“It Never Rains in Southern California” by Albert Hammond
At one point in time Albert Hammond busked for bread, living the dirty but free life of a starving artist. And by the looks of things, it wasn’t truly a situation of hustle or die for him. Rather his parents did not agree with his vocation, so much so that he actually hid the fact he was doing it from them. It was out of this suffering that “It Never Rains in Southern California”, his breakthrough hit, was born.
First of all, it does seem as if rain is a relatively rare occurrence in Southern California. But used within this context, said statement stands as a metaphor. In fact Hammond wrote this song based on his busking experiences in Spain, before he ever even visited Los Angeles. And what said metaphor points to is the narrator being depressed, or shall we say professionally repressed with no end in sight.
So in the first verse we see that he sets out into the world with visions of becoming a celebrity, with this passage representing the beginning of his journey. In the second, we find the vocalist assed out, discouraged and even desiring to call it quits. But by the third verse, he is telling the addressee, a female associate who also knows his people back home, to tell them that he’s on the verge of blowing up.
However, all lyrics considered, it sounds more like he’s entreating her to send a false report, so that they think he’s doing better than he actually is. And in the chorus, Albert is verifying to the addressee that yes, just as people warn you that setting off on your own like that can prove unfavorable, verily it is.
Takeaway
At the end of the day, it wouldn’t be appropriate to label this a song of suffering or remorse per se. And that’s because even though the thesis sentiment revolves around the narrator admitting that life sucks in his pursuit of a dream, still the conclusive implication is that he has no intention of actually giving up on that pursuit.
Facts about “It Never Rains in Southern California”
Albert Hammond is a singer from London whose family came there via the nation of Gibraltar (which lies at the southern tip of Spain). And with this song being released on 21 October 1972, it was also during that era in which Hammond experienced his most notable success, after having already been in the game for about a decade.
For example, this track peaked at number 5 on the Billboard hot 100. It then topped the Oricon International Chart in Japan and also fared comparably well in countries like Canada and New Zealand.
Hammond penned this piece alongside his regular songwriting partner, Mike Hazlewood (1941-2001). The singer also produced the song, in that regard working in conjunction with Don Altfeld.
The Album
Hammond’s debut studio album, “It Never Rains in Southern California” was officially released in 1972.
The 10-tracked album is responsible for his 1972 hit song of the same name, “It Never Rains in Southern California”.
Hammond, a record producer himself, joined hands with Don Altfeld in producing the album. It was released through the defunct American record label, Mums Records.
It peaked at No.77 on the Billboard 200 in the US.
