Burt Freeman Bacharach(May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American com… Read Full Bio ↴Burt Freeman Bacharach(May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, and musician who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music.

Bacharach studied music at McGill University and the Mannes School of Music. In the 1950s and the early 1960s he was the pianist, arranger and bandleader for Marlene Dietrich with whom he toured. He teamed with lyricist Hal David and others to write many popular songs in the 1960s and 1970s.

Bacharach's music has been sung by a number of popular singers including The Beatles,The Carpenters, Aretha Franklin, Jack Jones, Tom Jones, Dusty Springfield, Luther Vandross and The Drifters. He met Dionne Warwick, with whom he would form a famed collaboration. His songs are characterized by (1) the use of unexpected harmonic changes and (2) unusual rhythmic patterns and time signatures. He employs times such as 5/4 or 3/2, and frequently goes from one time signature to another in the same song, often after each measure. He also changes keys frequently. An excellent example of his style is "Promises, Promises", from his score to the musical of the same name. He has a total of 52 Top 40 hits. In addition, many of his songs were adapted by jazz artists of the time, such as Stan Getz and Wes Montgomery. The Bacharach-David composition "My Little Red Book", originally recorded by Manfred Mann for the film What's New, Pussycat, and promptly covered by Love in 1965, has become a rock standard. He composed and arranged the soundtrack of the 1967 film Casino Royale.

He has been married four times, to Paula Stewart (1953-1958), to actress Angie Dickinson (1965-1980), to lyricist Carole Bayer Sager (1982-1991) - with whom he collaborated on a number of pieces - and (since 1993) Jane Hanson. He has a total of four children, two girls and two boys.

In 1998 he collaborated on an album called Painted From Memory with singer/songwriter Elvis Costello. His 2005 album At This Time features collaborations with Costello, Rufus Wainwright, and Dr. Dre (who provides bass-and-drum loops).

Bacharach has had cameo roles in a number of Hollywood movies including all three Austin Powers movies. His music is also credited as providing inspiration for these movies.

During subsequent Burt Bacharach concert tours, each show would open with a very brief video clip from the movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, with Mike Myers (as Austin Powers) uttering "Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Burt Bacharach".

Rain From The Skies
Burt Bacharach Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ever since you went away
Every day
It's just a cloudy day
And I don't know
If it's rain from the skies
Tears from my eyes
Fallin' on-a my face
And rollin' down my cheek

Hurry back and bring the sun
Let me be
You're one and only one
With just one kiss
Stop the rain from the skies
Tears from my eyes
Fallin' on-a my face
And rollin' down my cheek

All I know is
I love you and
If I live forever
I'll be loving you still
You will always be just
Everything to me, so

Hurry back and bring the sun
Let me be
You're one and only one
With just one kiss
Stop the rain from the skies
Tears from my eyes
Fallin' on-a my face
And rollin' down my cheek

Rollin' down
Rollin' down
Rollin' down my cheek
Rollin' down

Overall Meaning

Burt Bacharach’s song ‘Rain From The Skies’ is a soulful ballad about missing someone who has left, and the resulting melancholy that takes over life. The first verse of the lyrics talk about how “Every day it’s just a cloudy day” since the person has left. This could either be a literal reference to how the weather seems dreary or a metaphor for how the singer feels about life since the person has left. The lyrics continue to express uncertainty by asking “And I don’t know if it’s rain from the skies, Tears from my eyes, Fallin’ on-a my face, And rollin’ down my cheek”. This confusion is indicative of how the singer is not able to differentiate between the weather and his/her tears.

The second verse of the lyrics is an appeal, asking the person to “Hurry back and bring the sun”, which might mean the person will bring some brightness back into the singer’s life. The singer reminds their beloved that they are the “one and only one”, and with a kiss, they can stop the rain from the skies and tears from their eyes. The chorus repeats the same sentiment, once again asking the person to come back and bring the sun, ending with the phrase “You’re one and only one”. The final verse is a declaration of love that will last forever, signing off with the same appeal to return and the chorus that emphasizes the importance of the person to the singer.

Line by Line Meaning

Ever since you went away
Since you left, everything has been different.

Every day
This has been happening on a daily basis.

It's just a cloudy day
The weather seems to reflect my somber mood.

And I don't know
I'm unsure about what's happening.

If it's rain from the skies
I'm not sure if it's really raining outside or just my tears falling down my cheek.

Tears from my eyes
I'm crying a lot since you left.

Fallin' on-a my face
The tears just keep coming and falling on my face.

And rollin' down my cheek
My tears are just streaming down my face non-stop.

Hurry back and bring the sun
I want you to come back soon and bring happiness into my life once again.

Let me be
I want to be with you and only you.

You're one and only one
You are the only person I want to be with.