“It Never Rains in Southern California” (Albert Hammond)

Yesterday, in “Little Green Apples,” we learned that it never rains in Indianapolis in the summertime. In today’s classic song of the day, we also discover that it never rains in southern California. The song, “It Never Rains in Southern California,” was released by Albert Hammond in 1972 and went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on both the Billboard Easy Listening and Cashbox Top 100 charts.

Of course, we all know that it does, sometimes, rain in Southern California, as the recent record-setting wetness confirms. Granted, it doesn’t rain much in Southern California, which is why the natives like it there, but let’s be accurate. “Never” is the word that shouldn’t be used here.

“It Never Rains in Southern California,” like an earlier song of the day, “Midnight Train to Georgia,” is about a guy who moves to Southern California in search of fame and fortune but finds neither. Here’s how the lyrics put it:

Out of work, I’m out of my head
Out of self respect, I’m out of bread
I’m underloved, I’m underfed
I wanna go home

It never rains in California
But girl, don’t they warn ya?
It pours, man, it pours

A cautionary tale, to be sure.

“It Never Rains in Southern California” was written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazelwood, both hailing from England, where it most definitely rains. The two of them also wrote “Gimme Dat Ding” by the Pipkins (a previous classic song of the day) and “The Air That I Breathe” for the Hollies. Hammond is also responsible for writing, with noted songwriter Carole Bayer Sager, the overly saccharine “When I Need You” for Leo Sayer.

As a performer, Albert Hammond was much bigger in Europe, where he had numerous hits, than he was in either the U.S. or the UK, where his other releases barely cracked the top 100. He’s still around today, though, aged 79.