superb. If anyone wants to give me a double-necked Gibson SG, please address it to the Warwick Daily News...thank you.

Summer Rain - Belinda Carlisle (1989)

Ahhh Belinda....my first love. Hasn't aged a bit, not if you stick to this filmclip at least. No one honestly doesn't like this song. 

I Wish It Would Rain Down - Phil Collins (1989)

Love him or hate him, Phil Collins was huge in his day, and he wrote some ripper tunes. Like this one. Certainly a sentiment that many Queenslanders, especially the rural community are feeling. Those on the Gold Coast right now have probably had enough, but we could some more. Lovely live, stripped back version. He waffles on for a bit before getting into it.

Highly Commended

Asking for a top five from me is like asking the Queen to give up teasing peasants. It's too hard. So here are a few extras, in case you're loving it so much you never want the list to end. Just quietly, there are a LOT of songs about rain. 

Texas Flood - Stevie Ray Vaughan (1983)

Let's hope it doesn't come to a flood anywhere across the state, except when it's Stevie Ray's fingers drowning you in a flood of the crispest, bluesiest notes on the planet. 

A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall - Bob Dylan (1962)

An early Dylan classic, giving the world of the mastery of words and what was to come. Only 21 years old, Dylan hit the nail on the head here with a simple but powerful tune about the Cuban Missile Crisis. A protest song that stands the test of time, and one that will have your synthetic-pop-listening kids shaking their heads.

Come Rain or Come Shine - Ray Charles (1959)

Doesn't get much better than some Ray on a rainy day. What a tune. The man was a master of his instrument, his voice and soul. Let yourself go into this one.

Sorry....

Don't even bother with this one. As it happens, we can't blame it on the rain or Milli Vannili, because they didn't actually sing it, but jeez they were pretty, pretty boys weren't they?

Blame It On The Rain - Milli Vanilli (1989)

Boyne-Tannum January 27

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About the author

Jonno Colfs is a guitar-slingin', lead-singin' journalist from Warwick. He fancies himself a music historian and wants to share the knowledge far and wide. He's also stuck inside and a little bored.