When a band isn’t getting along, they can often find it difficult to come through with a full-length album that’s inspired and coherent. But a hit single? Even if members can’t come to a long-lasting personal truce, they can generally rally for a four-minute distillation of what they do best.
Videos by American Songwriter
Supertramp demonstrated this phenomenon in 1982. Even though the album that contained it betrayed the disharmony within the band, the single “It’s Raining Again” found them reaching their previous heights.
An Unhappy Comeback
The album title sort of gave it away. …Famous Last Words… arrived in 1982 on a wave of anticipation from the listening public. After all, Breakfast In America, the previous studio album from the British band Supertramp, had proven to be a juggernaut when released in 1979.
That record reached levels of popularity that the band had never before approached. Supertramp’s history prior to that included a couple of albums that nobody heard, followed by some solid success when they married their prog tendencies to pop smarts. But Breakfast In America was simply on another level, featuring a slew of songs that made themselves ubiquitous on several radio formats.
Little did the public know that Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies, the band’s chief songwriters and artistic catalysts, had started to pull apart. Never quite close friends away from the band, the pair began to battle over the direction that the music should take. That all came to a head on …Famous Last Words…. But thanks to Hodgson’s knack for a catchy tune, the album still yielded a massive hit single in “It’s Raining Again”.
“Raining” Success
As you might expect from the title, Hodgson wrote the song on a dreary day. He was feeling down anyway because he’d “lost a friend,” as he put it in an interview with Classic Rock. The original vibe was much slower and downcast.
When Hodgson brought it to the studio, he quickened the tempo. Meanwhile, Supertramp delivered the standout instrumental touches for which they’d become known. John Helliwell’s saxophone delivers an abundance of soulfulness, while Rick Davies adds some playful accents on the melodica.
“It’s Raining Again” made it to no. 11 in America in 1982. But remember how we suggested that the album title was foreshadowing? Well, Hodgson decided that he couldn’t handle the ruptures with the group any longer. He bailed from Supertramp and went solo not long after the song faded from the charts.
Behind the Lyrics of “It’s Raining Again”
“It’s Raining Again” grabs you right away by starting with the refrain. The peppy music contrasts with Hodgson’s somber proclamations: “Too bad I’m losing a friend,” he sings. “Oh no, it’s raining again / Oh will my heart ever mend.”
In the lone verse, it seems like he’s giving himself a pep talk of sorts to overcome the doldrums. “It’s only time that heals the pain,” he sings. “And makes the sun come out again.”
When the middle eight arrives, the motivational words continue: “No need to get uptighter / Come on, you little fighter / And get back up again.”
Although Supertramp continued for many years with Rick Davies leading the way, the loss of Hodgson damaged their commercial prospects. “It’s Raining Again” proved to be one last gasp of greatness from the classic lineup, buried amidst an album’s worth of acrimony.
Photo by David Redfern/Redferns
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.