"Raindrops" is a 1961 song by American R&B singer Dee Clark, and was released in April of that same year.

Background

The ballad is about a man who tries to convince himself that the tears he is crying since his lover's departure are raindrops since "a man ain't supposed to cry." Clark was reportedly inspired to write the song after a late night drive through a heavy rainstorm. Accordingly, the opening and closing of the song both feature heavy rain and thunder sound effects, with the closing augmented by Clark's powerful, swooping

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...

. Musicians on the record included Al Duncan on drums, Quinn Wilson on bass, Earl Skarritt on electric guitar and Phil Upchurch on acoustic guitar, plus a string section. The song was recorded in a three hour session at Universal Recording Corporation in Chicago, with Bruce Swedien as engineer.

Chart performance

The song peaked at #2 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

, behind Quarter to Three by

Gary U.S. Bonds Gary U.S. Bonds (born Gary Levone Anderson, June 6, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, known for his classic hits "New Orleans" and " Quarter to Three". Career Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Bonds lived in Norfolk, ...

. On other US charts, "Raindrops" peaked at #3 on the R&B chart. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the ninth most popular song of the year for 1961.

Cover Versions

*In 1966, Jan & Dean covered the song on their album, ''Save For A Rainy Day''. *In 1974, Narvel Felts had a Top 40 country hit with his version. *Other artists to record the song included Tony Orlando and Dawn, David Cassidy

References

External links

* 1961 singles Rhythm and blues songs Vee-Jay Records singles 1961 songs Songs about loneliness Songs written by Dee Clark Jan and Dean songs Narvel Felts songs {{1960s-single-stub