Songs from the Rain

Songs from the Rain
Studio album by Hothouse Flowers
Released	1993
Length	51:51
Label	London
Producer	Stewart Levine
Hothouse Flowers chronology
Just a Note (1991) Songs from the Rain (1993) Born (1998)

Songs from the Rain is the third studio album by the Irish rock band Hothouse Flowers, ^{[1] [2]} released in 1993. ^[3]

The album peaked at No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart ^[4] and No. 1 on the Irish Albums Chart. The band promoted it by playing the Another Roadside Attraction festival, and then opening for Midnight Oil. ^{[5] [6]}

Production

The album was produced by Stewart Levine. ^[7] Two of its songs were cowritten with Dave Stewart; Will Jennings also contributed to Songs from the Rain. ^{[8] [9]}

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[11]
The Indianapolis Star	[12]
Los Angeles Times	[13]
The Philadelphia Inquirer	[14]

Rolling Stone wrote: "Like Simple Minds, another spiritually inspired act that succumbed to bombast, Hothouse Flowers seem unsure how to express their religiosity without alienating a potential new audience." ^[15] The Edmonton Journal determined that the album "captures the essence of contemporary Irish soul." ^[16] The Chicago Tribune declared that the Hothouse Flowers prove that they remain "among the most emotional, compelling and imaginative of the new Celtic rock bands." ^[17]

The Los Angeles Times concluded that "the best moments are disarming expressions of faith that are as mystical and spirit-lifting as the works of Van Morrison and the Waterboys." ^[13] The Guardian noted that "the Flowers have begun mining a potentially rewarding vein of blues-gospel-folk-funk." ^[18] The Philadelphia Inquirer lamented that "Celtic soul can be a mighty tepid cup of tea." ^[14]

AllMusic wrote that "while Songs From the Rain is the band's most musically diverse collection, it is hampered by an inconsistent set of material." ^[10] Hot Press' Pat Carty described the album as "one of the great Irish records". ^[19]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Hothouse Flowers, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"This Is It (Your Soul)"	Hothouse Flowers Dave Stewart	3:52
2.	"One Tongue"		4:29
3.	"An Emotional Time"	Hothouse Flowers Stewart	4:28
4.	"Be Good"		3:53
5.	"Good for You"		4:04
6.	"Isn't It Amazing"		5:50
7.	"Thing of Beauty"		5:27
8.	"Your Nature"		5:08
9.	"Spirit of the Land"		4:18
10.	"Gypsy Fair"	Hothouse Flowers Will Jennings	3:50
11.	"Stand Beside Me"		6:32

2025 expanded edition

Disc 1

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"An Emotional Time (Single Version)" (B-side to "An Emotional Time")	Hothouse Flowers Stewart	3:47
13.	"Thing of Beauty (Edit)" (B-side to "Thing of Beauty")		3:55
14.	"One Tongue (Single Version)" (B-side to "One Tongue")		4:04
15.	"One Tongue (Remix)" (B-side to "Isn't It Amazing")		5:16

Disc 2

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"The Seasons Wheels" (B-side to "An Emotional Time")	Hothouse Flowers Mike Scott		5:26
2.	"Help Us Make Our Peace" (B-side to "An Emotional Time")		Hothouse Flowers	4:16
3.	"Song of Ecuador" (B-side to "An Emotional Time")		Hothouse Flowers	4:37
4.	"Air From the Hills" (B-side to "An Emotional Time")		Hothouse Flowers	3:36
5.	"Banished Misfortune" (B-side to "An Emotional Time")		Hothouse Flowers Levine	2:23
6.	"Let the Rhythm Take You Home" (B-side to "An Emotional Time")	Liam Ó Maonlaí Fiachna Ó Braonáin Peter O'Toole Jennings		3:19
7.	"Carry On" (B-side to "One Tongue")		Hothouse Flowers Paul Barrett	3:28
8.	"Thank You for Believing" (B-side to "One Tongue")		Hothouse Flowers Norman Verso	4:52
9.	"The Rebel" (B-side to "One Tongue")		Hothouse Flowers Norman Verso	3:46
10.	"Same Song" (B-side to "One Tongue")		Hothouse Flowers Barrett	4:02
11.	"Wish You Everything" (B-side to "One Tongue")		Hothouse Flowers Verso	4:14
12.	"The Rain" (B-side to "One Tongue")		Hothouse Flowers Verso	3:49
13.	"Of the People" (B-side to "Isn't It Amazing")		Hothouse Flowers Verso	4:26
14.	"The Well" (B-side to "Isn't It Amazing")		Hothouse Flowers Verso	5:20
15.	"Let Him Know" (B-side to "Isn't It Amazing")		Clive Langer	4:34
16.	"Getting Too Much" (B-side to "Isn't Amazing")			4:38
17.	"Suspicious Minds" (B-side to "This Is It (Your Soul)")	Mark James	Hothouse Flowers Verso	5:34
18.	"Forever Young" (B-side to "This Is It (Your Soul)")	Bob Dylan	Hothouse Flowers Verso	5:48

Charts

Chart performance for Songs from the Rain

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [20]	19
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [21]	64
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [22]	79
Irish Albums (IRMA) [23]	1
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [24]	22
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [25]	18
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [26]	32
UK Albums (OCC) [27]	7
US Billboard 200 [28]	156

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [29]	Silver	60,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Hothouse Flowers Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
2. "Picks & pans – Songs from the Rain by Hothouse Flowers". People. Vol. 39, no. 15. April 19, 1993. p. 25.
3. Kelly, Christina (March 1993). "Listen up – Songs from the Rain by Hothouse Flowers". Sassy. Vol. 6, no. 1. p. 42.
4. "Hothouse Flowers | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company.
5. Muretich, James (18 July 1993). "If It's Good For Us It Must Be Good For You: Hothouse Flowers". Calgary Herald. p. B8.
6. Renzhofer, Martin (17 September 1993). "Midnight Oil Is Promoting Music, Not Messages, On Tour From Down Under". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. C7.
7. Harrison, Tom (16 July 1993). "A Day of Good Music". The Province. p. B32.
8. Buckley, Peter (April 9, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN   9781843531050 – via Google Books.
9. Jarvey, Paul (12 August 1993). "Flowers' songs rooted in spirituality". Telegram & Gazette. p. C4.
10. "Songs From The Rain - Hothouse Flowers | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
11. Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN   9780857125958 – via Google Books.
12. Penner, Diana (12 April 1993). "Hothouse Flowers 'Songs from the Rain'". The Indianapolis Star. p. C3.
13. Hilburn, Robert (11 April 1993). "Hothouse Flowers Bloom Again". Los Angeles Times. Calendar. p. 58.
14. Stark, Karl (13 April 1993). "Hothouse Flowers Songs From the Rain". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E1.
15. Manning, Kara (May 27, 1993). "Recordings — Songs from the Rain by Hothouse Flowers". Rolling Stone . No. 657. p. 52.
16. Howell, David (30 July 1993). "Soulful sound comes easily to Hothouse Flowers". Edmonton Journal. p. C3.
17. Heim, Chris (6 August 1993). "And the Hothouse Flowers (back with its first new album in three years, the recently released 'Songs from the Rain')...". Chicago Tribune . Friday. p. R.
18. Mulholland, John (5 May 1993). "MUSIC: Hothouse Flowers Royal Albert Hall". The Guardian. The Guardian Features Page.
19. Carty, Pat. "Hothouse Flowers, Let's Do This Thing". Hotpress. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
20. "Australiancharts.com – Hothouse Flowers – Songs from the Rain". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
21. "Dutchcharts.nl – Hothouse Flowers – Songs from the Rain" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
22. "Offiziellecharts.de – Hothouse Flowers – Songs from the Rain" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
23. "Irish-charts.com – Hothouse Flowers – Songs from the Rain" (PDF). Retrieved 5 April 2025.
24. "Charts.nz – Hothouse Flowers – Songs from the Rain". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
25. "Swedishcharts.com – Hothouse Flowers – Songs from the Rain". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
26. "Swisscharts.com – Hothouse Flowers – Songs from the Rain". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
27. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
28. "Billboard 200: Week of April 10, 1993". Billboard . Retrieved 21 April 2022.
29. "British album certifications – Hothouse Flowers – Songs from the Rain". British Phonographic Industry.