23 Best Songs About Rain

The best songs about rain not only capture the essence of a rainy day stuck indoors, but they also use the weather as a metaphor for their deepest feelings.

It’s a striking visual theme that complements a wide range of music and has been used to great effect in everything from classic rock to modern hip-hop.

This playlist brings together the best songs about rain you can listen to, whether you’re a fan of sweet ballads or prefer something more upbeat.

The 23 Best Songs About Rain

With rain a ubiquitous feature of everyone’s life, it’s no surprise that it’s been the topic of songs from various genres and bands over the years.

We’ve chosen music that covers all tastes to bring you this playlist, ranging from modern-day pop music that topped the charts to songs from iconic musicals.

Without further ado, here’s our playlist of the 23 best songs about rain:

23. “November Rain” – Guns N’ Roses

One of the most memorable songs about rain from Guns N Roses is “November Rain,” based on the horror story by Del James.

With a running time of over eight minutes, it’s an epic rock ballad with a classic music video featuring live footage of the band performing.

Guns N Roses also wrote and performed one of the best songs of all time, “Sweet Child O’Mine,” which hit the top of the charts in 1988.

22. “Come Rain Or Come Shine” – Ray Charles

An oldie but most definitely a goodie, “Come Rain Or Come Shine” sees iconic singer Ray Charles on top form.

Written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, “Come Rain Or Come Shine” was originally sung by Margaret Whiting in the 1940s.

It was featured in the musical St. Louis Woman in 1946 and has also been covered by Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra.

21. “No Rain” – Blind Melon

While the title “No Rain” suggests the absence of bad weather, this song by Blind Melon is all about a rainy day in the 1990s.

It’s a post-grunge rock classic that captures the apathy of Generation X, with a great music video that features a tap-dancing “Bee Girl.”

Frequently played on MTV, “No Rain” by Blind Melon was a huge hit and helped the band achieve multi-platinum status in the charts.

20. “Rain” – Madonna

A playlist of the best songs about rain wouldn’t be complete without Madonna’s aptly-titled song “Rain,” released in 1993.

“Your love’s coming down like the rain,” she sings in the song, reflecting how a person’s love can wash away as it becomes part of the past.

Madonna wrote a great song that contrasts rain, “Ray of Light,” which is one of the best songs about light you can listen to.

19. “Rain On Me” – Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande

Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande have released many chart-topping hits over the years, so it’s no surprise that their duet “Rain on Me” was also a winner.

The song features the two women in conversation about gratitude and continuing in the face of any obstacles life might throw their way.

Lady Gaga notched this track up as another hit from her impressive discography, which features five number-one hits on the Billboard charts.

18. “Rain” – Missy Elliot

Hip-hop legend Missy Elliot brings her own unique style to this playlist of songs about rain with “Rain,” released in 1997.

She repeats the phrase “I can’t stand the rain (against my window)” throughout the song, reflecting on how she deals with difficult times.

“Rain” made it to the number four spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts when it was first released and was featured on the album Supa Dupa Fly.

17. “Fool In The Rain” – Led Zeppelin

While Led Zeppelin’s “The Rain Song” might be an obvious choice for their song about rain, we’re enamored with “Fool In The Rain.”

It includes a great beat from John Bonham and a stirring guitar solo by Jimmy Page, with real flair running through from start to finish.

“Fool in the Rain” was released as a track on their final album, In Through The Out Door, a stunning swansong from an impressive discography.

16. “Rhythm Of The Rain” – The Cascades

The “Rhythm of the Rain” is a soothing sound that the aptly-named band The Cascades explored in their hit song from 1963.

The song uses audio from real rain and storms in the intro and outro, with the lyrics describing a forlorn lover seeking solace from heartbreak.

“Rhythm of the Rain” is representative of the 1960s trend for male vocal harmony groups that reached their pinnacle with the Beach Boys.

15. “Rainy Days And Mondays” – The Carpenters

“Rainy Days and Mondays” seem to go hand-in-hand, something that the Carpenters clearly understood in this moving song.

Bob Messenger delivers a sterling saxophone solo in the song, complementing the gorgeous vocals that capture the lethargy of a Monday morning.

The Carpenters wrote many huge hits, including one of the best Christmas songs you can listen to, “Merry Christmas Darling.”

14. “It’s Raining Men” – The Weather Girls

Rain is often used as a metaphor in music, as was clearly the case with the classic song by the Weather Girls, “It’s Raining Men.”

It’s an anthemic song with a joyful and energetic vibe that features one of the most memorable choruses of its time.

Released in 1983, “It’s Raining Men” has lost none of its appeal in the years since and continues to fill the dancefloor every time it’s played.

13. “Raining In My Heart” – Buddy Holly

A more sorrowful and melancholic song about rain is the Buddy Holly song “Raining in My Heart,” another classic from the 1960s.

“I tell my blues they mustn’t show,” the lyrics begin, continuing, “But soon these tears are bound to flow ’cause, it’s raining, raining in my heart.”

It’s a timeless song and a great example of how rain songs can be used to express our deepest internal feelings of sadness and loneliness.

12. “I’m Only Happy When It Rains” – Garbage

“I’m Only Happy When It Rains” by Garbage is a typically self-deprecating song that takes a tongue-in-cheek look at teenage angst.

It features a great vocal performance from Shirley Manson, with catchy vocals and a hook that guaranteed it would become a firm favorite among their fans.

Garbage made a last-minute decision to use “I’m Only Happy When It Rains” as the lead-in track on their self-titled album released in 1995.

11. “Set Fire To The Rain” – Adele

Adele opted to mix up the elements with the song “Set Fire To The Rain,” an angry ballad that was featured on her album 21.

An emotion-packed song that juxtaposes fire and rain, it speaks to the many contradictions in relationships we’ve all experienced at some time in our lives.

It was one of many songs released by Adele that earned her critical acclaim, with the singer winning sixteen Grammy Awards so far throughout her career.

10. “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” – Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan has written hundreds of songs over the years, including one of the best songs about guilt, “I Threw It All Away.”

“A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” sees Bob Dylan in post-apocalyptic mode, singing about the kind of rain that comes following a nuclear holocaust.

Written at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1963, it’s a powerful anti-war song from one of the most politically active singers of the twentieth century.

9. “Rain” – The Beatles

“Rain” cuts straight to the chase, a lesser-known song from The Beatles but still a popular piece of music among their fans.

This B-side to “Paperback Writer” features more trippy lyrics than their previous work and was inspired by “Mr. Tamborine Man” by Bob Dylan.

It also features elements of a tape being played backward, and Ringo Starr has claimed that his best drumming performance was on this track.

8. “Dreams” – Fleetwood Mac

While most songs about rain include the word in the title, Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” could be easily overlooked.

It features the well-known chorus line “Thunder only happens when it’s raining” and is one of the most well-written songs produced by the band.

“Dreams” was originally released on the 1977 Fleetwood Mac album Rumors and was released in 2004 as a remastered version.

7. “Here Comes The Rain Again” – The Eurythmics

The Eurythmics enjoyed many chart successes during the 1980s, with “Here Comes The Rain Again” among them.

The song sets a moody scene in a minor key, with lyrics about rain and the emotional rollercoaster of life running through the track.

The Eurythmics also released one of the most popular songs about dreams, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This),” which topped the charts in 1983.

6. “The Rain Song” – Led Zeppelin

Returning once again to Led Zeppelin for another of their classic songs about rain, “The Rain Song,” which hit the charts in 1973.

It’s one of their most popular songs, with lyrics referencing the classic poem from 1842 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Rainy Day.

Featured on the album Houses of the Unholy, “The Rain Song” is among the best examples of songs about rain ever recorded.

5. “I Wish It Would Rain” – The Temptations

Heading back once again to the 1960s for another of the classic rain songs from the decade with “I Wish it Would Rain” by the Temptations.

In this song, the vocals revolve around yearning for a long rainy day so that the weather might hide their tears.

Roger Penzabene, who wrote and sang “I Wish it Would Rain,” was inspired by the rather unfortunate event of discovering his wife cheating on him.

4. “Singing In The Rain” – Gene Kelly

Of all the great songs about rain, “Singing in the Rain” by Gene Kelly may well be the best known, featured in the classic musical movie of the same name.

While the song was originally recorded in 1929, Kelly’s version is the definitive take on this bouncy and hummable classic song.

It was also featured more controversially in the dark satire by Stanley Kubrick, A Clockwork Orange, adapted from the Antony Burgess novel of the same name.

3. “Umbrella” – Rihanna

Rihanna’s song “Umbrella” was one of her chart-topping hits from 2017 and remains one of the best karaoke songs you can sing along to.

It’s a deceptively simple pop song about rain that uses the imagery of an umbrella as a metaphor for the bond of friendship.

“Umbrella” continues to resonate with listeners to this day and is a modern-day pop masterpiece that deserved its huge chart success.

2. “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival ask their listeners, “Have You Ever Seen The Rain”? in this song released at the height of their fame.

It was composed by bandleader John Fogerty after his brother Tom decided to leave the band.

The brothers, unfortunately, were unable to reconcile their differences before the death of Tom Fogerty in 1990 due to tuberculosis.

1. “Purple Rain” – Prince

We’ll wrap up this playlist of the best songs with the iconic track from Prince, “Purple Rain,” perhaps his best-known song.

It’s an epic song, and classic power ballad from Prince originally intended to be a duet between price and Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac.

Prince explored a wide range of topics through his music, including one of the best songs about betrayal, “Eye Hate U.”

Summary

So there you have it, our complete playlist exploring the concept of rain in all its musical expressions and across a wide spectrum of genres.

While rain is typically associated with sad and downbeat topics and themes, there are some surprisingly upbeat songs about rain to balance things out.

Undoubtedly, the rain will continue to inspire singer-songwriters in the years to come, reflecting their emotional states and leading to more potential classics.

What songs about rain do you like to listen to when you’re stuck indoors? Leave a comment below.