flashback friday - into each life some rain must fall

so, as well documented on this blog, i have a serious thing for retro music, and ella fitzgerald is at the top of the list of artists that i listen to on a regular basis.

into each life some rain must fall was recorded in 1944 as a collaboration between ella fitzgerald and the ink spots, a popular vocal group from the 30's and 40's who had a very distinct style to their songs. a tenor would start out, a bass would then speak a portion of the song, and then the tenor would finish up. into each life some rain must fall is no different, although ella joins in after the tenor as a bridge and then sings together with the tenor later on.



almost impossibly depressing and bordering on utter desolation, the song manages to, mostly thanks to ella, have a bit of brightness.

i mean, SERIOUSLY. this woman had the best voice EVER. no other artist living can live up to her vocals. no, really. i mean this.

but i digress. into each life some rain must fall is the perfect sort of song to help transport you back to the days when jazz was king and radios and albums were worshipped. it's a wonderful song, in a wonderful genre - i wish more kids nowadays would give jazz a chance. or listeners, in general, under the age of 60. me? i'm totally into jazz, all sorts, and that's thanks, in a big part, to my grandparents who worshipped the stuff. so listening to it now never fails to make me smile and marvel, once again, that music is good.

check out this masterpiece, which, when first released, was number one on both the pop chart and the harlem hit parade. and for those of you wondering, the title comes from a henry wadsworth longfellow poem entitled the rainy day:

(written at the old home in portland)

THE day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains,and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains,and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

and now, for the song:

into each life some rain must fall
but too much is falling in mine
into each heart some tears must fall
but some day the sun will shine
some folks can lose the blues in their hearts
but when i think of you another shower starts
into each life some rain must fall
but too much is falling in mine

into each life some rain must fall
but too much is falling in mine
into each heart some tears must fall
but some day the sun will shine
some folks can lose the blues in their hearts
but when i think of you another shower starts
into each life some rain must fall
but too much is falling in mine

into each and every life some rain has got to fall
but too much of that stuff
is fallin' into mine
and into each heart some tears gotta fall
and i know that someday that sun is bound to shine

some folks can lose the blues in their hearts
but when i think of you another shower starts
into each life some rain must fall
but too much is falling in mine


(mp3) into each life some rain must fall by ella fitzgerald and the ink spots



buy the best of the ink spots: 20th century masters - the millennium collection , one of the albums you can find into each life some rain must fall on, HERE.