Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

Cover version of the month #107

Manic Street Preachers cover B.J. Thomas

As a kid, I totally fell for the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I think it was my Mum who recommended it to me. Possibly because of Robert Redford and Paul Newman, but more likely because she knew I liked cowboys. I don't know what age I would have been when I first saw it, but I was captivated by the characters, their charm, bravado, the sunshine, the dust, the colours, the freedom, the robberies, chases and shoot outs ... I still love watching the film to this day.

When my wife Lynn and I went travelling around the world, we stopped off in the tiny town of Tupiza in Bolivia, a small dusty town where Butch and Sundance hung out and hung low, robbed a bank and ultimately met their demise. We booked on a tour to do the Butch and Sundance trail. I think I enjoyed this more than Lynn!

Anyway, back to the film, which benefits from the songwriting genius of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. South American Getaway is absolutely perfect for the film, glorious cinematic melodies, sublime.

However, I'm going to focus on a song that Robert Redford initially thought didn't fit with the theme of the film, Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head. After all, there is no rain in the desert!

The song is used to soundtrack a scene where Butch (Paul Newman) is larking around on a bike to impress his girlfriend, Etta Place (Katharine Ross) and it works beautifully thanks to its easygoing melody, the brass, the piano ... it's so warm and familiar. I can't remember, but I imagine it felt like that from the very first time I heard it. 

B.J. Thomas’s voice is unhurried, gliding over Bacharach’s playful, bouncing arrangement. There’s something magical about the way it flows—casual, carefree, yet completely assured. A song about rain and misfortune that somehow feels more like sunshine breaking through clouds.

I just did me some talking to the sun

And I said I didn't like the way he got things done

Whenever I hear the song I think of a little rain shower on the evening of Sunday 11th August 1996 at Knebworth Park in Hertfordshire. I was there for Oasis (as blogged on here) and my friend Elliott and I managed to blag and bribe our way into Pit 1 just before the Manic Street Preachers came on. 

The Manics played a blinding set and midway through they played their cover of Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head. My memory is a little hazy, it either was raining, or it had just stopped raining. Either way, it was perfect, super chilled. James Dean Bradfield's voice was crystal clear and the song had a real festival and community vibe. It was a real moment. There must be a film of it somewhere.

Manic Street Preachers had recorded the song for Warchild's legendary Help album the previous year in 1995. I've previously written blogs on The Charlatans super cool cover of Sly's Time for Livin' and Radiohead's remarkable Lucky - both taken from this album. This was quite a landmark for the band as it was their first return to recording following the disappearance of Richey Edwards in February 1995. The Help album was recorded on 4th September and released on 9th September.

As a band known for their intensity, anger, and heart-on-sleeve passion, whose previous release had been the ferocious and intense album The Holy Bible in 1994, Raindrops ..... was quite a change. The Manics strip it back and I love James voice as he sings;

But there's one thing I know

The blues they send to meet me 

Won't defeat me, it won' be long

'til happiness steps up to greet me

The Manics version isn't as jaunty as the original. It's more melancholic but as the song approaches conclusion Bradfield's voice soars;

Because I'm free

Nothing's bothering me

I love the Manics cover of this wonderful song. James Dean Bradfield's voice shines and reflects melancholy, hope and resilience. 

The B.J. Thomas original and Manic St Preachers cover of Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs listed below. Search for the title or CLICK HERE

Previous covers of the month blogs

1. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' 

2. Going Back To My Roots

3. Nirvana play The Vaselines

4. Slip Inside This House

5. Top 10 covers by Teenage Fanclub

6. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

7. Time For Livin' 

8. Sound and Vision 

9. All Along The Watchtower

10. I Am The Walrus 

11. Guiding Star

12. You’ll Never Walk Alone

13. Hurt

14. This Guy's In Love With You

15. I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine

16. California Soul

18. Wonder wall 

19. Dancing In The Dark

20. Always On My Mind

21. Ceremony

22. Heroes

23. Different Drum

24. Wild Horses

25. Respect

26. Mr Tambourine Man

27. I Heard It Through The Grapevine

28. Superstar

29. Twist and Shout

30. Purple Rain

31. Baker Street

32. Not Fade Away

33. Stop Your Sobbing

34. I Don't Want To Grow Up

35. Serious Drugs

36. Dancing With Myself

37. How Does It Feel To Feel?

38. Love Buzz

39. ABBA-esque
40. Jumpin' Jack Flash

41. Discoland

42. Varshons 2 by The Lemonheads

43. The Langley Schools Music Project
44. Witchi Tai To
45. Our Lips Are Sealed
46. Sunshine Of Your Love
47. Here Comes The Sun
48. I Think We're Alone Now
49. Don't Let Me Down 
50. It's Oh So Quiet
51. Alcoholiday 
52. Summer Holiday
53. Who Do You Think You Are?
54. Head On
55. Nothing Compares 2 U

56. Hey Jude

57. Seven Days Too Long

58. L.O.V.E Love

59. Into Your Arms

60. Heart Of Glass

61. Take Me To The River

62. We Can Work It Out 

63. Talking In My Sleep

64. Lola

65. Lost In Music

66. My Little Red Book

67. Isn't It A Pity

68. Walk On By

69. Walk Away Renee

70. Tainted Love

71. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

72. Listen The Snow Is Falling

73. Mrs Robinson

74. He's Gonna Step On You Again

75. In My Life

76. Caravan Of Love

77. The Only Way Is Up

78. Dancin' Round & Round

79. With A Little Help From My Friends

80. Killing Me Softly

81. Ain't No Mountain High Enough

82. Drop

83. Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay

84. Sympathy For The Devil

85. I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor

86. Love Will Tear Us Apart

87. Indian Rope Man + bonus Strawberry Fields Forever + This Wheels On Fire

88. Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

89. Love The One You're With

90. Cum On Feel The Noize

91. Addicted To Love

92. Valerie

93. Ride On Time

94. Let's Dance

95. It Must Be Love

96. I Fought The Law

97. For What It's Worth

98. Do Your Thing

99. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself

100. Don't Leave Me This Way

101. Shout!

102. God Only Knows

103. The Last Time

104. Bridge Over Troubled Water

105. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

106. Louie Louie

Manic St Preachers at the Hydro

I featured a guest blog by my friend Joe recently. Now it is the turn of his lovely wife Emma.

Emma is a huge Manics fan and after her enthusiastic posts on social media at the weekend I thought I would ask her to follow Joe with a guest review. Her passion and knowledge for the band really shine through.

Maybe I should turn this into a regular Mr & Mrs feature!?

Manic Street Preachers Glasgow Hydro.

I have been a Manic Street Preachers fan for over 20 years which is a little bit over half my life. I have seen them live in various venues over the years. I was excited to receive tickets to the Hydro gig as a Christmas gift from my husband. The gig also fell on the weekend of our wedding anniversary which was a good way to celebrate.

To be honest the first time I heard the Manics I didn’t know who they were but I knew I liked their songs.  Watching Top of the Pops was an institution in our house and in the early nineties whilst still in primary school I was learning to play guitar (classical and very badly) and I remember seeing scruffy men playing bouncy guitar and later I learned that it was the Manics playing Motorcycle Emptiness. In 1994 I began to buy the NME every week and started to read more about the band. I never really went for the boy bands, guitar music was what I was raised on. I remember hearing of the disappearance of Ritchie Edwards on the Radio One news before school one morning and then following the stories in the NME in the weeks and months that followed. I was 13 twenty years ago when Everything Must Go was released and obsessed with music saving up dinner money to buy albums.  It was an album that meant a lot to me and that still does. To hear it played live in full was something very special.

Saturday nights gig at the Hydro was not only the best Manics gig I have ever been to but my best live gig experience of all time. When the band walked on stage and launched into Elvis Impersonator my heart sang such is the emotional connection I have to these songs. I am one of those annoying people at gigs who like to scream out the lyrics whilst pumping the air with my fist and there was certainly plenty of those opportunities at Saturday’s gig. James Dean Bradfield’s voice was liquid gold perfection and he and Nicky Wire were in good humour bouncing off each other. Nicky had about four wardrobe changes but my personal favourite was the white Captain’s hat. 

The big hits like A Design For Life, Australia and Kevin Carter were everything you would expect them to be. There were scissor kicks from the band, singing and bouncing from the audience. For me though the highlights of this gig were the opportunities to hear the album tracks and slower songs played live. As usual the Manics visuals were spot on especially for these tracks. Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky was hauntingly beautiful. The crowd was obviously delighted to hear The Girl who wanted to be God and Removables and these became snarling sing a longs. 

For me a real highlight was Interiors however not all of my section of the crowd seemed in agreement with this. I love Further Away and have included it on a few romantic mix tapes in my time as I think it is a song which describes being in love well. The finale of this section of the gig was a euphoric rendition of No Surface but All Feeling with included the surprisingly beautiful release of streamers in the colours of the Welsh flag by the clearly emotional James Dean Bradfield.

The second section of the gig was rareties and hits. Highlights for me were hearing the cover of Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head from the Help album which James described as the time the Manics  got “swept up in that thing called Britpop”. Motorcycle Emptiness and You Love Us were their usual guitar rift driven sing along jump about greatness. Roses In The Hospital is my personal favourite Manics song and was so powerful it inspired me to actually leap into the air despite being 22 weeks pregnant. 

The only song of the night that I must confess I never wish to hear again in my life was 2013s Show Me The Wonder.  Sorry boys the wonder escaped me entirely in response to this dire ditty. However the rugby boys behind me seemed to find it the highlight of the night so each to their own. The showed ended with If You Tolerate This… . The chat on fan forum sites had expressed doubt as to how this would work as a show closing track but it was really moving especially with the pink tissue paper blown into the crowd to represent cherry blossom.  

It was a fantastic gig made all the better for me (don’t hate me) when I got to meet James Dean Bradfield over breakfast the following morning. He was a lovely man, despite being hungover he was gentle, warm, approachable and self –deprecating, returning to the breakfast room to collect me for my photograph. I told him that I had been into the Manics for over 20 years and that I felt that made me a very discerning 12 year old girl. His reply “Im not so sure”. Well James in light of Saturday’s performance I have to stand by my original statement. What a gig, what a man! Cant believe I met a legend!!!

Manic St Preachers at Glasgow Barrowland, 29/09/13

Manic St Preachers slayed the Glasgow Barrowland ballroom last night, digging into their considerable back catalogue and displaying all the credentials that have ensured they remain one of Britain's most loved and enduring bands from the last 30-years.

Opening with 'Motorcycle Emptiness' was a great decision, the crowd were up for it from the off. James Dean Bradfield was straight into it, his voice soared with ease, his guitar playing was exceptional, Nicky Wire bounced about the stage with his bass slung low, glitter and make up on his face making him look like he hadn't aged a bit since the release of their debut album away back in 1992.

There were many highlights; 'Your Love Alone Is Not Enough' was delivered with venom, Bradfield's voice as sweet as a Welsh choir boys at times, as punk as Lydon's at others.

The Manic's are clearly fond of Glasgow and the venue; they announced that it was the eleventh time they had played it and also talked of playing King Tuts back in 1990 and the Plaza.

pic lifted from Twitter - thanks

'You Stole The Sun From My Heart' was a joyous romp, the crowd lapping up the huge chorus. If that got the crowd going then 'You Love Us' a couple of songs later took them to another level. The band and crowd were performing as one for this song,

James, Nicky and Sean were ably assisted by 3 others musicians on the night on trumpet, guitar and keys, although they stayed to the side and in the shadows, letting Bradfield and Wire take centre stage - you would have to be a little mad to try and steal any limelight from Nicky Wire!

'If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next' was poignant and emotional. The band then departed to allow James to play acoustic. A short 'This Sullen Welsh Heart' was beautiful before James spoke of the kindness displayed to the band when they came to play King Tuts back in 1990 when a lady took them into her house for a Sunday Roast. Her son would go on to become the Manics sound engineer. James announced that she had past away recently and they attended her funeral last week before dedicating Frankie Valli's 'You're Just To Good To Be True' to her. It was stunning and the crowd sang along with gusto.

'I wish a young band would write something like this' said Bradfield before launching into 'Kevin Carter'. The band then played a ferocious 'Motown Junk' before ending with the glorious finale of 'A Design For Life'.

Hands were in the air as the Manics played their biggest hit, with the crowd singing along;

We don't talk about love, we only want to get drunk

It was a spectacular gig. I hadn't actually planned to go until a few weeks before when my mate Tel told me he had a spare. I'm glad I did. James Dean Bradfield's vocals were powerful and emotional, raw when required, his guitar playing was exceptional. Nicky Wire patrolled the stage and looked like he was having the time of his life, changing into a captain's hat for the encore - he sails his ship well.

The Manics announced that they had already pre-booked the venue for April 2014. I imagine a lot of the crowd last night will come back for more.