Rain Like the Sound of Trains
As the king of the road and grand seignior of honk-tonk songs, i.e. Roger Miller, put it ever so eloquently, “some people walk in the rain, others just get wet”. Well, others are singing in it in the most blissfully ignorant, cheerful and chirpy way, not unlike Gene Kelly.
With the region I currently roam in having recently been subjected to torrential rainfall, it made me wonder how many great songs are inspired by wet weather – both pro and con as well as a metaphorical vehicle to signify something entirely different.
Some of the more obvious choices include Prince’s homage to the end of the world as we know it, i.e. “Purple Rain”, and Travis’ ditty “Why Does It Always Rain on Me?”, which is one of the more relatable and less obtuse ditties on the subject, encapsulating British non-chalance – not unlike the eurythmics did with a bit of a euphoric sprinkle with their timeless “Here Comes the Rain Again”.
It would not be Bob Dylan is his “A Hard Rain Is Gonna Fall” was not offering a myriad of ways to interpret it in a political manner. Chances are he meant something entirely different and much more mundane.
Another song from the sixties is The Beatles’ “Rain”, which was covered by Oasis early on in their career sans reversed vocals, and Buddy Holly’s heartfelt and self-explanatory “Raining in My Heart”, which thematically is closely related to The Temptations’ “I Wish It Would Rain”, which with its catchiness will soothe the most heartbroken soul. A job parallel in a slightly more epic and symphonic realm is the power ballad "November Rain" by Guns N’ Roses.
“Raindrops Keep Falling On M Head” certainly remains one of the more accomplished tunes Burt Bacharach has written and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” was widely received as a Vietnam war inspired protest tune.
It would not be Butch Vig if Garbage did not deliver a banger with “Only Happy When It Rains”, which was a derision of the alternative’s scene for enjoying wallowing in their misery when it came to find themes for songs in the 1990s.
One of my favourite rain related songs comes courtesy of the imminently powerful female duo, The Weather Girls – hallelujah!
Led Zeppelin’s “Fool In The Rain” is a timeless capture of the feeling one gets when you are stood up and Robert Plant & co did it again with their atmospheric tour de force that is “Rain Song”.
And then there’s of course pop culture’s saccharine musings like Rihanna teaming up with Jay Z with her anthemic “Umbrella”, which is a utensil I recently had to acquire as I lost two umbrellas as they feel prey to the elements.
It was not really until Tony Sylvester of Turbonegro fame introduced the notion to my world, that an umbrella can be the ultimate statement of style as he hosted me in the London Undercover shop he looks after in Shoreditch, London, as before that epiphany it was just an ideally cheap replaceable utensil.
He created a monster as ever since, going umbrella shopping has become a fun exercise and my standards have risen exponentially – not merely in terms of colours, but specifically when it comes to the calibration of the combination of durability and sophisticated style, along with sturdiness and wind resistance.
A crafted and engineered umbrella that is built to endure had become something I was happy to invest in, which eventually led me to the beauties that Davek designs.
The downside with Davek’s umbrellas is that the pleasure of acquiring a new one is dramatically limited as their waterproof canopies are built for life courtesy of their patented RigidFlex system, meticulously engineered frame system and tightly woven micro weave fabrics. I have yet to encounter a thunderstorm that will put a dent in my Davek and if it was to ever malfunction, it is covered by an unconditional lifetime guarantee and a loss protection serial number.
Now, is it cheap? Certainly not.
However, the point is that the authentic quality and composition of high-grade steel, fiberglass, zinc alloy and aluminium results in a construct that is exceptionally strong, stable while lightweight and small in size, which makes it a worthwhile investment in austere elegance instead of a disposable product that will end up in landfill once wind intensifies.
Davek’s craftmanship that makes me enjoy what Roger Miller referred to when he talked about taking a walk in the rain and the fact that it is easy on the eye does not hurt either.
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Image from Davek website
