Album: Not included on an original Beatles album; released as a b-side of a single
Year: 1966
Written by: Lennon & McCartney
Many Beatles fans agree that Rain is the greatest b-side of any of their singles. It represents one of the aspects that made them so great — their inspired creativity and willingness to experiment with different sounds and recording techniques, all of which were later copied by scores of other bands.
There are several notable features of this great Beatles song. Ringo has said that he is most proud of his work on this recording, and most fans agree that his drumming is awesome in Rain. (And so is Paul's bass playing!) Several tricks were used when recording the rhythm track and the vocals, resulting in the music sounding slower than what the band actually played and with John's voice sounding higher-pitched than what he actually sang. And then there's the backwards singing in the coda — as the song fades out, you hear John's voice sounding like he's singing in another language. Actually, producer George Martin just turned around the tape of John's voice from earlier in the song and added it to the end.
The video above was made to promote the new single. The Beatles had begun to make short promotional films instead of their usual live television appearances because they were in such high demand that they couldn't possibly have accepted all the television offers they were getting. They were the first band to make such promos, which once prompted George to claim that they had invented MTV! If you look closely at Paul in this video, you'll notice that his front tooth is chipped. He had been in a moped accident the previous Christmas and hadn't gone to the dentist yet to get it fixed.
John sings a droning lead vocal, which was double-tracked with a newly-invented ADT machine, while Paul and George sing the backing vocals.
Let's hope that this song brings us some much-needed California rain!
There are several notable features of this great Beatles song. Ringo has said that he is most proud of his work on this recording, and most fans agree that his drumming is awesome in Rain. (And so is Paul's bass playing!) Several tricks were used when recording the rhythm track and the vocals, resulting in the music sounding slower than what the band actually played and with John's voice sounding higher-pitched than what he actually sang. And then there's the backwards singing in the coda — as the song fades out, you hear John's voice sounding like he's singing in another language. Actually, producer George Martin just turned around the tape of John's voice from earlier in the song and added it to the end.
The video above was made to promote the new single. The Beatles had begun to make short promotional films instead of their usual live television appearances because they were in such high demand that they couldn't possibly have accepted all the television offers they were getting. They were the first band to make such promos, which once prompted George to claim that they had invented MTV! If you look closely at Paul in this video, you'll notice that his front tooth is chipped. He had been in a moped accident the previous Christmas and hadn't gone to the dentist yet to get it fixed.
John sings a droning lead vocal, which was double-tracked with a newly-invented ADT machine, while Paul and George sing the backing vocals.
Let's hope that this song brings us some much-needed California rain!
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