Songs with Earlier Histories Than the Hit Version

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I Can’t Stand the Rain

First recorded by Ann Peebles (US #38/R&B #6/UK #41 1974).
Other hit version by Eruption (US #18/DISCO #6/AUS #1/#1 BEL 1977).

From the wiki: “‘I Can’t Stand the Rain’ was written by Ann Peebles, Don Bryant, and Bernard ‘Bernie’ Miller a song and was first recorded by Peebles in 1973.

“According to Bryant:

“One evening in Memphis in 1973, soul singer Ann Peebles was meeting friends, including her partner, Hi Records staff writer Don Bryant, to go to a concert. Just as they were about to set off, the heavens opened and Peebles snapped: ‘I can’t stand the rain.’ As a professional songwriter in constant need of new material, Bryant was used to plucking resonant phrases out of the air and he liked the idea of reacting against recent R&B hits that celebrated bad weather, such as the Dramatics’ ‘In the Rain’ or Love Unlimited’s ‘Walkin’ in the Rain with the One I Love’.

“So Bryant sat down at the piano and started riffing on the theme, weaving in ideas from Peebles and local DJ Bernie Miller. The song was finished that night and presented the next morning to Hi’s studio maestro, Willie Mitchell, who used a brand new gadget, the electric timbale, to create the song’s distinctive raindrop riff. It really was that easy, according to Bryant. ‘We didn’t go to the concert,’ Bryant remembers. ‘We forgot about the concert.’

“Produced by Mitchell, the song became Peebles’ biggest hit when, in 1973, it reached #38 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on the Soul Chart; it also reached #41 on the UK singles chart in April 1974. It was one of John Lennon’s favorite songs; he called it ‘the best song ever.’

“In 1978, Eruption released a disco-oriented remake which became the group’s biggest hit. It reached the Top 10 in many European charts, hitting the # in Belgium for 2 weeks in March 1978. It was also a #1 hit in Australia and reached the Top 10 in New Zealand and South Africa. In the U.S., it peaked at #6 on the disco chart and reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Peebles’ original version is ranked #197 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”

Eruption, “I Can’t Stand the Rain” (1977):

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