It Keeps Rainin'

"It Keeps Rainin'" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter and pianist Fats Domino in 1961 and written by Domino, Dave Bartholomew and Bobby Charles. It was released in the US on Imperial 5753, and in the UK on London HLP-9374, as the B-side of "I Just Cry". The song was covered by Bitty McLean in 1993,^[1] becoming a chart success in Europe and New Zealand.

Bitty McLean version

"It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)"
Single by Bitty McLean
from the album Just to Let You Know...
B-side	"True True True"
Released	July 19, 1993 (1993-07-19)[2]
Genre	Reggae pop
Length	3:45
Label	Brilliant! Virgin
Songwriter(s)	Fats Domino Dave Bartholomew Bobby Charles
Producer(s)	Bitty McLean
Bitty McLean singles chronology
"It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)" (1993) "Pass It On" (1993)
Music video
"It Keeps Rainin' (Tears From My Eyes)" on YouTube

British-Jamaican musician Bitty McLean covered the song as "It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)" and released it on July 19, 1993 by Brilliant! and Virgin Records, from his debut album, Just to Let You Know... (1993). Produced by McLean, the single peaked at number two in the United Kingdom and was a big hit across Europe, reaching number one in the Netherlands. It also peaked at number one in New Zealand for seven weeks and was certified Platinum for sales of over 10,000. The accompanying music video for "It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)" was directed by David Betteridge^[3] and first aired in July 1993.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "The British reggae invasion continues. Former UB40 backing vocalist McLean doesn't stray from that group's winning formula on his solo debut. This is easy-listening reggae, complete with a smooth backbeat and an aloof British vocal. File this between UB40 and Maxi-Priest."^[4] Troy J. Augusto from Cash Box described it as "lightweight pop-reggae", that "offers little innovation but enough awareness of what makes a good radio song to earn a few spins at urban and hit outlets."^[5] Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian viewed it as "imaginative".^[6] Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "Just like his "bosses" from UB 40 for whom he's backup singer on their current Elvis cover and album, Bitty has dived into rock 'n' roll's rich archives to return with a Fats Domino tune in a new spicy reggae identity."^[7] Mark Frith from Smash Hits deemed it "a clever, innovative record that was really catchy and a deserved big hit."^[8] Another Smash Hits editor, Tony Cross, said it "will keep you bogling till your bogle drops off."^[9]

Track listings

CD single, UK (1993)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"It Keeps Rainin'" (Radio Edit)	3:46
2.	"It Keeps Rainin'" (No Bitty Mix)	3:46
3.	"True True True"	3:24

CD single, Scandinavia (1993)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"It Keeps Rainin'" (Radio Edit)
2.	"It Keeps Rainin'" (No Bitty Mix)

CD maxi, Germany, Austria & Switzerland (1993)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"It Keeps Rainin'" (Radio Edit)	3:46
2.	"It Keeps Rainin'" (No Bitty Mix)	3:46
3.	"True True True"	3:24

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1993–1994) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[10] 83 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[11] 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] 3 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[13] 8 Europe (European Hit Radio)[14] 18 Germany (GfK)[15] 31 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[16] 2 Ireland (IRMA)[17] 5 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[18] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[19] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[20] 1 Spain (AFYVE)[21] 16 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 29 UK Singles (OCC)[23] 2 UK Airplay (Music Week)[24] 5

Year-end charts Chart (1993) Position Belgium (Ultratop)[25] 45 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[26] 61 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[27] 36 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[28] 14 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[29] 30 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[30] 26 UK Singles (OCC)[31] 24 UK Airplay (Music Week)[32] 22

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[33]	Platinum	10,000^*
United Kingdom (BPI)[34]	Silver	200,000^^
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Leggett, Steve. "Bitty McLean Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
2. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. July 17, 1993. p. 19. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
3. "Bitty McLean: It keep rainin' (tears from my eyes)". Mvdbase.com. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
4. Flick, Larry (July 16, 1994). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
5. Augusto, Troy J. (July 23, 1994). "Pop Singles — Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
6. Sullivan, Caroline (February 18, 1994). "Music: Rock/pop". The Guardian.
7. "New Talent" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 33. August 14, 1993. p. 8. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
8. Frith, Mark (January 5, 1994). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 53. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
9. Cross, Tony (January 19, 1994). "New Albums". Smash Hits. p. 55. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
10. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 23 Jan 1994". ARIA. Retrieved April 19, 2018 – via Imgur. N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached.
11. "Bitty McLean – It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
12. "Bitty McLean – It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
13. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 37. September 11, 1993. p. 13. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
14. "EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 42. October 16, 1993. p. 30. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
15. "Bitty McLean – It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
16. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (21.10.1993–27.10.1993)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). October 21, 1993. p. 20. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
17. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
18. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 42, 1993" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 28, 2018).
19. "Bitty McLean – It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
20. "Bitty McLean – It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
21. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
22. "Bitty McLean – It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)". Singles Top 100.
23. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
24. "The Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week. September 25, 1993. p. 30. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
25. "Jaaroverzichten 1993" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
26. "1993 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 51/52. December 18, 1993. p. 15. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
27. "Árslistinn 1993". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 4, 1994. p. 17. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
28. "Jaarlijsten 1993" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
29. "Jaaroverzichten 1993" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
30. "End of Year Charts 1993". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
31. "Top 100 Singles 1993". Music Week. January 15, 1994. p. 24.
32. "Airplay Top 50 1993" (PDF). Music Week. January 15, 1994. p. 41. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
33. "New Zealand single certifications – Bitty McLean – It Keeps Rainin'". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved September 24, 2019. {{cite web}}: |archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)^{[dead link]}THE FIELD archive-url MUST BE PROVIDED for NEW ZEALAND CERTIFICATION from obsolete website.
34. "British single certifications – Bitty McLean – It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 27, 2020.