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1993

"Rain" was released as the fifth single from Erotica on July 19, 1993, in the United Kingdom and on August 5, 1993, in the United States.

Rain" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fifth studio album Erotica (1992). The song was released on July 19, 1993, by Maverick Records as the album's fifth single internationally and the fourth single in North America. It was later included on her ballad compilation album Something to Remember (1995). The song was written and produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone. A pop and R&B ballad, "Rain" features a more "friendly" composition than the other singles released from the album. Lyrically, the song likens rain to the empowering effect of love, and as with water's ability to clean and wash away pain. Like the other songs on Erotica, sexual contact is also a possible interpretation of the song.

"Rain"
A close-up image of Madonna submerged with her head above water and her hands over her breasts.
Single by Madonna
from the album Erotica
B-side
"Up Down Suite""Waiting""Open Your Heart""Fever"
Released
July 19, 1993
Recorded
1992
Studio
Soundworks (New York)
Genre
PopR&B
Length
5:24
Label
MaverickSireWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
MadonnaShep Pettibone
Producer(s)
MadonnaShep Pettibone
Madonna singles chronology
"Fever"
(1993) "Rain"
(1993) "Bye Bye Baby"
(1993)

Music video
"Rain" on YouTube
"Rain" received positive response from music critics, who noted it as an exceptional ballad amongst the overtly sexual content on Erotica. It peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, while becoming a top-10 hit in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The accompanying music video, shot by director Mark Romanek, features Madonna singing the song against various backdrops on a set. The music video was praised by many critics for its innovation and cinematography. Madonna has performed the song during The Girlie Show World Tour in 1993, and The Celebration Tour in 2023, while a remixed version of the song was used as a video interlude during her 2008–09 Sticky & Sweet Tour.

Background and release
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After the completion of filming A League of Their Own, Madonna began working on her fifth studio album Erotica with Shep Pettibone. "Rain" was one of the first songs developed for the album, alongside "Deeper and Deeper", "Erotica", and "Thief of Hearts", during the writing session in October and November 1991. According to Pettibone, these songs were essentially Madonna's stories and the things she wanted to say.[1] "Rain" was written and produced together by Madonna and Pettibone. She had initially written the song for a musical adaptation of the 1939 film, Wuthering Heights to be directed by Alek Keshishian.[2] Pettibone also sequenced, programmed, and played keyboards for the song. The recording process was engineered by P. Dennis Mitchell and Robin Hancock, while the mixing was engineered by Goh Hotoda. Another musician involved was Tony Shimkin, who provided the drum programming.[3]

"Rain" was released as the fifth single from Erotica on July 19, 1993, in the United Kingdom and on August 5, 1993, in the United States.[4][5] The song served as the album's fourth single in the United States and Canada since the previous single, "Fever", was not commercially released there.[6] The single release featured a previously unreleased track, "Up Down Suite", which is a 12-minute dub version of "Goodbye to Innocence", an omitted track recorded during the Erotica sessions.[7] This version of the single also included a Danny Saber remix of the album track "Waiting" which features a rap by Everlast.[8] In the United Kingdom, the single included the 1986 track "Open Your Heart" which was being used in a Peugeot car commercial at the time.[9] "Rain" was later included on Madonna's ballads compilation Something to Remember (1995) and has not appeared on any other compilation since.[8]

Composition
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"Rain"
Duration: 31 seconds.0:31
A 30-second sample of "Rain" featuring the chorus with the lyrics "wash away my sorrow, take away my pain", referencing water as a metaphor for love.
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"Rain" is a pop and R&B ballad with influences from trip hop and new-age music.[10][11] Styled in adult contemporary format, the song is more "friendly" in its sound than the other singles released from Erotica.[8] According to the sheet music published by Alfred Music Publishing, the song is written in the key note of B♭ major. The song's tempo is set in a moderate pace, but not too fast and has a metronome of 92 beats per minute. "Rain" begins with Madonna singing "I feel it, it's coming", and followed by the chord progression of B♭sus2–E♭6/9–F in the chorus and later E♭–F–B♭ in the verse.[12] A dark sounding C minor string and an echoing hi-hat accompanies Madonna's vocals, which are sung in her lowest register.[13]