I Wish It Would Rain

"I Wish It Would Rain," released December 21, 1967, is a 1968 hit single recorded by The Temptations for the Motown label and produced by Norman Whitfield.

Related Topics:
December 21 - 1967 - 1968 - The Temptations - Motown - Norman Whitfield

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The song is one of the most melancholy in the Temptations repertoire, with lead singer David Ruffin delivering, in a pained voice, the story of a heartbroken man who wants to hide his sorrow. His woman has just left him, and he wishes that it would start raining, to hide the tears falling down his face because "a man ain't supposed to cry." Accompaning Ruffin's mourning vocal are the soft vocals his bandmates Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, and Otis Williams, the subdued instrumentation of The Funk Brothers studio band, and, courtesy of Whitfield, sound effects depicting the "sunshine and blue skies" and rain described in the song.

Related Topics:
David Ruffin - Eddie Kendricks - Melvin Franklin - Paul Williams - Otis Williams - The Funk Brothers - Sound effect

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More so than a number of other Motown songs, there is real sentiment and pain behind the song's words. Lyricist Roger Penzabene, who collaborated with Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong on the song, had just found out his wife was cheating on him with another man. Unable to deal with the pain and unable to stop loving his wife, Penzabene commited suicide at about the time of the song's release.

Related Topics:
Roger Penzabene - Barrett Strong - Wife - Cheating - Suicide

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Penzabene's final composition, "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)," was another personal statement from the songwriter. "I Could Never Love Another" was also the last Temptations song to feature lead vocals from David Ruffin, who was fired from the group in June 1968 for increasingly unprofessional behavior and ego clashes.

Related Topics:
June - 1968

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"I Wish It Would Rain" has been covered by a number of artists, including Gladys Knight & the Pips, Aretha Franklin, and The Faces, whose 1973 cover was a hit in the United Kingdom.

Related Topics:
Gladys Knight & the Pips - Aretha Franklin - The Faces - 1973 - United Kingdom

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