I Think It's Going to Rain Today


"I Think It's Going to Rain Today" is a song by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman. It appears on Julius La Rosa's 1966 album You're Gonna Hear from Me, Eric Burdon's 1967 album Eric Is Here, on Newman's 1968 debut album Randy Newman, in The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1, and in Newman's official and bootleg live albums. It is one of his most covered songs.

Background

Newman told Rolling Stone that he wrote the song around 1963 or 1964. He went on to say that the "music is emotional – even beautiful – and the lyrics are not." Newman also said that the song bothered him due to the darkness and that the song felt "sophomoric" and "too maudlin".
Newman stated in 2017 that he had signed away the publishing rights on his first album and as a result, does not see any money from people doing covers of those songs.

Tom Northcott version

The song was covered by Canadian folk-rock artist Tom Northcott in 1970. It was released in 1971 as the second single from his debut album, Upside Downside. The song reached number 46 in Canada and number 17 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart.

Charts

UB40 version

The song was covered by British reggae band UB40 in 1980. It was released in June 1980 as the second and final single from their debut album, Signing Off. The song reached number 6 in the UK. The UB40 single was a double A-side with "My Way of Thinking", which was the first-named track and received most of the radio airplay. However, the German single had "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" as the A-side.

Charts

Other cover versions

The song was covered numerous times by a variety of artists, especially during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
ArtistAlbumYear
Judy CollinsIn My Life1966
Bobby DarinInside Out1967
Dusty SpringfieldDusty... Definitely1968
Claudine LongetColours1968
Peggy LeeA Natural Woman1969
Nina SimoneNina Simone and Piano1969
Neil DiamondStones1971
Françoise HardyIf You Listen1971
Cass ElliotCass Elliot1972
Joe CockerJamaica Say You Will1975
Tom OdellLong Way Down2013

In popular culture

included the song in her film Beaches and it appears in the soundtrack recording. The song is also featured in the TV series Designated Survivor in the episode, "Two Ships". Nina Simone's version of the song's first verse was the opening theme for the BBC One series Broken.