Wilson's repertoire includes both jazz and blues standards and renditions of pop and rock songs. Her contralto voice has been described as bluesy and sultry, and the style of her music ranges from swing to funk to bossa nova. Many of the songs she covers are by artists who usually record in other genres.
Wilson counts the late Miles Davis as one of her greatest influences. In 1989 she performed as the opening act for Davis at the JVC Jazz Festival in Chicago. In 1999 she produced Traveling Miles as a tribute to Davis. The album developed from a series of jazz concerts that she performed at Lincoln Center in November 1997 in Davis's honor and includes three selections based on Davis's own compositions, in which Wilson adapted the original themes.
A Brief Discography
Point of View (1986, JMT)
Days Aweigh (1987, JMT)
Blue Skies (1988, JMT)
Jumpworld (1989, JMT)
She Who Weeps (1990, JMT)
Live (1991, JMT)
After the Beginning Again (1992, JMT)
Dance to the Drums Again (1992, DIW/Columbia)
Blue Light 'til Dawn (1993, Blue Note)
New Moon Daughter (1995, Blue Note)
Rendezvous (with Jacky Terrasson) (1998, Blue Note)
Traveling Miles (1999, Blue Note)
Belly of the Sun (2002, Blue Note)
Glamoured (2003, Blue Note)
Thunderbird (2006, Blue Note)
Loverly (2008, Blue Note)
Silver Pony (2010, Blue Note)
Another Country (2012, eOne)
Official website: www.cassandrawilson.com
I Can
Cassandra Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bringing back sweet memories
Ican't stand the rain 'gainst my window
Cause he's not here with me
Hey window pain do you remember
How sweet it used to be
When we were together
Everything was so grand, yes it was
There's one sound that I just can't stand
Alone with the pillow
Where his head used to lay, yeah
I know you've got some sweet memories
But like a window you ain't got nothin' to say
I can't stand the rain 'gainst my window
Bringing back sweet memories, hey
I can't stand the rain, ooh
'Gainst my window, oh no no
Cause he's not here with me, uh
Alone with the pillow uh uh
Where his head used to lay, yeah
I know you've got some sweet memories
But like a window you ain't got nothin' to say, hey hey
Uh, uh, I can't stand the rain
(I can't I can't I can't can't stand the rain)
Baby, uh, uh, uh, hey hey
Ooh, ooh, uh, uh, hey
Don't you know, 't you think...
No no ooh oooohh hey hey hey hey hey, no
Dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum
Oohh ! Get off my window
(I can't I can't I can't can't stand the rain)
Get off my window now, get off my window
Get off my window nah, I can't stand the rain
I can't stand the rain, ooh, can't stand the rain, oh
The song "I Can't Stand the Rain" by Cassandra Wilson is a melancholic ballad about a past lover who left and the pain of being reminded of them every time it rains. The opening lines of the song, "I can't stand the rain against my window, bringing back sweet memories" set the tone of the song, highlighting the sadness of remembering a love that's gone, and the physical feeling of hearing the raindrop against the window. The singer expresses how the sound of the rain further amplifies how much she misses her lover.
The song references the idea of a window, a supposedly transparent object, much like memories. The singer addresses the "window pane" asking, "Do you remember how sweet it used to be when we were together?" This reference implies that the window pane is now opaque, reflecting how the past doesn't seem as clear as it once did. The song also delves into the feeling of being alone, without her lover's company, and how the memories of their time together can be both comforting and heart-wrenching. Present-day pain and past happiness are intertwined to create a powerful reminder of a lost love.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't stand the rain 'gainst my window
The sound of rain hitting my window fills me with sadness and nostalgia
Bringing back sweet memories
The sound of rain reminds me of happy times in the past
Cause he's not here with me
The reason I can't stand the rain is because the person I loved is no longer with me
When we were together
Everything was so grand, yes it was
I remember how wonderful my relationship was when we were together
Now that we've parted
There's one sound that I just can't stand
Since we broke up, the sound of rain hitting my window has become unbearable
Alone with the pillow
Where his head used to lay, yeah
I am alone in bed, where my partner used to sleep next to me
I know you've got some sweet memories
But like a window you ain't got nothin' to say
I am reminded of happy memories, but there is no one to share them with – not even my window
Hey window pain do you remember
How sweet it used to be
I ask my window if it remembers how happy my relationship was
I can't stand the rain, ooh
'Gainst my window, oh no no
Once again, the sound of rain is too painful for me to bear
Uh, uh, I can't stand the rain
(I can't I can't I can't can't stand the rain)
I repeat again that I cannot bear the sound of rain
Get off my window
(I can't I can't I can't can't stand the rain)
I tell the rain to stop hitting my window and causing me pain
Oohh ! Get off my window
I express my frustration and desperation for the rain to stop
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ann Peebles, Bernard Miller, Don Bryant
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sonja Rogers
Wow.. Listening to this using my Bose headphones... Hearing every instrument and that voice.. Omg I've been taken on a long journey.. Loving it! Thanks Cassandra....
Regina Boh
Powerful voice, love it!! And great sound of guitar too!! :)
ice la honk
haunting version, very well recorded
Iris Mendoza Burgos
Fantástico!!!!!! <3
Gina Blair
Sing it girl just like only you can do!
roy gumpel
if you haven't already, I hope people look up chris Whitley, who is the unmistakeable guitarist on this!! One of the best.... and sadly died way too young.
Matt K
Whitley also accompanies her on a version of Strange Fruit which is equally awesome ...
Just Me
Soothing, sounds like rain drops falling in a bucket he playing that tin guitar.
Linda Foreman
Soulful skilled pair
Larry C
maybe the best version of this classic I've heard.......