"The Rain, The Park & Other Things" | ||||
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Single by The Cowsills | ||||
from the album The Cowsills | ||||
B-side | "River Blue" | |||
Released | September 1967 | |||
Recorded | August 17, 1967 | |||
Studio | A&R Recording Studios, New York City | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:04 | |||
Label | MGM | |||
Songwriter(s) | Artie Kornfeld, Steve Duboff | |||
Producer(s) | Artie Kornfeld | |||
The Cowsills singles chronology | ||||
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"The Rain, the Park & Other Things" is a pop song with music and lyrics co-written by Artie Kornfeld and Steve Duboff. It was recorded by the pop band the Cowsills, and included on their 1967 self-titled debut album. Released as a single, the song reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts. [4] It was kept from the No. 1 spot by "Daydream Believer" by the Monkees. [5] The single cemented the group's international popularity and sold some three million copies over the years. It ties with 1969's "Hair" as the group's biggest hit, as both reached No. 2 in the US. In Canada, "The Rain, the Park & Other Things" reached No. 1 on the RPM singles chart.
The song was written by Kornfeld and Duboff specifically for the Cowsills; Bob Cowsill said Kornfeld told him they had written it in two hours. [6]
The Cowsills did not play on their earliest recordings. Studio musicians were brought in to provide the music for this song and many of the earlier singles. For this record, the arranger was Jimmy Wisner, musicians included Gene Bianco on harp, [7] Vinnie Bell, Charles Macy and Al Gorgoni on guitar, Joe Macho on bass, Artie Butler on organ, Paul Griffin on piano, George Devens on percussion, and Buddy Saltzman and Al Rogers on drums. [8]
Kornfeld had planned to use the sound of a rainstorm as the song's intro, but recordings of real rain proved to be too faint to hear on record; instead he used a stock sound of sizzling bacon to emulate rain. [6]
Originally recorded in late 1966, with Bill Cowsill on lead vocals, the backing vocals of his mother, Barbara, were added onto the finished product after the initial sessions, at Kornfeld's suggestion. [6] The song was originally recorded at A&R Studios in New York with Brooks Arthur engineering the session.
The song is known by many as "The Flower Girl". [9] That was its original title, but MGM Records president Mort Nasatir suggested that the title be changed in order to avoid confusion with Scott McKenzie's contemporaneous hit single, "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)". [6] The new title was coined by Kornfeld. [6]
In the song, the narrator states that he saw a flower girl sitting in the rain, said hello, and took a lovely walk in the park until, when the rain stops and the sun breaks through, she disappears. However, the narrator still feels happy about the flower girl, and asks in the final verse: "Was she reality, or just a dream to me?"
The song was used in Lloyd's fantasy scene in the 1994 film Dumb and Dumber . [10]
Bubblegum is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a more specific rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States in the late 1960s, that evolved from garage rock, novelty songs, and the Brill Building sound, and which was also defined by its target demographic of preteens and young teenagers. The Archies' 1969 hit "Sugar, Sugar" was a representative example that led to cartoon rock, a short-lived trend of Saturday-morning cartoon series that heavily featured pop rock songs in the bubblegum vein.
The Cowsills are an American singing group from Newport, Rhode Island, six siblings noted for performing professionally and singing harmonies at an early age, later with their mother.
Arthur Lawrence Kornfeld is an American musician, record producer, and music executive. He is best known as the music promoter for the Woodstock Festival held in 1969. Kornfeld is also known for his collaborations with Artie Kaplan.
Crispian St. Peters was an English pop singer-songwriter, best known for his work in the 1960s, particularly hit songs written by duo The Changin' Times, including "The Pied Piper", and Ian & Sylvia's "You Were on My Mind". His popularity waned after he claimed he was a better performer than other well known singers and declared that he was a better songwriter than the Beatles.
William Joseph Cowsill Jr. was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the lead singer and guitarist of The Cowsills, who had three top-10 singles in the late 1960s. From the mid-1970s until his death, he was a successful alt-country artist and producer in Canada.
"To Sir with Love" is the theme from James Clavell's 1967 film To Sir, with Love. The song was performed by British singer and actress Lulu, and written by Don Black and Mark London. Mickie Most produced the record, with Mike Leander arranging and conducting. The song peaked at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and became the best-selling single of 1967 in the United States.
"Saturday Night" is a song recorded by the Scottish pop rock band Bay City Rollers. It was written and produced by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter. The tune is an upbeat rock number with a memorable hook, in which the word "Saturday" is spelled out in a rhythmic, enthusiastic chant.
"I Want Candy" is a song written and originally recorded by the Strangeloves in 1965 that reached No. 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is a famous example of a song that uses the Bo Diddley beat.
"Yummy Yummy Yummy" is a song by Arthur Resnick and Joey Levine, first recorded by Ohio Express in 1968. Their version reached No. 4 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart in June and No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. It has since been covered by many artists. Ohio Express was a studio concoction and none of the "official" members appear on the record. Joey Levine sang lead vocals.
"One Bad Apple" is a song by the Osmonds, released as a single on November 14, 1970. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 2, 1971. It hit the top of the chart on February 13, 1971 and stayed there for five weeks. It also reached No. 6 on the R&B chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 4 song for 1971. The song is an early example of bubblegum dance. Both "One Bad Apple" and the Donny Osmond-credited single "Sweet and Innocent" are on the 1970 album Osmonds. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on February 4, 1971.
"Hair" is the title song to the 1967 musical Hair and the 1979 film adaptation of the musical.
"Catch a Falling Star" is a song written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss. It was made famous by Perry Como who recorded and released his version in late 1957.
"Crazy Horses" is a song by the Osmonds, the title track from the album of the same name. It was released as the album's second single and reached number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is the only hit record from the Osmonds to feature Jay Osmond as lead vocalist. It has since been covered by numerous other performers.
"The Pied Piper" is a pop song written by the duo The Changin' Times, consisting of Steve Duboff and Artie Kornfeld, who first recorded it in 1965. Their version reached #87 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, when British pop singer Crispian St. Peters recorded it, he scored a major hit during the summer of 1966. It went to #4 in the United States, #5 in the United Kingdom, and #1 in Canada.
"Little Bit O' Soul" is a song written in 1964 by British songwriters John Carter and Ken Lewis. It was originally recorded by Coventry band The Little Darlings, and released in 1965 on Fontana Records in the UK.
"Indian Lake" is a song with music and lyrics written by Tony Romeo. It was recorded by the pop band The Cowsills, and included on their 1968 album Captain Sad and His Ship of Fools. Released as a single, the song reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, while reaching No. 6 on the Cash Box Top 100, and No. 3 on Canada's RPM 100. The song was ranked as the No. 51 Single of 1968 by Cashbox magazine in its year-ending December 28, 1968 issue. The single eventually sold over 1 million copies, and was later licensed for use in commercials for the Dodge Charger.
"Playground in My Mind" is a 1972 single by Clint Holmes. It was written by Paul Vance with Lee Pockriss, and is a nursery rhyme-styled song which features a duet with record producer Vance's seven-year-old son Philip, who sang on the chorus, as Michael.
"Rock and Roll Love Letter" is the second single from American Tim Moore's second album, Behind the Eyes. Tim Moore's original version was not successful. It was later covered by the band Bay City Rollers, and that version became a Top 40 hit.
The Cowsills is the debut album by American family pop group the Cowsills. The first single from the album was "The Rain, the Park & Other Things", which reached No. 2 on the Billboard pop chart.
"Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon" is a song by the American rock band Paul Revere & the Raiders written by Mark Lindsay originally released as a single in 1969, then on the album Hard 'N' Heavy later that year. The song peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 15 on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles chart, and at number 8 on the RPM Top Singles chart.