You know that feeling when your…
…to-do list taunts you? The last thing you feel like to-doing is…that. So, this morning, I sought mindless solace in a scroll-hole or two.
I found a divine rendition of Seal’s Kiss from a Rose, sung by the supernatural commUNITY choir from Atlanta. And then I watched the story behind that 70s soul track, I Can’t Stand the Rain. The gifted folks who brought this song to life were on their way to a concert when the heavens erupted and a storm dowsed their plans.
The singer, Ann Peebles, snapped, “I can’t stand the rain!” And a hit cracked open.
Apparently, the song was written as an antidote to the drippy, sappy R&B hits that romanticised umbrella weather with sugary ditties like, In the Rain by the Dramatics and Walkin’ in the Rain by Love Unlimited.
The songwriters screwed with conformity in soulful fashion and penned a melody that’s been covered by Tina Turner, sampled by Missy Elliot and loved by Lennon who called it,
“The best song ever.”
I can’t adore this origin story enough because it embodies the magic you and I can conjure when we ignore the norm.
I celebrate the mavericks, the misfits, the artists, the brave hearts in our tipsy world right now who are rejecting the narratives society is insisting we worship based on algorithms and bots, politics and celeb rhetoric. It’s a perfect storm of unchecked madness.
No. You don’t have to stand the rain.
© Phyllis Foundis 2025