"Why Does It Always Rain on Me?"
Single by Travis
from the album The Man Who
Released2 August 1999 (1999-08-02)
GenrePost-Britpop[1]
Length
  • 4:25 (album version)
  • 3:14 (radio edit)
LabelIndependiente
Songwriter(s)Fran Healy
Producer(s)Mike Hedges
Travis singles chronology
"Driftwood"
(1999)		 "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?"
(1999)		 "Turn"
(1999)
Music video
"Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" on YouTube

"Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" is a song by Scottish band Travis, released as the third single from their second studio album, The Man Who. The song became the group's international breakthrough single, receiving recognition around the world. Following a rain-soaked performance at the 1999 Glastonbury Festival, the song became Travis's first top-10 hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 10 in August 1999. The song also peaked within the top 20 in Australia and achieved moderate success in mainland Europe, North America, Ireland, and New Zealand. In a poll by listeners of Absolute Radio, the song was ranked 62nd on a list of the top 100 songs of the 1990s.[2]

Background

Fran Healy started writing the song while on holiday in Eilat, Israel. According to Healy, he was looking for some winter sun when his accountant suggested Eilat, which is known for its hot weather even during winter time. However, on the way to the hotel, it began to rain, which lasted until he left a week later.[3]

Healy said he wanted to write the song, and wrote the second verse starting with "Why does it always rain on you? Is it because I picked you up in '92?" but decided that it wasn't good and changed it. He said that the line "Is it because I lied when I was 17?" refers to the time when he lied about his age to get a job behind the bar at the biggest club in Glasgow. The rest of the song was written six months later in Madrid at 1 o'clock in morning. He had just spoken to his manager on the phone who assured him that his career is taking off, but he felt things were not working for him, and wrote the lines "I can't sleep tonight / Everybody's saying everything is alright" and "I can't stand myself" which refers to him hating himself as well as not being able to stand up. "I'm being held up by invisible men" refers to people in the music industry who propped him up as well as holding him up like robbers.[3]

Music video

The music video was directed by John Hardwick and filmed in Cornwall, with scenes filmed on Bodmin Moor. The pool of water that Healy (actually a stuntman) jumps into is part of a disused mining quarry known locally as "Gold Diggings" in Craddock Moor which is on the edge of Bodmin Moor. The video features the band in a rain-soaked setting, with the band having locked frontman Healy, wearing a kilt, in the trunk of a 1970s Vauxhall Viva. Healy escapes, and chases the rest of the band into a disused mining quarry. The video continues with the band being shown in a floating living room, performing the song. The video ends with the living room floating away. It does not actually rain at any point during the video.

The underwater scenes were filmed by underwater cinematographer Mark Silk, in the tank at Oceanic SW Limited, Honiton, Devon. (The company went into administration in January 2019). The director of photography of the video was Ben Davis with Derrin Schlesinger the producer.[3]

Live performances

When Travis began to perform this song at the 1999 Glastonbury Festival, after being sunny for several hours, it began to rain exactly when the first line was sung, and stopped at the end of the song.[4] Their performance was a talking point of the festival, and their career took off afterwards.[5] Their single was released a month after Glastonbury, and it reached No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart; it also helped push the album The Man Who to No. 1.[6][7]

Despite the performance's reputation, Healy was at the time disappointed in the band's performance, believing they had blown their opportunity with an average showing. "I can't hear myself. I'm out of tune. Oh no, it just started raining and everyone's really upset at me," Healy recalled thinking. Lead guitarist Andy Dunlop said, "People looked miserable and it was raining. It wasn't really one of the things that you felt, 'Oh, this is history!" However, the day after, the band saw Jo Whiley and John Peel on television name Travis the performance of the weekend.[8]

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the UK CD1 liner notes.[9]

Studios

Personnel

  • Fran Healy – writing
  • Sarah Wilson – cello
  • Mike Hedges – production
  • Ian Grimble – co-production
  • Nigel Godrich – mixing
  • Blue Source – art direction
  • Stefan Ruiz – photography

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[32] Gold 35,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Gold 400,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 2 August 1999
  • CD
  • cassette
 Independiente [34]
Japan 8 September 1999 CD
[35]
United States 3 April 2000 Epic [36]

References

  1. ↑ Blyweiss, Adam; Terich, Jeff; Whitacre, Wesley (22 March 2018). "10 Essential Post-Britpop tracks". Treble Zine. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  2. ↑ Colothan, Scott (28 August 2020). "The 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s revealed". Planet Radio. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Simpson, Dave (5 October 2020). "Travis: how we made Why Does It Always Rain on Me?". The Guardian.
  4. ↑ "Festival fun survives crime rise – BBC News Glastonbury 1999 Special Report". BBC News. 26 June 1999.
  5. ↑ Hanley, James (19 June 2017). "Glastonbury Week Part 1: Fran Healy on Travis' breakthrough Glastonbury '99 performance". Music Week.
  6. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100: 22 August 1999 – 28 August 1999". Official Charts Company.
  8. ↑ "Travis thought they blew their big moment at Glastonbury". Yahoo. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  9. 1 2 Why Does It Always Rain on Me? (UK CD1 liner notes). Travis. Independiente Records. 1999. ISOM 33MS.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ↑ Why Does It Always Rain on Me? (UK CD2 liner notes). Travis. Independiente Records. 1999. ISOM 33SMS.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ↑ Why Does It Always Rain on Me? (UK cassette single sleeve). Travis. Independiente Records. 1999. ISOM 33CS.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ↑ Why Does It Always Rain on Me? (European maxi-CD single liner notes). Travis. Independiente Records. 1999. ISM 667678 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ↑ Why Does It Always Rain on Me? (Australian & New Zealand maxi-CD single liner notes). Travis. Independiente Records. 1999. 668319 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ↑ Why Does It Always Rain on Me? (Japanese EP liner notes). Travis. Independiente Records. 1999. ESCA 8058.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ↑ "Travis – Why Does It Always Rain on Me?". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  16. ↑ "Travis – Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  17. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 7288." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  18. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 34. 21 August 1999. p. 11. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  19. ↑ "Travis: Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  20. ↑ "Travis – Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  21. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Why Does It Always Rain on Me?". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  22. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Travis" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  23. ↑ "Travis – Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  24. ↑ "Travis – Why Does It Always Rain on Me?". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  25. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  26. ↑ "Travis – Why Does It Always Rain on Me?". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  27. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  28. ↑ "Travis Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  29. ↑ "Travis Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  30. ↑ "Most Broadcast of 1999: Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Music Week. 22 January 2000. p. 31. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  31. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2000". ARIA. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  32. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  33. ↑ "British single certifications – Travis – Why Does It Always Rain on Me". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  34. ↑ "New Releases – For Week Starting 2 August, 1999: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 31 July 1999. p. 27. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  35. ↑ "トラヴィス" [Travis]. Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Archived from the original on 7 July 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  36. ↑ "Gavin AC/Hot AC: Impact Dates". Gavin Report. No. 2298. 31 March 2000. p. 32.
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