Rain King

"Rain King" is a single by the rock band Counting Crows. It was released as the band's fourth single (and third single from their debut album). The title is a reference to Saul Bellow's Henderson the Rain King. "Rain King" peaked at number 66 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, number 18 in Canada, and number four in Iceland. In April 2022, American Songwriter ranked the song at number eight on their list of "The Top 10 Counting Crows Songs".[2]

For the Sonic Youth song, see Daydream Nation.
"Rain King"
Single by Counting Crows
from the album August and Everything After
B-side"Anna Begins" (live)
ReleasedOctober 3, 1994 (1994-10-03)[1]
Length4:16
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)T-Bone Burnett
Counting Crows singles chronology
"Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman)"
(1994)		 "Rain King"
(1994)		 "A Murder of One"
(1995)

Background

Adam Duritz said, about this song: "I read this book in college when I was at Berkeley called Henderson, the Rain King. And the main character in the book was kind of this big, open-wound of a person, Eugene Henderson, he just sort of bled all over everyone around him. For better or for worse, full of joy, full of sorrow, he just made a mess of everything. And when I wrote the song years later, it didn't really have anything to do with the book except the book had kind of become a totem for how I felt about creativity and writing–that it was just this thing where you just took everything inside of you and just sort of [funny noise] sprayed it all over everything, and not to worry too much about it. You try and craft it but not to be self-conscious about it, in any case. And, it's sort of a song about everything that goes into writing, all the feelings, everything that makes you want to write, makes you want to maybe pick up a guitar and do it, and express yourself because it's full of all the doubts and the fears about how I felt about my life at that time. And also the feeling that I really deserved something better than what I had accomplished up to that point. I think it *is* sort of a religious song about the sort of undefinable thing inside you or out there somewhere that makes you write, makes you create, makes you do any kind of art form, you know? And makes me the rain king, sort of."

Track listings

UK CD and cassette single; European CD single[3][4][5]

  1. "Rain King" (LP version) – 4:13
  2. "Anna Begins" (recorded live for BBC Radio 1 on April 6, 1994) – 5:30
  3. "Round Here" (recorded live for BBC Radio 1 on April 6, 1994) – 6:14

Australian CD single[6]

  1. "Rain King" (LP version) – 4:16
  2. "A Murder of One" (LP version) – 5:44
  3. "Mr. Jones" (acoustic live from World Cafe) – 4:47

Charts

References
  1. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. October 1, 1994. p. 27.
  2. Uitti, Jacob (April 29, 2022). "The Top 10 Counting Crows Songs". American Songwriter. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  3. Rain King (UK CD single liner notes). Counting Crows. Geffen Records. 1994. GFSTD 82.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. Rain King (UK cassette single sleeve). Counting Crows. Geffen Records. 1994. GFSC 82.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. Rain King (European CD single liner notes). Counting Crows. Geffen Records. 1994. GED 21951.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. Rain King (Australian CD single disc notes). Counting Crows. Geffen Records. 1994. GEFDM-21976.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2585." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  8. "Counting Crows – Rain King" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  9. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (24.–29.11 '94)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). November 24, 1994. p. 16. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  10. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  12. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  13. "Counting Crows Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  14. "Counting Crows Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  15. "Counting Crows Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  16. "Árslistinn 1994". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 2, 1995. p. 25. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
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