| "Like the Weather" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by 10,000 Maniacs | ||||
| from the album In My Tribe | ||||
| Released | January 1988 [1] | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Natalie Merchant | |||
| Producer(s) | Peter Asher | |||
| 10,000 Maniacs singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"Like The Weather" | ||||
"Like the Weather" was the second single released from 10,000 Maniacs' 1987 album In My Tribe , [2] following "Peace Train". [3] A live version with lead vocalist Mary Ramsey was also included on their 2016 album Playing Favorites .
"Like the Weather" was written by 10,000 Maniacs frontwoman and vocalist Natalie Merchant. Lyrically, the song, according to AllMusic's Liana Jones, "provides a rare instance where the band departs from addressing political and social issues to discuss the very primal human instinct to stay in bed due to the cruddy weather outside." [4] Rolling Stone similarly described the song as "about, well, a really, really bad mood." [5]
At a musical level, the song features an upbeat melody that contrasts with the dourness of the lyrics. Of this juxtaposition, 10,000 Maniacs bassist Steve Gustafson commented, "We liked to play toe-tapping music. Stuff you could dance to with a big beat. Her [Merchant's] view of the world was sometimes in stark contrast to that joy we got from playing. It made us unique. I think she is a fabulous lyricist." [6]
"Like the Weather" was released as the third single from the band's 1987 album In My Tribe . The single would prove to be the band's breakthrough hit, reaching number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 37 on the Mainstream Rock chart. It was the band's first single to chart on either chart.
The single's release was accompanied by a music video directed by Adrian Edmondson. Rolling Stone described the video as "a shiny, happy video starring an adorably pouty Merchant." [5]
AllMusic's Jones spoke glowingly of the song, stating, "Next time when you rise for work in the morning and it's pouring outside, have a listen to 'Like the Weather.' The song won't make the sun come out, but it will put things in a lighter perspective and maybe even make stepping out the door a bit easier." [4] The Post-Standard described the song as a "classic hit," while Rolling Stone praised the song's "buoyant" music. [7]
Current 10,000 Maniacs vocalist Mary Ramsey, who replaced Merchant after she left the band in 1993, noted the song was one of the band's "must play" tracks in live performances, due to its popularity with fans. [8]
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 [9] | 68 |
| US "Billboard" Mainstream Rock | 37 |
10,000 Maniacs is an American alternative rock band that was founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four albums that charted in the top 50 in the US: In My Tribe (1987), Blind Man's Zoo (1989), Our Time in Eden (1992) and the live album MTV Unplugged (1993). After the recording but before the release of MTV Unplugged, original lead singer and songwriter Natalie Merchant left the band to pursue a solo career, while the remaining members continued the band.
In My Tribe is the third studio album from the American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. Released on July 27, 1987 by Elektra Records, it was their second major-label album and their first to achieve large-scale success. John Lombardo, Natalie Merchant's songwriting partner on previous albums, had left the band in 1986, and In My Tribe saw Merchant begin to collaborate with the other members of the band, most notably with Rob Buck.
Natalie Anne Merchant is an American alternative rock singer-songwriter. She joined the band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and was lead vocalist and primary lyricist for the group. She remained with the group for their first seven albums before leaving to begin her solo career in 1993. She has since released nine studio albums as a solo artist.
Robert Norman Buck was an American guitarist and founding member of the alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. Some of his compositions with Natalie Merchant are among the most popular songs recorded by 10,000 Maniacs, including "What's the Matter Here", "Hey Jack Kerouac", "You Happy Puppet" and "These Are Days".
John & Mary is a United States-based folk rock duo featuring John Lombardo and Mary Ramsey both members of alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs.
The Wishing Chair is the first major-label album by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs, released in 1985 by Elektra Records. Recorded in London, the album did not achieve the commercial success some of their later releases would receive, but received mostly favorable reviews and brought the band more visibility than had their previous independent releases. A live concert video of "Scorpio Rising" was produced and received a moderate amount of airplay on MTV.
Blind Man's Zoo is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. It was released on May 4, 1989, by Elektra Records. The album contains songs addressing social issues and current events, which occurred during and before the production of the album. The track "Trouble Me" was written as a dedication to the father of the band's lead singer Natalie Merchant.
Our Time in Eden is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. It was released in 1992 on Elektra Records. The release is 10,000 Maniacs' last studio album with original lead singer Natalie Merchant. The album included her future replacement Mary Ramsey on violin and viola on such tracks as "Stockton Gala Days" and "How You've Grown". Singles released from the album were "These Are Days", "Candy Everybody Wants" and "Few and Far Between". The brass and woodwind section is covered by the J.B.'s, or James Brown's band. The album had the working title African Violet Society.
Hope Chest: The Fredonia Recordings 1982–1983, also known as just Hope Chest, is a compilation album of songs by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs, released in 1990 by Elektra Records. It compiles tracks from their early releases Human Conflict Number Five (1982) and Secrets of the I Ching (1983). All tracks on the album are remixed from their original versions.
John Lombardo is one of the founding members of the American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs and one of the band's most influential members, writing much of its early material. He is also a member of folk rock duo John & Mary.
Mary Ramsey is a member of folk rock duo John & Mary and former lead singer and violinist for the American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. Ramsey has also worked with other well-known artists such as Jackson Browne, Goo Goo Dolls, Billy Bragg, Warren Zevon, Alex Chilton and Ani DiFranco.
Campfire Songs: The Popular, Obscure and Unknown Recordings of 10,000 Maniacs is a compilation album by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs, released in 2004. It includes their biggest hits, B-sides and unreleased recordings from the Natalie Merchant era. Despite the album's title, the collection does not include "A Campfire Song" from In My Tribe (1987).
Secrets of the I Ching is the first album by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs, released in 1983 by Mark Records. While the album also contained the band's own Christian Burial Music imprint, the label itself was fictitious.
MTV Unplugged is a 1993 live album and video by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs, recorded for the MTV Unplugged series. The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and spawned the hit single "Because the Night", a cover of the song written by Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen. Between the recording and release of the album, vocalist Natalie Merchant left the band to pursue a solo career.
Love Among the Ruins (1997) is the sixth studio album by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs and the first to feature new lead singer Mary Ramsey, following Natalie Merchant's departure in 1993.
"These Are Days" is a song by alternative rock group 10,000 Maniacs, released as the lead single from their 1992 album, Our Time in Eden. The song reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in November 1992. They also performed the song for their 1993 album, MTV Unplugged, and it appears on their 2016 live album, Playing Favorites, with lead vocalist Mary Ramsey.
"What's The Matter Here?" was the third single released from 10,000 Maniacs' 1987 album In My Tribe, following Peace Train and Like the Weather. A live version with lead vocalist Mary Ramsey was also included on their 2016 album Playing Favorites.
Playing Favorites is a live album by 10,000 Maniacs released in 2016. The album was recorded on September 13, 2014, at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts in Jamestown, New York. This is their first live album with current lead vocalist Mary Ramsey and also marks the return of founding member John Lombardo who contributes lead vocals on "My Mother the War".
"Candy Everybody Wants" is the second single by alternative rock group 10,000 Maniacs from their 1992 album, Our Time in Eden. The song was written by Dennis Drew and Natalie Merchant, the band's keyboardist and lead singer respectively. Rolling Stone wrote that the song is about "the American appetite for televised sex and violence – and big business's willingness to satisfy that craving."
"Trouble Me" is a song by the American alternative rock group 10,000 Maniacs and the first single from their 1989 album Blind Man's Zoo. The single was co-written by the band's then-lead singer, Natalie Merchant, as dedication to her father, Anthony Merchant. "Trouble Me" charted in both the United States and the United Kingdom, becoming a hit for the band. A live version with lead vocalist Mary Ramsey was also included on their 2016 album Playing Favorites.
 | This 1980s single–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
