After two glorious weeks of cloudless blue skies, sunshine and temperatures 20° above freezing admittedly unusual conditions for early April in the Highlands – it’s suddenly winter again! Thermometers have plunged, the mountains are dusted with snow. Cherry trees, having only just burst into bloom, are shocked, their pink and white blossoms drooping sadly in the grey mist. It’s spring in northern Scotland.
Secretly, I’m quite happy – there’s something enjoyable about staying inside in the comfort and warmth of home and not feeling pressured to be out among the sunny crowds of tourists or to feel I should be working in the winter-battered garden. Reading, writing and drawing don’t seem such guilty pleasures when the traffic is swirling through rivers of rain on the tarmac beyond the window.
Listening recently to two lovely songs which both feature rain as a theme made me think of the different emotions it can arouse.
Gordon Lightfoot’s ‘Rainy Day People’, although describing sadness, talks about love and comfort from the people who will support you on a rainy day (meaning those times when you’re feeling down). He seems to be speaking wisely from experience, and the rhythm of the music and his relaxed vocals create a feeling of comfort and calm.
In contrast, the Eurythmics song, ‘Here Comes the Rain Again’, describes the whirling emotions of someone younger, the rain representing recurring depression or downward spirals but also the hopeful promise of change. Rain ‘falling on my head like a memory’, is descriptive of depression, heartbreak, memories of a grey place, then ‘falling on my face like a new emotion’ suggests the rainfall washing away depression, and perhaps the singer seeing more clearly and feeling it’s time for change and a new beginning.
https://open.spotify.com/track/1jebD3TiTtOq1KEImR1GI9?si=yfsbOCX0RcaP-EFohrp37A
Rain can stimulate the senses and bring a whirlwind of emotions and sensations – sadness and renewal, cool after the heat, that unique ‘after the rain’ scent, the fresh clear rain-washed colours, new growth after drought. Annie Lennox’s clear, strong vocals explore the highs and lows of the lyrics and music.
In common with Annie Lennox, I spent my childhood in Aberdeen, a northern city built of granite which sometimes seemed a grey place, especially on wet, winter days and in fact was often referred to as ‘the grey city’ but the mica in the stone sparkled in sunlight and after rain, earning it also the more attractive title of ‘the silver city’.
Retromode 