The Shadow-gloom and Weight of the Sacred

Last night the storms rolled into Oklahoma City. I can't remember exactly, but I'd say that it was the first real thunderstorm we've had since returning to the States (back in March 2010). It's still raining now, but not so much thunder. Like so many things in life, I tend to have a soundtrack in mind for such an occasion as a rainy day (we're not going to talk about rainy nights for obvious reasons, Mr. Rabbit). These are the songs I feel really compliment a rainy day (the next time it's rainy on a Friday, I might try to come up with whole rainy day albums).

5. Zero-sum by Nine Inch Nails--This song sounds like a gentles rain shower after the roar through which the rest of the album is presented. It a subtle ending, a striking coda, much like the end song on Pink Floyd's album The Wall.

4. Follow You Down by Gin Blossoms--I just remember that the Gin Blossoms were on the radio a lot when I was in high school and this one stands out to me as a good rainy day song, especially when driving in the rain.

3. Flying/Blue Jay Way by Beatles--Two songs from Magical Mystery Tour. The first is an instrumental piece composed by all members of the band, which leads into the George Harrison song about boredom. The music will put you to sleep, but it's a song about boredom! And, besides, it's rainy day music, you're going to want o sleep on a such a day.

2. I'm Gonna Crawl by Led Zeppelin--I could have gone with The Rain Song, but that seemed trite. This is the last song on their last proper album, In Through the Out Door. It's a slow moving, bluesy song the reconnects with the Led Zeppelin of old--something yearned for after an album's worth of new wave-esque synthesizers and keyboards. (On a side note, John Bonham really hit a subtle playing stride throughout the album that I think was a welcome development. Think Keith Moon meets Ringo Starr and you get Bonham's drumming on In Through the Out Door.)

1. Electrical Storm by U2--Giving up on any notion of avoiding triteness, the refrain on this song is "On rainy days we go swimming out/on rainy days, swimming in the sound/On rainy days we go swimming out." And, the word STORM is in the title. Still, what a great song about a relationship under stress juxtaposed with a storm.