"It Keeps Rainin'" is a song recorded by

Fats Domino Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New O ...

in 1961 and written by Domino,

Dave Bartholomew David Louis Bartholomew (December 24, 1918 – June 23, 2019) was an American musician, bandleader, composer, arranger, and record producer. He was prominent in the music of New Orleans throughout the second half of the 20th century. Originally ...

and

Bobby Charles Robert Charles Guidry (February 21, 1938 – January 14, 2010), known as Bobby Charles, was an American singer-songwriter. Early life An ethnic Cajun, Charles was born in Abbeville, Louisiana, United States, and grew up listening to Cajun mus ...

. It was released in the US on Imperial 5753, and in the UK on London HLP-9374, as the B-side of "I Just Cry". The song was covered by

Bitty McLean Delroy Easton "Bitty" McLean (born 8 August 1972) is a British reggae, lovers rock and ragga singer. He is best known for his three UK Top 10 hits in 1993 and 1994, including his debut offering " It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)". Career ...

in 1993, becoming a chart success in Europe and New Zealand.

Bitty McLean version

British-Jamaican musician

covered the song as "It Keeps Rainin' (Tears From My Eyes)" and released it on July 19, 1993, from his debut album, '' Just to Let You Know...'' (1993). The single peaked at number two in the United Kingdom and was a big hit across Europe, peaking at number one in the Netherlands. It also reached number one in New Zealand for seven weeks and was certified Platinum for sales of over 10,000.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' wrote, "The British

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the ...

invasion continues. Former

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the ...

backing vocalist McLean doesn't stray from that group's winning formula on his solo debut. This is easy-listening reggae, complete with a smooth backbeat and an aloof British vocal. File this between UB40 and Maxi-Priest." Troy J. Augusto from '' Cash Box'' described it as "lightweight pop-reggae", that "offers little innovation but enough awareness of what makes a good radio song to earn a few spins at urban and hit outlets." Caroline Sullivan from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' viewed it as "imaginative". Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' commented, "Just like his "bosses" from UB 40 for whom he's backup singer on their current

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

cover and album, Bitty has dived into

rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

's rich archives to return with a

tune in a new spicy reggae identity." Mark Frith from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' deemed it "a clever, innovative record that was really catchy and a deserved big hit." Another editor, Tony Cross, said it "will keep you bogling till your bogle drops off."

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

for "It Keeps Rainin' (Tears From My Eyes)" was directed by David Betteridge. It first aired in July 1993.

Track listings

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1961 singles 1961 songs 1993 debut singles Bitty McLean songs Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Fats Domino songs Music videos directed by David Betteridge Number-one singles in New Zealand Songs written by Bobby Charles Songs written by Dave Bartholomew Songs written by Fats Domino