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Appropriately enough, it’s a rainy day in Humboldt County as I prepare to talk a little about “Rain,” one of my favorite Beatles songs. After wrapping up “Paperback Writer” in the afternoon and early evening, the boys went to work on “Rain” at about 8 PM on April 14.
It was a Thursday, as is today, and Thursdays tend to have a certain feel to them. Would “Rain” sound any different if they’d started it on a Monday? Probably not, but there’s no way to say for sure.
What do I love about “Rain”? For starters it has some of Lennon’s best lyrics. They’re short enough to quote here in their entirety:
If the rain comes
They run and hide their heads
They might as well be dead
If the rain comes
If the rain comes
When the sun shines
They slip into the shade
And sip their lemonade
When the sun shines
When the sun shines
Rain, I don’t mind
Shine, the weather’s fine
I can show you
That when it starts to rain
Everything’s the same
I can show you
I can show you
Rain, I don’t mind
Shine, the weather’s fine
Can you hear me
That when it rains and shines
It’s just a state of mind
Can you hear me
Can you hear me
This is philosophy you can actually use. Every time you hear “Rain” you are reminded that life is short, and that it’s stupid to let your enjoyment of it be hindered by trivial things like the weather. A simple truth, but one it’s easy to lose sight of in the tumult of daily existence. I’m thinking it’s not a bad idea to listen to “Rain” every morning for the rest of my life.
But the message of this song wouldn’t make nearly so much of an impact if it didn’t sound so fucking good. In particular, this is one of Paul’s best basslines — fluid, melodic, and even kind of funky. Say what you will about Paul, but the man can play.
Part of the reason the bass sounds so good, both here and on “Paperback Writer,” is all the technical jiggery-pokery that went on, but I think I’ll get into that tomorrow.
I think “Rain” would have sounded very different if started on Monday. I’m glad they opted for Thursday.