Early Morning Rain
Encyclopedia
"Early Morning Rain" is a song composed and recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter
Gordon Lightfoot
. The song appears on his debut album Lightfoot!
(1966) and in a re-recorded version on the 1975 compilation Gord's Gold
. It has been recorded by many noted artists, including Elvis Presley
, Bob Dylan
and Paul Weller
.
Lightfoot composed the song in 1964, supposedly inspired by seeing off a friend at the Los Angeles airport some years previous. The lyrics suggest someone down on his luck, standing by an airport
fence and observing the thunderous takeoff
of a Boeing 707
jetliner
. The general narrative of the song can be taken as a sort of jet-age musical allegory
to a hobo
of yesteryear lurking around a railroad yard
, attempting to surreptitiously board and ride
a freight train
.
frequently performs the song live as an homage to Lightfoot's influence on the band.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music, and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s...
. The song appears on his debut album Lightfoot!
Lightfoot!
-External links:*...
(1966) and in a re-recorded version on the 1975 compilation Gord's Gold
Gord's Gold
Gord's Gold is a compilation album released by Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot in 1975.It was the first Lightfoot compilation to feature music from his Warner Bros. Records. The album was originally released as a two-record album featuring re-recordings of his United Artists hits...
. It has been recorded by many noted artists, including Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and Paul Weller
Paul Weller
Paul Weller is an English singer-songwriter. Starting with the band The Jam , Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council...
.
Lightfoot composed the song in 1964, supposedly inspired by seeing off a friend at the Los Angeles airport some years previous. The lyrics suggest someone down on his luck, standing by an airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
fence and observing the thunderous takeoff
Takeoff
Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle goes from the ground to flying in the air.For horizontal takeoff aircraft this usually involves starting with a transition from moving along the ground on a runway. For balloons, helicopters and some specialized fixed-wing aircraft , no...
of a Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
jetliner
Jetliner
Jetliner are an alternative rock band from the USA. They focus on melodic piano based rock and have been compared to Queen and early Elton John, being heavily influenced by early 70s rock. Composed of Adam Paskowitz of The Flys, son of Doc Paskowitz, on piano and lead vocals, Jeff Kluesner on...
. The general narrative of the song can be taken as a sort of jet-age musical allegory
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
to a hobo
Hobo
A hobo is a term which is often applied to a migratory worker or homeless vagabond, often penniless. The term originated in the Western—probably Northwestern—United States during the last decade of the 19th century. Unlike 'tramps', who work only when they are forced to, and 'bums', who do not...
of yesteryear lurking around a railroad yard
Classification yard
A classification yard or marshalling yard is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars on to one of several tracks. First the cars are taken to a track, sometimes called a lead or a drill...
, attempting to surreptitiously board and ride
Freighthopping
Freighthopping or train hopping is the act of surreptitiously hitching a ride on a railroad freight car. In the United States, this became a common means of transportation following the American Civil War as the railroads began pushing westward, especially among migrant workers who became known as...
a freight train
Freight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
.
Notable Recordings and Performances
The Canadian husband and wife duo Ian & Sylvia were the first artists to release this song—there would be over a year's time lag between Lightfoot's recording and its release. Funk super-group CameoCameo
Cameo is a method of carving an object such as an engraved gem, item of jewellery or vessel made in this manner. It nearly always features a raised relief image; contrast with intaglio, which has a negative image...
frequently performs the song live as an homage to Lightfoot's influence on the band.
Hit Singles
- 1965 Peter Paul & Mary, U.S. pop #91
- 1966 George Hamilton IVGeorge Hamilton IVGeorge Hege Hamilton IV is an American country musician. He began performing in the late 1950s as a teen idol, later switching to country music in the early 1960s.-Biography:Hamilton was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina...
, U.S. country #9 - 2005 Paul WellerPaul WellerPaul Weller is an English singer-songwriter. Starting with the band The Jam , Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council...
U.K. #40
Tracks on Hit Albums
- 1965 Ian & Sylvia, Early Morning Rain, U.S. #77
- 1965 Grateful DeadGrateful DeadThe Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
Golden State Studios 11-3-65 - 1965 Judy CollinsJudy CollinsJudith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
, Fifth AlbumFifth Album (Judy Collins album)Fifth Album was an album by Judy Collins, released in 1965. It peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.It featured a collection of traditional ballads and singer-songwriter material from Bob Dylan, Richard Fariña, Phil Ochs and Malvina Reynolds...
, U.S. #69 - 1965 Peter Paul & Mary, See What Tomorrow BringsSee What Tomorrow BringsSee What Tomorrow Brings is the fifth studio album by the American folk music trio Peter, Paul & Mary, released in 1965 .- Track listing :# "If I Were Free" - 2:43...
, U.S. #11 - 1966 Chad & Jeremy, Distant Shores, U.S. #61
- 1970 Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Self PortraitSelf Portrait (Bob Dylan album)Self Portrait is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's tenth studio album, released by Columbia Records in June 1970.Self Portrait was Dylan's second double album, and features mostly cover versions of well-known pop and folk songs. Also included are a handful of instrumentals and original compositions...
, U.S. #4 - 1972 Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Elvis NowElvis NowElvis Now is a gold-selling Elvis Presley album from 1972.Despite the "now" in the title, the tracks on this album were recorded anywhere from one to three years before its release. "Hey Jude" had been recorded at Elvis' legendary sessions at the American Studio in Memphis in early 1969...
, U.S. #43 - 1973 Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
, The Session, U.S. #37 - 1975 Gordon LightfootGordon LightfootGordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music, and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s...
, Gord's GoldGord's GoldGord's Gold is a compilation album released by Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot in 1975.It was the first Lightfoot compilation to feature music from his Warner Bros. Records. The album was originally released as a two-record album featuring re-recordings of his United Artists hits...
, U.S. #34 - 1977 Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Elvis in Concert, U.S. #5 - 2002 Eva CassidyEva CassidyEva Marie Cassidy was an American vocalist known for her interpretations of jazz, blues, folk, gospel, country and pop classics. In 1992 she released her first album, The Other Side, a set of duets with go-go musician Chuck Brown, followed by a live solo album, Live at Blues Alley in 1996...
, ImagineImagine (Eva Cassidy album)Imagine is the third album by American singer Eva Cassidy. Released in 2002, six years after her death, it was her second UK no. 1 album.-Track listing:-Personnel:-Production:-Charts:Album-References:... - 2004 Paul WellerPaul WellerPaul Weller is an English singer-songwriter. Starting with the band The Jam , Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council...
, Studio 150Studio 150Studio 150 is the seventh album by British artist Paul Weller. It comprises covers of songs by a variety of artists, and showcases Weller's myriad musical influences. It was named after the small Amsterdam studio in which it was recorded...