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I Think It's Going to Rain Today

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"I Think It's Going to Rain Today" (or "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today") is a song by Randy Newman. It appears on his 1968 debut album Randy Newman, in The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1 (2003), and in Newman's official and bootleg live albums. It is one of his most covered songs.

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Despite the many covers, it charted only twice, once in Canada in 1970 for Tom Northcott and in the UK in 1980 for UB40. The UB40 single was a double A-side with "My Way of Thinking", which was the first-named track and received most of the radio airplay. However, the German single (which appeared later) had "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" as the A-side.

A few lines from the song are heard in Childhood's End (2015).

Covers (1966–75)

  • Julius La Rosa, on a September 1966 single; reportedly the first released version of the song
  • Judy Collins, on the November 1966 album In My Life
  • Eric Burdon and The Animals, on the 1967 album Eric Is Here
  • Bobby Darin, on the 1967 album Inside Out
  • Chris Barber & His Band, on the 1968 album Battersea Rain Dance
  • The Ian Campbell Folk Group, on the 1968 album The Circle Game
  • Bud Dashiell, on the 1968 album I Think It's Going to Rain Today
  • Claudine Longet, on the 1968 album Colours
  • Ricky Nelson, on the 1968 album Perspective
  • Dusty Springfield, on the 1968 album Dusty... Definitely
  • Jack Jones, on the 1969 album L.A. Break Down
  • Peggy Lee, on the 1969 album A Natural Woman
  • Leonard Nimoy, on the 1969 album The Touch of Leonard Nimoy
  • Nina Simone, on the 1969 album Nina Simone and Piano (and on various compilations such as The Very Best of Nina Simone (2006))
  • Herman van Veen, on the 1969 album Morgen (as "Ik denk dat niemand mij morgen mist", Dutch translation by Herman van Veen)
  • Tom Northcott, on the album Upside Downside. Released as a single in 1970, it hit #46 on the Canadian pop charts.
  • Grady Tate, on the 1970 album After the Long Drive Home
  • Helen Reddy, on the 1970 album Helen Reddy
  • Neil Diamond, on the 1971 album Stones
  • The Sandpipers, on the 1971 album A Gift of Song
  • Dave Van Ronk, on the 1971 album Van Ronk
  • Maxine Weldon, on the 1971 album Chilly Wind
  • Kenny Burrell, on the 1972 album 'Round Midnight
  • Cass Elliot, on the 1972 album Cass Elliot
  • Françoise Hardy, on the 1972 album If You Listen
  • Houston Person, on the 1972 album Broken Windows, Empty Hallways
  • Melanie, on the 1974 album Madrugada
  • Joe Cocker, on the 1975 album Jamaica Say You Will
  • Cleo Laine, on the 1975 album Born on a Friday

    • Covers (1980–)

  • UB40, on their 1980 album Signing Off. Also on a "double A-side" charting single (UK #6) released before the album.
  • Tony Rice, on the 1983 album Cold on the Shoulder
  • Barbara Dickson, on the 1987 album After Dark
  • Bette Midler, on the 1988 Beaches soundtrack
  • David Lasley, on the 1989 (Japan)/1990 album Soldiers on the Moon
  • Carol Kidd, on the 1990 album The Night We Called It a Day
  • Manfred Mann, on the 1997 album The Ascent of Mann (unreleased track recorded in the period 1966–8)
  • Sidsel Endresen, on the 1999 album Nightsong
  • Larry Goldings, on the 1999 album Moonbird
  • Maggie Reilly, on the 2000 album Starcrossed
  • Chris Farlowe, on the 2001 Glory Bound album; also on his 2006 Hungary for the Blues live album
  • Jools Holland and David Gray, on the 2003 Jools Holland Jack O The Green: Small World Big Band Friends 3 album
  • Katie Melua, on her 2003 debut album Call Off the Search
  • Joel Grey, on the 2004 album The Magic of Joel Grey
  • Blackmore's Night, on the 2005 album Castles and Dreams and on the 2013 album Dancer and the Moon
  • Norah Jones, on the 2005 Higher Ground Hurricane Relief Benefit Concert live album
  • Curtis Stigers, on the 2005 album I Think It's Going to Rain Today
  • Lori Cullen, on the 2006 album Calling for Rain
  • Audra McDonald, on the 2006 album Build a Bridge
  • Roseanna Vitro, on the 2006 album Live At The Kennedy Center
  • David Gray, on the 2007 album A Thousand Miles Behind
  • Madeleine Peyroux, on the 2007 album Give Us Your Poor: 17 New Recordings To Help End Homelessness
  • Julie Christensen, on the 2008 album Where the Fireworks Are
  • Jack L, on the 2008 album Burn On
  • Irma Thomas, on the 2008 album Simply Grand
  • Mark Karan, on the 2009 album Walk Through the Fire (as "Think It's Gonna Rain")
  • Val Kilmer, on the 2009 second edition of his Sessions with Mick album
  • Rob Paparozzi, on the 2009 album Etruscan Soul
  • Paul Carrack with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, on the 2010 album A Different Hat
  • Frida Boccara, on the 2010 compilation album Les Grandes Années – 1972–1988
  • Hanne Boel with Carsten Dahl, on her 2010 album I Think It's Going to Rain
  • Peter Gabriel, on his 2010 album Scratch My Back
  • Victoria Vox, as part of a project to play 52 covers in 2011, on CastTV
  • Marit Larsen, during the 2012 memorial concert for the 2011 Norway attacks, live at Rådhusplassen in Oslo
  • Barbra Streisand, on the 2012 album Release Me, recorded in 1970, accompanied by Randy Newman at the piano
  • Laura Osnes, on her first solo album Dream A Little Dream: Live At The Café Carlyle, recorded during her June 2012 engagement at the Café Carlyle in New York City
  • Tom Odell, on his 2013 album Long Way Down
  • The Idea of North, on their 2013 album Smile
  • Storm Large, on her 2014 album Le Bonheur
  • Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., on their 2014 mixtape Produce Volume 1

    • References

    I Think It's Going to Rain Today Wikipedia
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