The Rain Tapes
Encyclopedia
The Rain Tapes refers to a collection of songs recorded by American singer Madonna
in late 1991 and early 1992, during the development of her Erotica album.
and Tony Shimkin, and produced by Madonna and Pettibone. Most of the songs are early and alternate versions of songs used on the Erotica album, while others—"Shame", "You Are the One", and "Jitterbug"—remain completely unreleased. The songs appear registered with the U.S. copyright
office together on two 90-minute cassette tapes. Because "Rain
" is the first track on the cassette, written centered on the title card of the cassette while the other songs below it are written to the left margin of the card, fans often call it "The Rain Tapes." Although, sometimes they are also referred to as the "Shep Pettibone sessions"
The first descriptions circulated were done by Bruce Baron
, who wrote the 1999 Goldmine
article on Madonna's unreleased material and had the chance to listen to most of the tracks in the Library of Congress
. His description and tracklistings were incomplete and partly incorrect and have recently been revised, corrected and expanded.
Of the two versions of Rain found on the Tapes, the second (new vocal) is badly distorted but appears to have very minimal differences to the released version. Madonna sings the outro twice ("I'll stand out on the mountain top") and she can be heard to say "Whatever" as the music fades. The first version (Final Demo New Harms) is recorded at too low a level at the beginning though it raises to the correct level after the first verse. As the title suggests, the harmonies are highlighted in this version and include some which were removed in the final mix. Again the final line is sung twice.
The first of the Bye Bye Baby demos ('First Day Ruff') is extremely distorted on the original tapes, having been recorded with too much input. Despite this, it appears to be a first run-through of the song and is extremely rough, mostly spoken and includes some minor alternate lyrics including "What makes you sexy?" and "Does it make you feel good to make me cry?". Fortunately this and the second "Rain" demo are the only two which suffer from distortion or serious quality issues.
The 'Second Day Ruff' demo is interesting in that it uses a unique vocal which is much darker than that on the finished mix. Like the 'First Day Ruff', it is a very basic run-through of the track though the lyrics are more developed but still include minor differences. The final demo is very close to the album mix though again there are several minor differences, for example, it lacks the spoken "Bitch!" in the bridge. None of the demos feature the "You f**ked it up" line which closes the album version and each uses an alternate vocal.
Has slightly different arrangements than the released version. This version is missing the Latin guitar break which Shep told EQ magazine that he hated and that Madonna insisted on in the released version. This one might be closer to his original vision with the house pattern. The end is a little different using the same released lyrics but the music goes on for longer.
Completely unreleased in any format. Song not used on the album. The lyrics are rather mundane, such as "You are the one, my only one, you are the one for me". The sound is very dance/club/house and includes a break with 80s-style scratching and backing vocals which are also used on the "Goodbye To Innocence" demos. It was abandoned at the demo stage.
Completely unreleased in any format. Song not used on the album. The song opens with a spoken intro, "Why do you wanna waste your life away? It's a shame". Later she sings "Anyone can learn to fly, keep your head up - keep your held held high". The chorus starts with "It's a Shaaaaaame, the way you live your life is a shame - and you've got no one to blame" which sounds an awful a lot like the song of the same title and time period by Monie Love
. This is possibly the source of the old rumor that she and Madonna were going to do something together. The similarity ends there, with Madonna's "Shame" demo breaking off into its own unique melody. The tapes contain two mixes of the track which are substantially different in arrangement. An high quality except has been leaked in the middle of 2008.
This is very different from the commercially released remixed version which appeared on the various artists collection "Just Say Roe" and in a further revised dub, "Up Down Suite", as one of the B-sides for the "Rain" single. The unreleased demo versions use the same theme and many of the same lyrics, but everything is switched around and feels much darker than the released versions. It is a different vocal recording (strong-and-clear unlike the commercial mix). Much of the song's melody is different including the chorus. The arrangement is pure pop-funk-dance, no club remix style here.
Extra lyrics include the spoken line: "Goodbye to innocence, anonyminity (sic), peace of mind . . . Goodbye to privacy, goodbye to all of that. Hello mankind!"
The chorus is also completely different: "You know you'd better stop, stop and think about how you get your kicks, God knows I didn't ask for this - you know you'd better stop, stop and think about it, before you mess with someone else, why don't you pay attention to yourself - yourself and nobody else".
Most who have heard these demos cannot understand why the song was abandoned at this stage. It is probably the strongest of the unreleased "Erotica" demos. The first of the GTI demos is interesting as studio talk can be heard in the background, notably Madonna laughing and saying "You ARE!" as the song ends. The two demos are mixed and arranged differently, the first incorporating an alternate vocal harmony during the refrains that isn't present in the second demo. It seems likely that the attributions of these two demos - Straight Pass and Final Edit - has been mixed up, as the edit is longer than the Straight Pass and also includes studio talk which is normally only found in a straight pass.
These are without the eastern instrument found in the released version simply called "Words". Instead the synth keys that are found at the end of the commercial mix are used during the chorus. There is also a subtle guitar-like sound. Additional lyrics include "Your words are for fools", and "Your words are so cruel". The backing vocals and bridge arrangements are slightly different, the first Rough Mix, as you would expect, uses a different vocal take to the final edits and the eventually-discarded refrains have not yet taken form. The two final edits are actually different in mix and quality, the one on the first tape being noticeably clearer and more polished.
Known to fans as You Thrill Me since these words are contained in the alternate lyrics. Madonna incorporated this demo into the version of Erotica that she performed on her 2006 Confessions Tour
. It is significantly different from the released album version. The verse lyrics are the same as those used on the album, though there is no trace of the familiar chorus lyric "Erotic, Erotic, put your hands all over my body". Instead Madonna sings a different chorus line with a different melody in the same type of voice that ends with the line:
The instrumentation is approximately the same as the commercial mix but is jazzier and much more bass-heavy. The Rough Mix includes the complete refrain, "Erotica, romance, I'd like to put you in a trance . . . Erotica, romance, I'd like to do a different kind of dance" (the word 'dance' bing lost by final demo stage) and uses an alternate vocal in parts.
The two "final demos" are actually slightly different, not only in mix and quality (that on the first tape being noticeably clearer and more polished), but also in some vocal sections. This is borne out by the different mixing completion dates of the two "final demos" which makes it clear these are two different works. The fact that "Final Demo 2" was completed on the 15th - the same day as the Rough Mix - and "Final Demo 1" on the 16th makes it likely that the track credited as "Final Demo 2" is actually a straight pass representing a development of the "Rough Mix" - this would be borne out by the studio talk still present on the second demo and the fact that some different vocal elements are used on "Final Demo 1" which is the most polished and complete of all three "Erotica" demos.
This song was mostly taped over, but showed up between two of the other tracks. It is listed on the handwritten tape label, but it has no copyright registration of its own. The title was originally spelled with a "G", but was written over darker with a "J" in blue ink. It features typical generic Shep Pettibone dance music with Madonna finishing up with "Jitterbug, Jitterbug". Madonna stops singing but the music continues, and she can be heard asking "Is this gonna go on forever and ever"? The music still continues and she finally demands "Somebody end this dance lesson!" It abruptly ends. She then says into the microphone "There were some cute ideas there".
Use slightly different intro, bridge and outro arrangements. One version has what we know at the end of the song placed at the beginning. One uses the voice of a southern black woman to say the line "now sister sit your a** down" instead of Madonna herself as done on the commercial release, and Madonna is briefly heard laughing immediately after. Each demo uses an alternate vocal take.
Also leaked in the same period were low-quality 25-second fragments of "Actions Speak Louder Than Words (Final Edit)", "Erotica (Rough Mix)", "Goodbye To Innocence (Final Edit)" and "Shame (Final Edit Demo)". Later that year, high quality versions of the same clips, excluding "Erotica (Rough Mix)" and "Goodbye To Innocence (Final Edit)", appeared online.
Any other songs in circulation claiming to be from the Rain Tapes are, in fact, fake.
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
in late 1991 and early 1992, during the development of her Erotica album.
Background
The songs were written by Madonna, Shep PettiboneShep Pettibone
Robert E. Pettibone, Jr. is a record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. His earliest work known to the public was for one of New York City's top disco/dance radio stations, WRKS 98.7 "Kiss" FM, and later as remixer/producer for the disco label Salsoul...
and Tony Shimkin, and produced by Madonna and Pettibone. Most of the songs are early and alternate versions of songs used on the Erotica album, while others—"Shame", "You Are the One", and "Jitterbug"—remain completely unreleased. The songs appear registered with the U.S. copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
office together on two 90-minute cassette tapes. Because "Rain
Rain (Madonna song)
"Rain" is a single by American singer-songwriter Madonna and was released on July 17, 1993 by Maverick Records. It was the fifth single release from her fifth studio album Erotica...
" is the first track on the cassette, written centered on the title card of the cassette while the other songs below it are written to the left margin of the card, fans often call it "The Rain Tapes." Although, sometimes they are also referred to as the "Shep Pettibone sessions"
The first descriptions circulated were done by Bruce Baron
Bruce Baron
Bruce Baron is an American movie actor.Born in New York, he graduated from Cornell University . He starred in several Asian movies, playing over a dozen lead roles in Hong Kong and Manila productions, including among others, in Godfrey Ho's "Ninja" features and Filipino low-budget action films for...
, who wrote the 1999 Goldmine
Goldmine
Goldmine may refer to:* Gold mining, the extraction of gold, usually from rock or sediment* Gold Mine , a tile-laying board game* Goldmine , a music collectables magazine* GoldMine, a customer relationship management software package...
article on Madonna's unreleased material and had the chance to listen to most of the tracks in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
. His description and tracklistings were incomplete and partly incorrect and have recently been revised, corrected and expanded.
Track listing
The tapes consist of two 90-minute cassette tapesSelected Songs Description
- Rain (final demos) U.S. copyright registration# PAu-1-605-634
Of the two versions of Rain found on the Tapes, the second (new vocal) is badly distorted but appears to have very minimal differences to the released version. Madonna sings the outro twice ("I'll stand out on the mountain top") and she can be heard to say "Whatever" as the music fades. The first version (Final Demo New Harms) is recorded at too low a level at the beginning though it raises to the correct level after the first verse. As the title suggests, the harmonies are highlighted in this version and include some which were removed in the final mix. Again the final line is sung twice.
- Bye Bye Baby (alternate rough and final demos) U.S. copyright registration# PAu-1-605-635
The first of the Bye Bye Baby demos ('First Day Ruff') is extremely distorted on the original tapes, having been recorded with too much input. Despite this, it appears to be a first run-through of the song and is extremely rough, mostly spoken and includes some minor alternate lyrics including "What makes you sexy?" and "Does it make you feel good to make me cry?". Fortunately this and the second "Rain" demo are the only two which suffer from distortion or serious quality issues.
The 'Second Day Ruff' demo is interesting in that it uses a unique vocal which is much darker than that on the finished mix. Like the 'First Day Ruff', it is a very basic run-through of the track though the lyrics are more developed but still include minor differences. The final demo is very close to the album mix though again there are several minor differences, for example, it lacks the spoken "Bitch!" in the bridge. None of the demos feature the "You f**ked it up" line which closes the album version and each uses an alternate vocal.
- Deeper and Deeper (alternate demo version) U.S. copyright registration# PAu-1-605-634.
Has slightly different arrangements than the released version. This version is missing the Latin guitar break which Shep told EQ magazine that he hated and that Madonna insisted on in the released version. This one might be closer to his original vision with the house pattern. The end is a little different using the same released lyrics but the music goes on for longer.
- You Are The One U.S. copyright registration# PAu-1-605-636
Completely unreleased in any format. Song not used on the album. The lyrics are rather mundane, such as "You are the one, my only one, you are the one for me". The sound is very dance/club/house and includes a break with 80s-style scratching and backing vocals which are also used on the "Goodbye To Innocence" demos. It was abandoned at the demo stage.
- Shame U.S. copyright registration# PAu-1-605-637
Completely unreleased in any format. Song not used on the album. The song opens with a spoken intro, "Why do you wanna waste your life away? It's a shame". Later she sings "Anyone can learn to fly, keep your head up - keep your held held high". The chorus starts with "It's a Shaaaaaame, the way you live your life is a shame - and you've got no one to blame" which sounds an awful a lot like the song of the same title and time period by Monie Love
Monie Love
Simone Riscoe , better known by her stage name Monie Love, is an English emcee and former radio personality in the United States...
. This is possibly the source of the old rumor that she and Madonna were going to do something together. The similarity ends there, with Madonna's "Shame" demo breaking off into its own unique melody. The tapes contain two mixes of the track which are substantially different in arrangement. An high quality except has been leaked in the middle of 2008.
- Goodbye To Innocence (unreleased alternate demos) U.S. copyright registration# PAu-1-605-640
This is very different from the commercially released remixed version which appeared on the various artists collection "Just Say Roe" and in a further revised dub, "Up Down Suite", as one of the B-sides for the "Rain" single. The unreleased demo versions use the same theme and many of the same lyrics, but everything is switched around and feels much darker than the released versions. It is a different vocal recording (strong-and-clear unlike the commercial mix). Much of the song's melody is different including the chorus. The arrangement is pure pop-funk-dance, no club remix style here.
Extra lyrics include the spoken line: "Goodbye to innocence, anonyminity (sic), peace of mind . . . Goodbye to privacy, goodbye to all of that. Hello mankind!"
The chorus is also completely different: "You know you'd better stop, stop and think about how you get your kicks, God knows I didn't ask for this - you know you'd better stop, stop and think about it, before you mess with someone else, why don't you pay attention to yourself - yourself and nobody else".
Most who have heard these demos cannot understand why the song was abandoned at this stage. It is probably the strongest of the unreleased "Erotica" demos. The first of the GTI demos is interesting as studio talk can be heard in the background, notably Madonna laughing and saying "You ARE!" as the song ends. The two demos are mixed and arranged differently, the first incorporating an alternate vocal harmony during the refrains that isn't present in the second demo. It seems likely that the attributions of these two demos - Straight Pass and Final Edit - has been mixed up, as the edit is longer than the Straight Pass and also includes studio talk which is normally only found in a straight pass.
- Actions Speak Louder Than Words (alternate rough and final demos) U.S. copyright office registration PAu-1-605-641.
These are without the eastern instrument found in the released version simply called "Words". Instead the synth keys that are found at the end of the commercial mix are used during the chorus. There is also a subtle guitar-like sound. Additional lyrics include "Your words are for fools", and "Your words are so cruel". The backing vocals and bridge arrangements are slightly different, the first Rough Mix, as you would expect, uses a different vocal take to the final edits and the eventually-discarded refrains have not yet taken form. The two final edits are actually different in mix and quality, the one on the first tape being noticeably clearer and more polished.
- Erotica (alternate rough and final demos) U.S. copyright registration PAu-1-605-642
Known to fans as You Thrill Me since these words are contained in the alternate lyrics. Madonna incorporated this demo into the version of Erotica that she performed on her 2006 Confessions Tour
Confessions Tour
Confessions Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It supported her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. Madonna confirmed the possibility of going out on a tour as early as November 2005. Jamie King, Madonna's longtime collaborator, was then hired on...
. It is significantly different from the released album version. The verse lyrics are the same as those used on the album, though there is no trace of the familiar chorus lyric "Erotic, Erotic, put your hands all over my body". Instead Madonna sings a different chorus line with a different melody in the same type of voice that ends with the line:
- "....You are who you are....and I
- Wouldn't want to change a thing...in spite of
- All the pain that love can bring...
- Tell me, what can I do? I'm so in love with you.
- You thrill me, surround me, you fill me
- You send me, you put me in a trance
- You fill me, inside of me, you take me
- You thrill me, you put me in a trance."
The instrumentation is approximately the same as the commercial mix but is jazzier and much more bass-heavy. The Rough Mix includes the complete refrain, "Erotica, romance, I'd like to put you in a trance . . . Erotica, romance, I'd like to do a different kind of dance" (the word 'dance' bing lost by final demo stage) and uses an alternate vocal in parts.
The two "final demos" are actually slightly different, not only in mix and quality (that on the first tape being noticeably clearer and more polished), but also in some vocal sections. This is borne out by the different mixing completion dates of the two "final demos" which makes it clear these are two different works. The fact that "Final Demo 2" was completed on the 15th - the same day as the Rough Mix - and "Final Demo 1" on the 16th makes it likely that the track credited as "Final Demo 2" is actually a straight pass representing a development of the "Rough Mix" - this would be borne out by the studio talk still present on the second demo and the fact that some different vocal elements are used on "Final Demo 1" which is the most polished and complete of all three "Erotica" demos.
- Jitterbug (song fragment, about 30–45 seconds)
This song was mostly taped over, but showed up between two of the other tracks. It is listed on the handwritten tape label, but it has no copyright registration of its own. The title was originally spelled with a "G", but was written over darker with a "J" in blue ink. It features typical generic Shep Pettibone dance music with Madonna finishing up with "Jitterbug, Jitterbug". Madonna stops singing but the music continues, and she can be heard asking "Is this gonna go on forever and ever"? The music still continues and she finally demands "Somebody end this dance lesson!" It abruptly ends. She then says into the microphone "There were some cute ideas there".
- Thief Of Hearts (alternate demo versions) U.S. copyright registration# PAu-1-605-643
Use slightly different intro, bridge and outro arrangements. One version has what we know at the end of the song placed at the beginning. One uses the voice of a southern black woman to say the line "now sister sit your a** down" instead of Madonna herself as done on the commercial release, and Madonna is briefly heard laughing immediately after. Each demo uses an alternate vocal take.
Circulation
Five full tracks from the tapes - and a few clips of others —leaked onto the Internet from 2007 to early 2008 and have become widely available for download. However, a wide number of fakes are also circulating, which claim to be from The Rain Tapes, though they are in fact fan creations. The following were the leaked tracks:- Cheat (Drunk Girl)
- Bye Bye Baby (First Day Ruff)
- Thief Of Hearts (Old Music)
- Erotica (Final Demo 2) 15 January 1992
- Goodbye To Innocence (Straight Pass)
Also leaked in the same period were low-quality 25-second fragments of "Actions Speak Louder Than Words (Final Edit)", "Erotica (Rough Mix)", "Goodbye To Innocence (Final Edit)" and "Shame (Final Edit Demo)". Later that year, high quality versions of the same clips, excluding "Erotica (Rough Mix)" and "Goodbye To Innocence (Final Edit)", appeared online.
Any other songs in circulation claiming to be from the Rain Tapes are, in fact, fake.