“Remember the Rain?” by 21st Century
21st Century was a 1970s’ funk/soul act which proved so obscure that readily-available information about them is virtually nonexistent. What is known, via Discogs, is that this act was from Chicago and consisted of five members –
- Pierre Johnson
- Alonzo Martin
- Tyrone Moores (or Morris, according to this song’s YouTube page)
- Alphonso Smith
- Fred Williams
Also in 1977, they signed with Berry Gordy’s Gordy Records (not to be confused with Motown or Tamla), and upon doing so the act changed its name to 21st Creation.
One of the most-popular songs in their terse discography is by far “Remember the Rain?”, which came out in 1974. That’s in part due to the fact that this track has been sampled by a number of other artists, including Wiz Khalifa in 2007 (on “I Still Remember”) and both Chris Brown (“Somebody Else (Remix)”) and Mario (“Somebody Else” ft. Nicki Minaj) in 2013.
“Remember the Rain?” was both written and produced by Marvin Smith, another artist whom we’re having a difficult time pinning information on history (though it may be the same Marvin Smith who ran with a 1960s’ act known as The Artistics).
The Lyrics of “Remember the Rain?”
What becomes obvious from the onset of this track’s vocal presentation is that the lead vocalist is a child, and the backup singers are obviously in their teens. This song was dropped back during the Jackson 5 era, i.e. another boy band that was fronted by a child who was backed for the most part by older teens. And there were copycats in the system, such as The Sylvers who, by the way, dropped their own rendition of Remember the Rain.
The reason it’s important to point out the age of the vocalist is because the relationship between him and the addressee does read more like a case of puppy love than an adult or sexual romance. But puppy love, if you will, can also lead to heartbreak.
And that’s what’s transpiring in the case, as the first verse alludes to the two of them being besties since they were very young and the narrator, though being too small to realize it back then, having been in love.
As they got older, presumably around the age when people start developing true romantic feelings, their relationship was marked by the likes of ‘sneaking notes in class’, winking, giggling and that kind of stuff. So it’s as if the vocalist really thought he had a chance, i.e. that this relationship would eventually lead to true dating.
But that bubble burst when he “was running through the storm to get (his) umbrella”, seemingly to escort the addressee to her destination without her being drenched.
“I picked you up when you fell and cut your knee
I told you not to cry and held you close to me”
As implied in the pre-chorus (though not abundantly clear timeline-wise), she may even have been injured at the time. But in any event, apparently upon returning he “saw (her) with another fellow”. And yes, there are loopholes and certain aspects of this storyline which aren’t abundantly clear.
But obviously or let’s presumably she was interacting with that other guy in such a way that let the singer know that the two of them were romantically involved. And apparently that became evident upon her bouncing with said dude instead of waiting for the vocalist to return with his umbrella.
So relatedly, what follows is a sentiment of absolute heartbreak. On one hand, it may be argued that the singer is blowing things out of proportion. But remember that he is a child, and, up until that point, this girl, the addressee, was his lifelong sweetheart.
Also going back to the Jackson 5, that time period in African-American music was in part marked by boys with nice voices singing adult-oriented songs. Again, that is not to say that a (pre)pubescent man can’t have his heart broken.
But the way the singer goes about reacting in this case, such as noting that his “existence without (the addressee) ain’t nothing but a little death”, is a bit extreme for like a 12 year old. And with that being noted, more to the sentimental point, as implied by the title, is that the vocalist’s quote/unquote girlfriend leaving him in “the rain” like that greatly offended him.
