“I Wish It Would Rain” (The Temptations)

We’ve been doing a few days of rain-themed songs, so let’s keep it going with today’s classic rain song of the day, “I Wish It Would Rain” by the tempting Temptations. Motown released this one on the Gordy Records label in late December of 1967 and it peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February and March of 1968. It also hit #1 on Billboard’s R&B Singles chart.

“I Wish It Would Rain” was written by Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, and Rodger Penzabene, and produced by Whitfield. The story has it that Penzabene had just found out his wife was cheating on him with another man and, unable to deal with the pain, he poured his heart out in these lyrics. There might be something to this, as Penzabene committed suicide less than two weeks after the single’s release, on New Year’s Eve, 1967.

You can hear Penzabene’s heartbreak in the opening verse:

Sunshine, blue skies, please go away
My girl has found another, and gone away
With her went my future, my life is filled with gloom
So day after day, I stay locked up in my room
I know to you it might sound strange
But I wish it would rain

Because, as the words say,

Rain drops will hide my teardrops
And no one will ever know
That I’m crying, crying
When I go outside
To the world outside
My tears I refuse to explain
Oo, I wish it would rain

Lead vocals on this track were by David Ruffin, his next-to-last lead for the Temps. Backing tracks were by the usual Funk Brothers crew. It’s one of the group’s more emotional tunes.