Fool in the Rain
| Fool in the Rain | |
|---|---|
 1980 Italian single | |
| Appears on | In Through the Out Door |
| Published by | Flames of Albion Music |
| Registration | ASCAP 360158983 |
| Release date | 7 December 1979 |
| Recorded | November - December 1978 |
| Genre | Rock, Latin rock |
| Language | English |
| Length | Album: 6 min 8 sec, Single: 3 min 20 sec |
| Composer | Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones |
| Label | Swan Song Records |
| Producer | Jimmy Page |
| Engineer | Leif Mases |
"Fool in the Rain" is a song on English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1979 album, In Through the Out Door. It was their final U.S. single released during the band's tenure, reaching number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1980.
Overview
The song exhibits a Latin feel. Drummer John Bonham plays a half-time shuffle beat along with a samba-style breakdown. A master drum track shows that the samba breakdown (2:25) was recorded separately.
Bass player John Paul Jones and vocalist Robert Plant got the idea for the samba beat from watching the 1978 FIFA World Cup tournament in Argentina.[1] Guitarist Jimmy Page used an MXR Blue Box effect pedal during the solo to produce the octave sound.
Lyrically, the song is about a man who is supposed to meet a woman on a certain corner. When the woman doesn't appear, he is filled with grief at being stood up. By the final verse, he wonders whether he'd been waiting for her on the wrong corner, making him the eponymous "Fool in the Rain."
This song was never performed live at Led Zeppelin concerts, as the song was heavily studio-based. The piano was necessary in the song, but with John Paul Jones on piano, there could be no added bass. There is also a twelve-string guitar line at one point in the song and the guitar solo that has to be executed on top. On 5 October 2005, Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant however performed the song with Pearl Jam at a Hurricane Katrina benefit show.[2]
Chart positions
Single
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian CHUM (AM) chart[3] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 21 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 Singles[5] | 31 |
| US Record World 100 Top Pop Chart[6] | 34 |
| Canadian RPM Top 100 Chart[7] | 12 |
| New Zealand Top 50 Singles Chart[8] | 44 |
Single (Digital download)
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart[9] | 69 |
| |
Notes
- ↑ Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
- ↑ Robert Plant jam
- ↑ 1050 CHUM Toronto's Top Singles: 19 January 1980. 1050chum.com. Retrieved on 2009-01-15.
- ↑ Hot 100 Singles - 16 February 1980. Billboard. Retrieved on 2009-01-17.
- ↑ Top 100 Singles - 23 February 1980. Cash Box. Retrieved on 2009-01-17.
- ↑ Top 40 for 1980 - February 1980. Record World. Retrieved on 2009-01-19.
- ↑ RPM Singles Chart - 23 February 1980. RPM. Retrieved on 2009-01-15.
- ↑ Scapolo, Dean (2007). “Top 50 Singles - February 1980”, The Complete New Zealand Music Charts, 1st. Wellington: Transpress. ISBN 1-877443-00-8.
- ↑ Hot Digital Singles - 1 December 2007. Billboard. Retrieved on 2009-01-17.