Rain on Me (Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande song)


"Rain on Me" is a song by American singers Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, from Gaga's sixth studio album, Chromatica. It was written by Gaga, Grande, Nija Charles, Rami Yacoub, Tchami, Boys Noize and its producers BloodPop and Burns. An upbeat house, dance-pop and disco song, the song features a synth-disco beat and funk guitars. Described by Gaga as a "celebration of tears," it is about being able to keep going despite the hardships of life. This is the first time Grande worked with Burns and BloodPop.
It was released by Interscope Records as the album's second single on May 22, 2020. Many critics complimented the singers' vocals as well as the song's message. With the song's debut at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100, it became Gaga's fifth and Grande's fourth US number-one single in the country. It marked the first female collaboration to debut atop the chart, and made Grande the first artist to have four songs debut at the top spot. Additionally, "Rain on Me" topped the charts in twelve other countries, and also charted within the top-ten in more than forty other territories.
The accompanying music video was directed by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, and features the two singers dancing inside a giant arena during a rainstorm, with daggers falling from the sky. The music video received acclaim and was nominated for seven MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year. The single was further promoted with the release of mock news broadcasts in partnership with the Weather Channel in which Gaga and Grande both appeared.

Background

The song was first mentioned in Gaga's March 2020 interview with Paper, when then unknown to be with Grande, was described as a "monster of a dance tune, but its message is about submitting yourself to devastation – a flawless dance floor crier as a "celebration of all the tears." Gaga disclosed that she had collaborated with a "fellow female pop star who immense trauma while in the public eye" and went into depth about the genesis of their song: "I sat with her and we talked about our lives. It's two women having a conversation about how to keep going and how to be grateful for what you do."
In her May 21, 2020 interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music's Beats 1, Gaga further talked about the writing process of the song:

Recording and composition

"Rain on Me" was written by Gaga, Grande, Burns, Nija Charles, Rami Yacoub, Bresso, Boys Noize and Chromatica executive producer BloodPop. Co-producer Burns explained that he wanted to create the "same energy" that songs like "Another Chance" by Roger Sanchez and "Music Sounds Better with You" by the French house group Stardust have, so that it can "feel classic but modern at the same time." Initially, the song was "a stark, solo acid-house demo", and Burns disclosed how the track changed significantly during their process:
"Rain on Me" is a 1990s-influenced house, dance-pop, and disco song, with electropop, French house, and Eurodance elements. It was composed using common time in the key of C minor, with a tempo of 123 beats per minute. Most of the song follows a Cm7–Amaj9 sequence while the first verse and second pre-chorus adds a B and both pre-choruses include a Fm11 at the end. The track features an upbeat production consisting of synth-pop instrumentals, an R&B-influenced synth-disco beat, synth claps, funk guitar strums and rolling synths.
It opens with a stripped-down verse where Gaga's vocals are in the forefront. It is then accompanied by a French house bass and a thundering percussion. The mid-90s house-pop hook contains a pitched-down vocal loop. In the chorus, which is described as thundering, the beats build up, which then is altered into a techno beat drop. After doing ad-libs, Grande joins in the second verse, where handclapped beats are added. The final chorus "explodes" with the singers belting the song.
Gaga and Grande's vocals, which were described as "booming", span from G3 to B5. Vocally, Gaga makes use of spoken word deliveries and Grande uses her "signature" high note octave. Described by Gaga as a "celebration of tears," the song uses the metaphor of rain for alcohol used to numb pain. Its first verse sees Gaga thinking about the hardships of life while Grande delivers lyrics about accepting reality in the second verse. According to Elle, the song is about "persevering through hardship, healing, and finding beauty in the pain, heartbreak, and life."

Release and promotion

"Rain on Me" was officially announced on April 22, 2020, when Gaga posted the tracklist of her Chromatica album. On May 15, 2020, both Gaga and Grande posted the single's cover art on Instagram and Twitter to announce its release a week later. It premiered as the album's second single on May 21, 2020 at 21:00 PT. The song was also promoted through an Amazon Music lyric video commercial. On May 26, 2020, Gaga and Grande posted a one-minute skit in partnership with the Weather Channel, where they give a mock weather update while holding an umbrella, and talk about how they "would like to celebrate the rain". On May 28, 2020, they released another weather update, filmed in Gaga's pool and Grande's bathtub.

Critical reception

"Rain on Me" received critical acclaim. Adam White of The Independent gave "Rain on Me" four out of five stars, expressing that the song was "three minutes of euphoric melodrama" and a "theatrical and replenishing triumph". Joey Nolfi of Entertainment Weekly wrote that "Rain on Me" is "taking fans to sonic heaven" with the "therapeutic banger". Mikale Wood from the Los Angeles Times called it "a fist-pumping self-empowerment jam". Althea Legapsi of Rolling Stone labelled the song "rejuvenating", noting that the singers offer "a call-and-response exchange" as they "tout the rejuvenating aspects of the situation, despite the metaphorical bad weather sentiments." Dave Quinn from People highlighted "Grande touching her signature high note octaves" and "Gaga's bold voice" that "echos throughout the track as she sings, "Rain on me" and "Hands up to the sky/I'll be your galaxy". Quinn Moreland of Pitchfork praised the song, writing that it "draws its power from two women connecting on an emotional level." In a rave review, Brenden Wetmore of Paper described the song as "absolutely electric by its end, having charged up enough raw emotion and heartbreak to power an entire circuit party's worth of strobe lights."
Craig Jenkins of Vulture magazine complimented the singers' vocals and the beat, and thought that the song "will be huge", because "it has that nebulous quality memorable pop hits have where the lyric seems distinctly about one thing but also not about anything in particular." Hannah Mylrea from NME called it a "smash hit" that "may just be Gaga's best song since 2011's 'Born This Way"". Rania Aniftos from Billboard thought that "the song showcases both Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga's unmatched vocals". Billboard also named "Rain On Me" as the second best song off Gaga's Chromatica album, stating that "the incredible production and uplifting songwriting help make the song great, but its the unmatched chemistry between the two pop divas that makes it one of Gaga's best." Chris DeVille of Stereogum called the song "epic", saying that "there is some genuine catharsis in there when Gaga and Ariana Grande come together to persevere through trauma."
Matt Melis of Consequence of Sound wrote that "Gaga and Grande have vocal chops for miles", and called it a "dynamite feature". He also thought that "it's the release all of us have needed at least a couple dozen times during this pandemic", while highlighting its uplifting message: "No matter how bad the storm gets, we will endure and perhaps come out a little cleaner on the other side for the pain." Allison Stewart from The Washington Post called the song a "big-voiced superdiva summit" that is "engineered to be irresistible". Evan Sawdey from PopMatters named it "one of all-time greatest singles", that "flies through its three-minute run time so quickly you barely realize it's about alcohol abuse". Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine was less enthusiastic, and while she opined that "Rain on Me" is "an improvement over previous single 'Stupid Love'", she described the song as "two overzealous vocalists duking it out to see who can out-sing the other over the course of the track's three chart-maximizing minutes" and criticized the song's bridge.

Commercial performance

"Rain on Me" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Gaga's fifth and Grande's fourth number one single as well as Gaga's 17th top 10 entry and Grande's 16th. It additionally became the first female-collaboration song to debut at number one on the chart. "Rain on Me" is Gaga's second song to debut at the top following "Born This Way", making her the fourth female artist to have two songs debut at number one, following Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, and Ariana Grande, and seventh overall, following Drake, Justin Bieber, and Travis Scott. Gaga is also the third artist following Carey and Beyoncé to accumulate a number one single in the 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s decades. Grande became the first artist to have four number one debut singles, surpassing Carey, Drake, and Bieber. The song's sales were aided by four physical/digital combination offerings during the tracking week; consumers could also purchase cassette, CD and vinyl singles, each with a digital download.
In the United Kingdom, "Rain on Me" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart becoming both Gaga and Grande's sixth UK number one single. Notching up 70,000 chart sales to seize the top spot from the previous week's leader, DaBaby's "Rockstar", "Rain on Me" claimed the biggest ever opening week streaming numbers by an all-female collaboration in the UK, with 8.1 million plays in seven days. "Rain on Me" is also Gaga's first UK number-one debut single. At six number-one singles each, Gaga and Grande match Britney Spears and Rod Stewart with the tenth-most number-ones on the UK Singles Chart.
In Ireland, "Rain on Me" debuted atop the Irish Singles Chart, becoming Grande's sixth and Gaga's seventh number one single in the country. "Rain on Me" also scored the biggest opening week of 2020, surpassing the previous best set by Billie Eilish's "No Time to Die". "Rain on Me" is Gaga's first song to debut in pole position in over nine years since "Born This Way" in 2011 and Grande's sixth to lead the top 50 in Ireland, and in doing so, she matched Rihanna as the female artists with the most number-ones of the past ten years.
In Canada, "Rain on Me" entered the Canadian Hot 100 chart at the top position on the issue dated June 6, 2020, becoming Gaga's sixth and Grande's fourth number one single in the country. It also debuted at number one on the Canadian Digital Songs Sales chart. In Australia, "Rain on Me" debuted at number two on the ARIA Singles Chart dated June 1, 2020, becoming Gaga's 14th and Grande's 15th top ten single in the country. For Grande, it is the second top 10 duet single to debut in that tier in three, following "Stuck with U". It remained at number two on its second week, still behind DaBaby's "Rockstar".

Accolades

Music video

Background and production

The music video for "Rain on Me" was filmed in Los Angeles shortly before the state of California went into lockdown in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The outfits worn by Gaga and Grande were designed by Laura Police and manufactured by Vex Clothing, a company specialized in latex suits. Pulice said that the inspiration for Gaga's look was "a futuristic sci-fi punk" and "a heavy metal album sex symbol", while for Grande they "wanted to keep with the style that she’s comfortable with, while staying with the futuristic theme of the video." The singers' makeup was done by Sarah Tanno, who used products from Haus Laboratories and "wanted the looks to feel powerful, pop, with a mix of dangerous rebellion." Choreographer Richy Jackson aspired to develop choreography which was uplifting and easy to recreate for those who watch it. He added that he really enjoyed the process because he was "able to work with both Gaga and Ariana and design their dances based on their individual artistic personalities, unique likenesses and differences and also how they each sang their lyrics parts."
Prior to the release of the video, Gaga talked with Beats 1's Zane Lowe about working with Grande on the video, saying that "she was so open to trying things that she hasn’t done before". The music video was directed by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, who had previously worked with Gaga on the films Machete Kills and . It premiered on May 22, 2020, at 10 a.m. PT.

Synopsis

The video starts with "Gaga lying on the ground in a pose similar to that on the Chromatica artwork with a sword stuck in her thigh", which she later pulls out. The fashion of the video include lots of "dominatrix-esque" latex and PVC. Gaga appears in a pink outfit and platform boots, leading a troupe of dancers also dressed in pink as in her previous video for "Stupid Love", while Grande wears a purple outift and a "shiny black metallic miniskirt with butterfly wings", with her respective group of dancers also in purple.
They are all dancing inside a giant arena during a rainstorm, with daggers falling from the sky. At one point in the clip, Gaga sports Grande's "trademark high pony" hairstyle, with Grande having her hair down. The video also features "some dramatic close-ups of Gaga with rain pouring down her face" behind a pane of glass, and a scene where the two singers are holding hands, "each with lengthy Sailor Moon hair floating in the wind behind them". The video ends with a shot of the two singers hugging each other.

Reception

Amy Mackelden from Harper's Bazaar thought that the music video "is nothing short of iconic", and "features dramatic costume changes, and killer dance moves". Erin Vanderhoof from Vanity Fair called it a "lavishly produced and animated video" with "TikTok–friendly" dance moves, and found it "a bit of nostalgia to the pre-coronavirus days". Kyle Munzenrieder of W magazine also noted that the choreography would translate well to TikTok videos as "the singers mostly stay static in place and pull the kind of moves one could easily record themselves doing in their bedroom". Stefanee Wang from Nylon complimented the performance of Gaga and Ariana in the video, saying that "neither of them miss a single beat". She added that the visual for the song "makes a convincing case that, when the world falls, society should really just become a huge dance party. Brendan Wetmore from Paper found the video "equally as sparkly" as the single, "putting the two '10s dance-pop icons alongside each other for a riot in the rain." George Griffiths from Metro called it a "cathartic triumph". Critics found inspirations in the video from Blade Runner, Mortal Kombat and Bayonetta.

Track listing and formats

7"/casette/CD/picture disc
  1. "Rain on Me" – 3:02
  2. "Rain on Me" – 3:02
Digital download and streaming
  1. "Rain on Me" – 3:02
Digital download
  1. "Rain on Me" – 3:02
Digital download
  1. "Rain on Me" – 3:02
Digital download and streaming
  1. "Rain on Me" – 3:58
  2. "Rain on Me" – 6:34
Digital download and streaming
  1. "Rain on Me" – 3:58
  2. "Rain on Me" – 7:31

    Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Chromatica.

Recording locations

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Certifications

Release history