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Sometimes, writing about a song feels effortless - other times you just have to start writing until you find the right words. “When it Rains It Snows” falls into that last bucket. It’s not as easy talking about a song that isn’t your favorite. Not because it’s a bad song but because it just never settled into my personal playlists of no-skip bangers.
That said, this antepenultimate song of the Miscellaneous T album from They Might Be Giants is always welcome when I hear it. Like an old friend you bump into at the store and decide, “yeah, it’s been a long time. They deserve my attention instead of a classic nod-and-walk-away.”
What Does This Song Meant to Me?
Since I first heard it, this song brought to mind the old saying, “When it rains, it pours.” That easily could have been a motto for my life growing up. Not because it was always going wrong but my mind tends to notice the patterns of repeating problems rather than also seeing the many positive things. This isn’t unique to me although it is certainly germane to most of my family members. I don’t mean to say that “well MY brain does this.” It’s just a way some people are - and I’ve always been one of those “some people.”
This song was suggesting something I also felt to be true many times through ought my childhood (and long into my adult life up to as recently as this past year.) The notion that when one thing goes badly, a flurry of absurd nonsense comes with it that causes everything to look completely different and upends every aspect of your life. A completely unexpected left turn - other words, “When it rains, it snows.”
Fan of pregnant pauses? I’ve got great news. This song has a pause as long as an entire 9 month pregnancy. Between the chorus and second verse, it feels like the song has ended, then it feels like the next song should have definitely started by now, then it seems like maybe the device playing the song has broken down, and then there is suddenly a voice singing and music playing again. I’m just now realizing that the experience I had when I first ran into this moment of the song, it’s almost like the emotional experience of living the song’s title - first it rained and then it SNOWED.
A Nostalgic Soundtrack to Bike Rides and Video Games
Probably due to the fewer listens, I have a very fresh well of nostalgia for this song. I hear it and I’m transported back to my best friend’s house in our middle school and early high school days. The days spent going between his camper trailer-turned-bedroom while a house was being built on the property and playing video games in Hitler’s Bunker1. A memory every teenager can relate to.
It brings with it, a feeling of excitement that I would get to escape my home and head off for my friend’s where we’d ride a bike to a grocery store or ride a bike to video rental store. Predominately riding a bike to somewhere was 50% of our pre-driving friendship. The rest was playing River City Ransom or watching The Kids in the Hall.
The Harmony of Johns
The Harmony of the Johns is very strong in this track. I wish I could tell you that they’re singing in fifths or thirds, etc but I don’t have that kind of ear training. Sure, I could grab my guitar and find the melody, then play the harmony by ear and note the intervals to find what harmony this is but I can promise you that I will never work that hard for this newsletter.
What I can tell you is that John Linnell has often mentioned his deep, personal obsession with melody and harmony. You can easily find this to be true when listening to this song. The melding of their voices in this understated track adds to its richness to this auditory feast, even if its a smaller dish from the larger pantry(?) of their catalog? Can you tell I was bailing on that analogy as I thought of it?
Over to You
What does “When It Rains It Snows” mean to you? Is it a go-to gem or does it float around in the background of your TMBG experience like it does for me? Let’s talk about it in the comments!
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