Thursday, August 12, 2010: Madonna - Rain

Oh, I know what you're thinking, "Glenn's chosen a Madonna song for the CSOTD, he's either gone soft, or gone crazy." Well, gentle reader, let me inform you about what the CSOTD is all about. First, it's not about songs people like or songs people are nostalgic about. It's about songs that are cool. And, if I'm honest, most of Madonna's catalogue is far from cool. There are jems to be mined, however, and for me, Rain is a beautiful diamond of a song.

Off her wildly overhyped and scattershot album Erotica, Rain is generally forgotten when reciting the traditional Madonna canon. It's an almost trancelike number showing a lot of restraint in both Madonna's vocals, production and songwriting. It's sparse, but still manages to flow over the listener like, well, rain. But not any cold harsh, winters rain, but that good, warm, oozy summers rain we all remember from our childhood and wish to run around in again. And that, friends, is very cool.

Also, this is one of my all time favourite music videos, directed by Mark Romanek, who went on to direct the wonderful One Hour Photo with Robin Williams, another over the top performer giving a staid, restrained, yet mesmerizing performance.