"Rain" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fifth studio album, Erotica (1992). Written and produced with Shep Pettibone, it is a pop ballad with elements of R&B, trip-hop, and new-age music, featuring lyrics that liken rainfall to the power of love. Released as single on August 5, 1993, it was later included on her ballad compilation Something to Remember (1995).
Contemporary reviews were generally favorable, with several critics singling out "Rain" as a highlight of Erotica and praising Madonna's vocal performance. The single peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two in Canada, and entered the top ten in the United Kingdom.
Directed by Mark Romanek, the accompanying music video depicts Madonna performing before a Japanese film crew and won Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography at the MTV Video Music Awards. The song was performed live on the Girlie Show (1993) and Celebration (2023–2024) concert tours, and used as video interlude during the Sticky & Sweet Tour (2008–2009). It has since been covered by several artists, including Madonna's former backing vocalists Donna De Lory and Niki Haris.
Background and release In early 1992, Madonna founded her own multi-media entertainment company, Maverick, consisting of a record label (Maverick Records), a film production arm (Maverick Films), and divisions for music publishing, television broadcasting, book publishing, and merchandising. The first two projects from the venture were her fifth studio album, titled Erotica, and a coffee table book of photographs entitled Sex. For Erotica, Madonna primarily collaborated with American producer Shep Pettibone, with whom she had worked during the 1980s on remixes of several singles. Pettibone recalled that the first songs he and the singer developed for the album were the title track, "Deeper and Deeper", "Thief of Hearts", and "Rain". According to the producer, he typically composed the music while Madonna wrote the lyrics. He came up with "Rain" the night before Madonna was scheduled to enter the studio: "It was a Sunday, it was raining — ha! — and she wrote the words, and sang the song and harmonies all in that day. ['Rain'] came together very quickly". The Northampton Herald & Post reported that "Rain" had originally been written for a musical adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Publicist Liz Rosenberg stated that "Rain", along with "Angel" (1985), was intended as a tribute to singer Karen Carpenter, whom Madonna cited as an influence.
In the United States and the United Kingdom, "Rain" was released as the final single from Erotica on August 5, 1993. The commercial single contained four tracks: the radio remix and album version of "Rain", a remix of Erotica track "Waiting" with a rap by House of Pain frontman Everlast, and the non-album cut "Up Down Suite". The radio remix of "Rain" differs only slightly from the album version, featuring a subtly altered production. When the song was later included on Madonna's 1995 ballad compilation Something to Remember, the album version was used, leaving the radio remix exclusive to the physical single release until it was reissued digitally in 2022.
Recording and composition "Rain" was written and produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone. It was recorded at the Mastermix and Soundworks Studios in New York City, along with the rest of the Erotica album. Personnel working on the song included Pettibone on sequencing, keyboard arrangement, and programming; Anthony Shimkin on drum programming; Dennis Mitchell and Robin Hancock as recording engineers; and Goh Hotoda as mixing engineer.
Musically, it is a pop ballad with influences from R&B, trip hop, and new-age music. Richard Harrington of The Washington Post and Fiona MacPherson-Amador of Collider both characterized the song as optimistic, with the latter noting how its harmonic structure creates a sense of relief. "Rain" drew comparisons to the work of Peter Gabriel, as well as Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Billboard further characterized the track by its gentle rhythmic pulse and shimmering layers of synthesizers. The A.V. Club described the arrangement as evoking a cleansing atmosphere, with percussive patterns reminiscent of falling rain and production that drew on British downtempo and trip hop styles. Orchestra hits accentuate the tension before it resolves in a more hopeful tone during the bridge. The Independent observed that its use of reverse tom drums and rhythmic synthesizer effects recalled Scritti Politti's 1985 track "Perfect Way". Parry Gettelman of the Orlando Sentinel compared the inclusion of rain sounds to the experimental use of typewriter clicks and breaking glass on other Erotica tracks.
According to Rikky Rooksby, author of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, the bridge shifts from B major to C major and features two spoken passages in the left and right channels following a sung "Here comes the sun", a nod to the Beatles' 1969 song. Rooksby also noted the song's "dynamic" crescendo toward the end, which John Myers of Yahoo! Voices described as an "escape from the deluge of the rain with the breaking of the sun".
Lyrically, "Rain" uses water and rainfall as metaphors for love, presenting both as restorative forces capable of washing away past heartache. MacPherson-Amador viewed the song as an expression of emotional intimacy, describing its lyrics as a narrative about the joy of being "seen and heard" and arguing that they present affection as something that transcends physical intimacy. In one part, Madonna sings: "When you looked into my eyes/And you said goodbye/Could you see my tears/When I turned the other way". Author James Gavin viewed the refrain "Rain, wash away my sorrow, take away my pain" as expressing a desire for human connection and peace. Author Mark Bego has suggested that the lyrics also carry a sexual subtext, linking the song's use of rain to themes explored elsewhere on Erotica, particularly "Where Life Begins", which employs similar imagery as a metaphor for sexual arousal. Billboards Chuck Arnold interpreted the song as reflecting "love in the age of AIDS".
Critical reception In general, "Rain" received positive reviews from music critics, with several identifying it as a highlight of Erotica, and has retrospectively been ranked among Madonna's best songs. Larry Flick of Billboard described it as "gorgeous", while Giles Smith of The Independent considered it the closest the album came to "the Madonna of Like a Prayer [...] a big and solemn ballad". Stephen Holden of The New York Times singled it out as one of Eroticas softer moments, describing it as "one happy, open-hearted love song", and Dave Sholin of the Gavin Report predicted a "deluge of airplay", praising its optimistic romantic tone and sensuality. Anthony Violanti of The Buffalo News highlighted the song's emotional intensity, while Neil Randall of the Waterloo Region Record praised it as "creative and gripping" and "every bit as soul-probing as we've seen of her". Arion Berger of Rolling Stone identified it as one of the songs that sustained the album's "icy tone".
Saeed Saeed of The National and MacPherson-Amador both regarded "Rain" as underrated; Saeed praised its "ethereal beauty", while MacPherson-Amador described it as a "victory" that balances Madonna's boldness and tenderness. Matthew Barton of The Quietus deemed it one of the singer's most gorgeous ballads, while Vanity Fair España contributor Guillermo Alonso called it "the Madonna ballad" — a cold, mechanical yet perfectly realized piece. Critics including Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine, AllMusic's Jose F. Promis, and Classic Pops Rik Flynnn identified "Rain" as anticipating the softer "post-Sex" sound and image Madonna would adopt in the mid-1990s. Mayer Nissim from PinkNews compared its "shimmering, trippy Gaia vibe" to the sound Madonna would later explore on Ray of Light (1998), while Sebastián E. Alonso of Spanish website Jenesaispop described "Rain" as a precursor to songs from that album such as "Swim", as well as later works like "Wash All Over Me" (2015).
Madonna's vocal performance was a frequent topic of discussion among critics. Randall found it "even more vocally inspiring" than her work with Stephen Sondheim on I'm Breathless (1990). Although he considered the song highly commercial, Tom Ford of the Toledo Blade highlighted Madonna's vocal versatility. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine praised her harmonies, which Stephen Thomas Erlewine later described as "comforting and consoling". Jude Rogers of The Guardian emphasized the sense of longing in Madonna's delivery, noting how it shifts from hope to welcome and finally release. Troy J. Augusto of Cash Box compared Madonna's vocals to those of Karen Carpenter, observing that she "almost sounds like [Karen Carpenter], all tender and shy", a comparison later echoed by author Matthew Rettenmund, who wrote that "Rain" was a ballad that could make the late Carpenter "greener with envy".
There were critics who offered mixed to negative commentary. Matthew Jacobs of HuffPost felt that "Rain" was not particularly distinctive among Madonna's ballads, while Rooksby considered its lyrical theme overused and Caroline Sullivan described it as impersonal. Deborah Wilker of the Sun-Sentinel deemed it one of the "mere also-rans" despite calling it a highlight of Erotica. Chris Willman of the Los Angeles Times criticized its "terribly banal" rhymes. Alfred Soto (Stylus Magazine) and Chuck Campbell (The Mississippi Press) regarded the song as derivative and out of place on the album.
Commercial performance
In the United States, "Rain" debuted at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the issue dated July 24, 1993. It peaked at number 14 on September 11 and spent a total of 20 weeks on the chart. On Billboards Adult Contemporary ranking, the song reached number 7. At the end of 1993, it placed 67th on the Hot 100 year-end list and 38th on the Adult Contemporary chart. As of August 2024, Billboard ranked it as Madonna's 40th most successful Hot 100 entry. In Canada, Rain entered the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart at number 95 on July 17, 1993. It eventually peaked at number 2, kept from the top spot by Mariah Carey's "Dreamlover". It also reached number 7 on RPMs Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and finished as the 15th best-selling single of the year in Canada.
In the United Kingdom, "Rain" debuted and peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart on July 31, 1993, spending a total of eight weeks on the chart. By 2008, Music Week reported sales of more than 130,000 copies. Elsewhere in Europe, the single reached the top ten in Ireland and Italy, the top 20 in Sweden and Switzerland, and the top 30 in Austria and Germany. In the Netherlands, it barely entered the top 40. Across the continent, "Rain" peaked at number 15 on the European Hot 100 Singles chart. In Australia, "Rain" debuted at number 21 and peaked at number 5. It was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 35,000 units. In New Zealand, the single was less successful, stalling at number 20.
Music video Background and filming
The music video for "Rain" was directed by American filmmaker and photographer Mark Romanek. When approached, Romanek initially declined, feeling "intimidated" by the idea of handling a romantic song and something that would depart from Madonna's "ostentatious antics" of the period. He eventually agreed after proposing a futuristic concept, contrasting with the singer's preference for a black-and-white, traditionally romantic treatment. The final concept portrayed her as a "doe-eyed ingénue" shooting a music video in Japan, the only Western on set to emphasize her outsider status. The aesthetic drew from Japanese designers Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo, and from a Jean-Baptiste Mondino/Yves Saint Laurent commercial starring Catherine Deneuve.