Rain on Your Parade
Encyclopedia
"Rain on Your Parade" is a song by Welsh recording artist Duffy
from her debut studio album, Rockferry
. Written by Duffy and Steve Booker
, the song was released as the first single
from the album's deluxe edition, and fifth overall, on 9 February 2009, by A&M Records
. The song incorporates elements of R&B and soul music
, as the lyrics describe the singer threatening her ex-lover.
Contemporary critics complimented the song and its James Bond
-esque sound, while noticing Duffy's distinctive vocals. The single peaked inside the top twenty of some European countries, including the United Kingdom, where it became the singer's third hit to do so. The accompanying music video
portrayed a spy theme, with choreographed dancers in suits and Duffy only wearing a blazer over her undergarments.
One of the song's b-sides, "Smoke Without Fire," was written for the film An Education
, and appears on its soundtrack.
. She also performed the track on the BBC
Comic Relief charity appeal. The song features a prevalent string section that plays the main riff on the track.
The song is used to promote the season 5 of Desperate Housewives
in Australia.
, it debuted at number twenty two on digital download sales, before rising to number fifteen, giving Duffy her third top twenty hit, and then falling to number twenty two again. After leaving the top forty the song re-entered the chart, at number thirty seven then went up 5 places to number thirty two, where it stayed for two weeks. It has since fallen from the top forty, and has lingered around the lower section of the charts.
The song was also Duffy's second top ten hit on the Italian Singles Chart where it entered the chart at number ten giving Rain on Your Parade its first top ten chart placing in Europe. The song was also Duffy's fourth top forty hit on many European single charts.
and premiered via YouTube on 17 October 2008. The video has Duffy in a black background which changes to white, it also has people playing violins, and has male dancers around her whilst she stands in the centre of the room. Inspiration for the video came from the Judy Garland
number "Get Happy
" in the 1950 film Summer Stock
. The video was released onto UK iTunes on 14 October.
The song appeared in the movie Bride Wars
.
7" vinyl single
Digital download
Australian digital download
German Maxi-single
Duffy (singer)
Aimée Ann Duffy , known as Duffy, is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her 2008 debut album Rockferry entered the UK Album Chart at number one. It was the best-selling album in the United Kingdom in 2008 with 1.68 million copies sold...
from her debut studio album, Rockferry
Rockferry
Rockferry is the debut studio album by Welsh blue-eyed soul singer Duffy, released on 3 March 2008 in the United Kingdom by A&M Records. It was released in the United States by Mercury Records. Duffy worked with several producers and writers on the album, including Bernard Butler, Steve Booker,...
. Written by Duffy and Steve Booker
Steve Booker (producer)
Steve Booker is an award-winning British music producer and songwriter best known for "Mercy", "Stepping Stone" and "Rain on Your Parade", three hits he produced and co-wrote for Duffy's Brit and Grammy award winning debut album "Rockferry"...
, the song was released as the first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from the album's deluxe edition, and fifth overall, on 9 February 2009, by A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
. The song incorporates elements of R&B and soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, as the lyrics describe the singer threatening her ex-lover.
Contemporary critics complimented the song and its James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
-esque sound, while noticing Duffy's distinctive vocals. The single peaked inside the top twenty of some European countries, including the United Kingdom, where it became the singer's third hit to do so. The accompanying 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...
portrayed a spy theme, with choreographed dancers in suits and Duffy only wearing a blazer over her undergarments.
One of the song's b-sides, "Smoke Without Fire," was written for the film An Education
An Education
An Education is a 2009 British coming-of-age drama film, based on an autobiographical article in Granta by British journalist Lynn Barber. The film was directed by Lone Scherfig from a screenplay by Nick Hornby, and stars Carey Mulligan as Jenny, a bright schoolgirl, and Peter Sarsgaard as David,...
, and appears on its soundtrack.
Promotion
Duffy performed the song on various TV shows and broadcasted festivals in order to promote the release. Shows included The Royal Variety Show, New Year Live and various others. The song featured in the 2009 film, Bride WarsBride Wars
Bride Wars is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Gary Winick and written by Greg DePaul, June Diane Raphael and Casey Wilson....
. She also performed the track on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Comic Relief charity appeal. The song features a prevalent string section that plays the main riff on the track.
The song is used to promote the season 5 of Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
in Australia.
Critical
The song was well-received by critics with many picking up on the "James Bond" feel to the track. Digital Spy gave the single four out of five stars and predicted that it would be another "smash" for Duffy with its "distinctive" vocals. Music.Com described it as a "big, retro-sounding pop-soul number".Chart performance
On the UK Singles ChartUK 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 ...
, it debuted at number twenty two on digital download sales, before rising to number fifteen, giving Duffy her third top twenty hit, and then falling to number twenty two again. After leaving the top forty the song re-entered the chart, at number thirty seven then went up 5 places to number thirty two, where it stayed for two weeks. It has since fallen from the top forty, and has lingered around the lower section of the charts.
The song was also Duffy's second top ten hit on the Italian Singles Chart where it entered the chart at number ten giving Rain on Your Parade its first top ten chart placing in Europe. The song was also Duffy's fourth top forty hit on many European single charts.
Music video
The music video was shot in London, with director Sophie MullerSophie Muller
Sophie Muller is a British music video director, noted for her long-time collaborations with artists like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, No Doubt, Sade, Shakira, Shakespears Sister, Garbage, Blur, Annie Lennox and Eurythmics.-Background:...
and premiered via YouTube on 17 October 2008. The video has Duffy in a black background which changes to white, it also has people playing violins, and has male dancers around her whilst she stands in the centre of the room. Inspiration for the video came from the Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
number "Get Happy
Get Happy (song)
"Get Happy" is a song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler.It was the first song they wrote together, and was introduced by Ruth Etting in The Nine-Fifteen Revue in 1930....
" in the 1950 film Summer Stock
Summer Stock
For the article about the theatre genre, see Summer stock theatre.Summer Stock is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical made in 1950. The film was directed by Charles Walters and stars Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven, Marjorie Main, and Phil Silvers...
. The video was released onto UK iTunes on 14 October.
The song appeared in the movie Bride Wars
Bride Wars
Bride Wars is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Gary Winick and written by Greg DePaul, June Diane Raphael and Casey Wilson....
.
Tracklistings
CD single- "Rain on Your Parade"
- "Syrup & Honey" (Duffy, Bernard Butler)
7" vinyl single
- "Rain on Your Parade"
- "Smoke Without Fire" (Duffy, Bernard Butler)
Digital download
- "Rain on Your Parade"
Australian digital download
- "Rain on Your Parade"
- "Syrup & Honey"
- "Smoke Without Fire"
- "Big Flame" (Richard J. Parfitt)
German Maxi-single
- "Rain on Your Parade"
- "Syrup & Honey"
- "Smoke Without Fire"
- "Big Flame"
- "Rain on Your Parade" music video
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 9 November 2008 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
| 17 November 2008 | CD Single CD single A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s... , 7" |
|
| United States | 1 December 2008 | Digital download, CD |
| Germany | 5 December 2008 |
Charts
| Charts | 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... |
55 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 49 |
| Belgian Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... Singles (Flanders) |
27 |
| Czech IFPI Singles Chart Czech Republic The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest.... |
26 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
31 |
| German Singles Chart | 29 |
| 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... |
50 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 10 |
| Norway Singles Chart Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
17 |
| Spain Los 40 Top 40 | 15 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
32 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 36 |
| 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 ... |
15 |
End of year
| Chart (2008) | Position |
|---|---|
| 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 ... |
151 |