A spate of cool rainy days has got me thinking about rain songs and this week I settled on one that may be less well-worn than Stormy Weather or Pennies from Heaven or Here’s That Rainy Day.  It’s Isn’t This A Lovely Day (To be Caught in the Rain?), by Irving Berlin, written in 1935 and used in the Astaire/Rogers film Top Hat.

Berlin is sometimes condescended to as too much the journeyman – dependably competent, but rarely inspired – but many of his tunes are of the first rank, and I think Isn’t This a Lovely Day is a little gem.  An ABAC structure, the main A melody is sweetly compelling and the B and C sections are interestingly different, making it fun not only to hear but to play.

  In the movie, a sudden storm has Astaire and Rogers sharing shelter in a bandstand gazebo. Astaire is delighted.  He first sings the song to a skeptical Rogers.  By the end of the dance segment, sentiments are noticeably more mutual.  The lyrics tell the story.  Click above to hear it.  (In the last more improvised chorus, I sneaked in melodic allusions from two other weather songs, one by Kern, and one by Rodgers.  Also, if you listen closely, you can hear a frog, a pocketknife, a frying pan and Waldo.  Just kidding.)

 Verse:

The weather is frightening;

The thunder and lightening

Seem to be having their way.

But as far as I’m concerned,

It’s a lovely day.

This turn in the weather

Will keep us together,

So I can honestly say

That as far as I’m concerned,

It’s a lovely day.