Behind The Beatles: Rain

As far back as "Love Me Do," John and Paul had stumbled onto a novel use of spicy little trills and langorously stretched out melismas that, along with sung open and parallel fifths, is truly one of the more subtle trademarks of their early soun. Here, what is essentially the identical technique is pushed beyond the routine envelope to create an entirely new and exotically foreign effect.

"After we'd done the session on that particular song-- it ended at about four or five in the morning-- I went home with a tape to see what else you could do with it. And I was sort of very tired, you know, not knowing what I was doing, and I just happened to put it on my own tape recorder and it came out backwards. And I liked it better. So that's how it happened."

--John Lennon, 1966

Ringo has a veritable field day on the drums and cymbals throughout. Also, even on this relatively 'progressive' track, they take the time to bother with one of their so typically fussy tambourine parts; on all four beats in the intro, on alternate even-numbered beats in the first pair of verses and the refrains, and shaken on every eighth note of the measure in verses three and four.

"My favorite piece of me is what I did on 'Rain.' I think I just played amazing. I was into the snare and hi-hat. I think it was the first time I used the trick of starting a break by hitting the hi-hat first instead of going directly to a drum off the hi-hat. I think it's the best out of all the records I've ever made. 'Rain' blows me away. It's out in left field. I know me and I know my playing... and then there's 'Rain.'"

--Ringo, 1984

According to Paul McCartney, the band played the song faster in studio than it appears on the

final release, and then slowied it down during post production to achieve the "gloopy" sound. Despite the "gloop," the song was one of the first to feature Paul's signature loud, booming basslines.

"Rain" is not featured on an original album and did not make it onto a compilation album until Hey Jude in the US and Rarities in the UK.

The song also introduced the world to the concept of music video. The band, sick and tired of performing/miming their hits on an endless sting of cheesy television programs, decided they would create promotional films instead.