New York in the Rain

Last summer, I was in the back of a taxicab headed up Central Park West. It was a cool rainy day. As I looked out the window, at the city, and at the people huddled under their umbrellas, I thought, "I love New York in the rain," then thought, "Hey, that might make a good song title."

I wondered what the story would be, then saw an image in my mind of two people meeting on a rainy day. A phrase popped into my head, "Under an awning, in the cool summer rain..." And I was off to the races.

Musically, my goal was to write a simple double eight-bar structure. But I also wanted to have a key change in the middle of each eight-bar section. Ironically, I thought about "The Warmth of the Sun," by Brian Wilson. I tried the same basic key change — for me it was going from C to A — to see if it worked, and it did.

In fact, it worked really, really well.  Thanks, Brian!

"New York in the Rain"

(click here to listen)

Verse:
Some folks fear the weather man.

They don’t like to get wet.

I once feared the weather man

until the day we met…

Tune:

…under an awning,

in the cool summer rain.

I’d just missed my bus, you just

got off the train.           

We talked and laughed

till coulds cleared up above.

            In a week or two

we two were deep in love.

And although we parted,

while springtime was new,

when I hear raindrops fall I

still think of you.

            And I wear a secret smile

I can’t explain

            except to say that I love

New York in the rain.

Words and Musix © 2010 by Lee Charles Kelley 
West Sixty Ninth Street Music (ASCAP)

Piano: Janice Friedman  
Vocal & Whistling: Lee Charles Kelley