I Wish It Would Rain Down
Encyclopedia
"I Wish It Would Rain Down" is a song by Phil Collins
from his 1989 album ...But Seriously
, and it included the guitar
playing of Eric Clapton
. It was also a departure from the dance-pop music style of No Jacket Required
. The song was a top ten hit in many countries, including Canada
where it topped the chart.
provide the guitar playing throughout the song. As Collins recalls, "I said 'Eric, have I never asked you to play? Come on, I've got a song right up your street.'" Collins felt that it was as close as he had ever gotten at the time to writing a blues song. Collins also felt that it was a Clapton song.
music video
, directed by James Yukich, contains 2:30 minutes of acting prior to the start of the music. The setting is a theatre
in the 1940s or 1950s. Actor Jeffrey Tambor
plays a hyper-critical, unhappy theatre director. He is rehearsing some dancers (who are dancing to the guitar/bass guitar riff from the song "Sunshine of Your Love
" by the band Cream
, in which Eric Clapton played guitar.) The director complains that the girls can neither dance nor sing, and then discovers that his star has appendicitis
. Eric Clapton, seated on a stool, says that "Billy" used to be the drummer in a good band (an in-joke
reference to Collins' tenure with the band Genesis
, in which he played drums) and is a good singer. Members of Collins' backing band play various non-speaking parts (such as the janitor "Chester," who is played by Chester Thompson
, and the prop man, who is played by Leland Sklar
). Collins is forced to act with the play's star. The director deems Collins' acting "terrible". To which Collins replies, "no one ever said I could act, he said I could sing," and the director says, "alright, play the song." As Collins sings, his character fantasizes about becoming a famous stage actor, singer, and movie star. "Billy" is shown receiving an Academy Award from Clark Gable
(impersonated by actor Ralph Chelli).
The "Billy" character's name is inserted onto fake covers of major industry publications such as Variety
and Billboard
, and newspapers such as the Denver Post. Collins' face is inserted into still photographs from the television program
You Bet Your Life
(where he appears next to Groucho Marx
) and films such as White Heat
(where his image is inserted alongside that of James Cagney
). "Billy" is depicted imitating the character of Davy Crockett
(as played by Fess Parker
on the television series of the same name
), standing next to Marilyn Monroe
, and acting out a scene from the 1941 film The Maltese Falcon
(with Humphrey Bogart
impersonator Robert Sacchi
appearing in the scene). (Music video director James Yukich's name appears on the clapperboard
.)
After the music ends, Tambor's character decides to cut the musical number, as he feels it was not any good compared to the dancing girls. The character says the guitarist is good, but his assistant says that "Eric gave a week's notice." Collins sits behind the drums, disbelieving.
Hot 100 in the United States
and number one on the RPM
Top 100 in Canada
. It also reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart
.
In Canada, it was the longest-running number one single of 1990, spending six weeks atop the charts, and ranked as the top single of the year on RPMs year-end charts.
7" single
12" single
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
from his 1989 album ...But Seriously
...But Seriously
-Instrumental contributions:*Phil Collins — keyboards, drums, percussion, tambourine, vocals*Nathan East — bass guitar*Daryl Stuermer — guitar*Dominic Miller — guitar*The Phoenix Horns:**Don Myrick — saxophone...
, and it included the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
playing of Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
. It was also a departure from the dance-pop music style of No Jacket Required
No Jacket Required
The album is named after an incident at The Pump Room restaurant in Chicago, Illinois. Collins , was denied admittance because he did not meet the restaurant's dress code of "jacket required" for dinner, while Plant was allowed in. Collins was wearing a jacket, and argued about it. The Maître d'...
. The song was a top ten hit in many countries, including Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
where it topped the chart.
Recording
Collins had Eric ClaptonEric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
provide the guitar playing throughout the song. As Collins recalls, "I said 'Eric, have I never asked you to play? Come on, I've got a song right up your street.'" Collins felt that it was as close as he had ever gotten at the time to writing a blues song. Collins also felt that it was a Clapton song.
Music video
The 8:30 minute-long black-and-whiteBlack-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, directed by James Yukich, contains 2:30 minutes of acting prior to the start of the music. The setting is a theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in the 1940s or 1950s. Actor Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Michael Tambor is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth on Arrested Development and Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show.-Early life:...
plays a hyper-critical, unhappy theatre director. He is rehearsing some dancers (who are dancing to the guitar/bass guitar riff from the song "Sunshine of Your Love
Sunshine of Your Love
"Sunshine of Your Love" is a 1967 song by the British supergroup Cream. The song was originally released on the album Disraeli Gears in November 1967, and was later released as a single in January 1968. It is Cream's only gold-selling single in the United States. It features a distinctive...
" by the band Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
, in which Eric Clapton played guitar.) The director complains that the girls can neither dance nor sing, and then discovers that his star has appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
. Eric Clapton, seated on a stool, says that "Billy" used to be the drummer in a good band (an in-joke
In-joke
An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or in joke, is a joke whose humour is clear only to people who are in a particular social group, occupation, or other community of common understanding...
reference to Collins' tenure with the band Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
, in which he played drums) and is a good singer. Members of Collins' backing band play various non-speaking parts (such as the janitor "Chester," who is played by Chester Thompson
Chester Thompson
Chester Cortez Thompson is an American drummer and session musician.-Biography:Thompson made his name as a session drummer, going on to play in Frank Zappa's touring band and with Weather Report...
, and the prop man, who is played by Leland Sklar
Leland Sklar
Leland "Lee" Bruce Sklar is an American musician, singer-songwriter and film score composer. A prominent bass guitarist, Sklar has contributed to thousands of albums as a session musician...
). Collins is forced to act with the play's star. The director deems Collins' acting "terrible". To which Collins replies, "no one ever said I could act, he said I could sing," and the director says, "alright, play the song." As Collins sings, his character fantasizes about becoming a famous stage actor, singer, and movie star. "Billy" is shown receiving an Academy Award from Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
(impersonated by actor Ralph Chelli).
The "Billy" character's name is inserted onto fake covers of major industry publications such as Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
and Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, and newspapers such as the Denver Post. Collins' face is inserted into still photographs from the television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
You Bet Your Life
You Bet Your Life
You Bet Your Life is an American quiz show that aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show debuted on ABC Radio in October 1947, then moved to CBS Radio in September...
(where he appears next to Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
) and films such as White Heat
White Heat
White Heat may refer to:In film:* White Heat , a British film directed by Thomas Bentley* White Heat , an American film* White Heat, a 1949 film starring James CagneyIn music:...
(where his image is inserted alongside that of James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
). "Billy" is depicted imitating the character of Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett
David "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
(as played by Fess Parker
Fess Parker
Fess Elisha Parker, Jr. was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of Davy Crockett in the Walt Disney 1955-56 TV mini-series and as TV's Daniel Boone from 1964-70...
on the television series of the same name
Davy Crockett (TV miniseries)
Davy Crockett is a five part serial which aired on ABC in one-hour episodes on the Disneyland series. The series stars Fess Parker as real-life frontiersman Davy Crockett and Buddy Ebsen as his fictional best friend, George Russel....
), standing next to Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
, and acting out a scene from the 1941 film The Maltese Falcon
The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)
The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 Warner Bros. film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett and a remake of the 1931 film of the same name...
(with Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
impersonator Robert Sacchi
Robert Sacchi
Robert Sacchi is an American character actor who, since the 1970s, has been known for his close resemblance to Humphrey Bogart. Sacchi has appeared in many films and TV shows playing either Bogart or a character who happens to look and sound like him...
appearing in the scene). (Music video director James Yukich's name appears on the clapperboard
Clapperboard
A clapperboard is a device used in filmmaking and video production to assist in the synchronizing of picture and sound, and to designate and mark particular scenes and takes recorded during a production...
.)
After the music ends, Tambor's character decides to cut the musical number, as he feels it was not any good compared to the dancing girls. The character says the guitarist is good, but his assistant says that "Eric gave a week's notice." Collins sits behind the drums, disbelieving.
Chart performances
The song was a significant chart hit in 1990, peaking at number three on the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and number one on the RPM
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
Top 100 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It also reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
In Canada, it was the longest-running number one single of 1990, spending six weeks atop the charts, and ranked as the top single of the year on RPMs year-end charts.
Formats and track listings
CD maxi- "I Wish It Would Rain Down"
- "Homeless" ("Another Day in Paradise" demo)
- "You've Been in Love (That Little Bit Too Long)"
7" single
- "I Wish It Would Rain Down"
- "Homeless" ("Another Day in Paradise" demo)
12" single
- "I Wish It Would Rain Down"
- "Homeless" ("Another Day in Paradise" demo)
- "You've Been in Love (That Little Bit Too Long)"
Peak positions
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
15 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 26 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 3 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 11 |
| German Singles Chart | 8 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
4 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 27 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 7 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 8 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 5 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1990) | Position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Top 40 | 29 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 56 |