The band initially formed as the Classics (1964) in Vancouver, British Columbia, but later changed the name to the Collectors (1966). Their psychedelic debut album yielded the minor but long-remembered hit 'Lydia Purple'. A second album was based on the musical score written by the band for a stage play by Canadian playwright George Ryga, 'Grass and Wild Strawberries'.
After lead singer Howie Vickers left the group in 1970, the band changed its name to Chilliwack, a Salish term meaning "going back up". With lead guitarist Bill Henderson now providing most of the vocals and doing most of the composing, the band released several records that were moderately successful in Canada. Major hit singles in Canada included "Lonesome Mary", "Crazy Talk" and "Fly at Night". The album track "Rain-o", an elegant, soaring, blues-based composition that appeared in different versions on the Chilliwack debut album and the later "Dreams, Dreams, Dreams", was a well known concert favourite.
In 1978, Brian MacLeod (guitar, drums, keyboards) and Ab Bryant (bass) joined the band. Chilliwack enjoyed its greatest success with this new lineup. The singles "My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)" (1981), "I Believe" (1982), and "Whatcha Gonna Do (When I'm Gone)" (1982) were popular both in Canada and in the U.S. The band was extremely popular at the time, and was regarded as the Canadian answer to the Grateful Dead. Rolling Stone Magazine wrote:
"At their best, Chilliwack was the finest Canadian rock band, outrocking BTO and Moxy and outwriting Burton Cummings. But a lack of consistency kept it from international success."
Henderson and MacLeod received a Best Producer Juno Award in 1982 for Opus X. In early 1983, MacLeod and Bryant left the band, to devote more time to their other project, the Headpins (with Denise McCann and then Darby Mills as lead vocalists). Chilliwack's last new recording was released in 1984 and Henderson and Lawrence continued to tour with other players until December 1988. In 1989 Bill Henderson went on to form the band UHF.
2005 saw Chilliwack play Voyageur Days Festival in Mattawa, Ontario, Canada (near North Bay) with other Canadian classic rockers Moxy, Toronto, Trooper, Goddo, Killer Dwarfs & Ray Lyell for the 30th anniversary for release of the debut album by the band Moxy.
Raino
Chilliwack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fall upon the earth again
And make it good.
Make it cool and fill the river,
Fill the pool, quench the thirst
Of every fool and every sage
And every sour soul
Who's lost so much
Mmmm in vain, in vain
I tell you we're all the same
'cause there you stand
A-sayin' man it's not for real
'cause we're the ones
Who get to steal the show
And I don't know
I guess you're right
But even so
If there's no audience,
There just ain't no show.
Raino, rain
Won't you fall on me again
Aaaah because a moldy mold
Has settled, settled on my brain.
And in vain, in vain
I tell you we're all the same
'cause there you stand
A-sayin' man it's not for real
'cause we're the ones
Who get to steal the show
And I don't know
I guess you're right
But even so
If there's no audience,
There just ain't no show.
I said in vain, in vain
I tell you we're all the same
'cause there you stand
A-sayin' man it's not for real
'cause we're the ones
Who get to steal the show
And I don't know
I guess you're right
But even so
If there's no audience,
There just-a ain't no show.
Raino, rain
Won't you fall, won't you fall on me again
Mmm yeah, because a moldy mold
Has settled, settled on my brain.
Vain, in vain
I tell you we're all the same
'cause there you stand
A-sayin' man it's not for real
'cause we're the ones
Who get to steal the show
And I don't know
I guess you're right
But even so
If there's no audience,
There just ain't no show.
The song "Raino" by Chilliwack is an atmospheric and reflective piece that highlights the importance of rain and how it sustains life on earth. The repeated chorus "Raino, raino / Fall upon the earth again / And make it good" reinforces this idea of rain being vital to the earth's well-being. The lyrics then shift to a more philosophical and introspective tone as the singer contemplates the nature of existence and human behavior. The line "I tell you we're all the same" suggests a sense of unity and shared experience among people, while the line "If there's no audience, / There just ain't no show" touches on the human desire for recognition and validation.
The use of repetition and imagery throughout the song also adds to its emotional impact. The repeated "in vain, in vain" line emphasizes the futility of certain human behaviors, while the image of a "moldy mold / Has settled, settled on my brain" paints a vivid and visceral picture of the singer's feelings of stagnation and decay.
In summary, "Raino" is a song that explores the themes of nature, human connection, and the search for purpose in life. Its haunting melody and poignant lyrics make it a memorable and thought-provoking piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Raino, raino
Oh rain, please come down
Fall upon the earth again
Let the rain fall on the dry earth once more
And make it good.
Make the earth fertile and lively with the rainwater
Make it cool and fill the river,
Bring the coolness and fullness of the river with the rain
Fill the pool, quench the thirst
Make the swimming pools full and fulfill the thirst of all
Of every fool and every sage
Of everyone, wise or foolish
And every sour soul
And even those with bitter and unhappy hearts
Who's lost so much
Those who have lost a lot
He doesn't know his need.
And may not even know what they truly need, but the rain will help them still
Mmmm in vain, in vain
I speak in vain, it seems
I tell you we're all the same
I'm saying that we're all equal
'cause there you stand
But there you are, standing before me
A-sayin' man it's not for real
You're saying that it's not true
'cause we're the ones
Because we are the people
Who get to steal the show
Who get to take all the attention
And I don't know
And I'm not sure
I guess you're right
Maybe you're right
But even so
But still
If there's no audience,
If there's no one to watch
There just ain't no show.
Then there's no performance to be had
Raino, rain
Rain, please come down
Won't you fall on me again
Let the rain fall on me once more
Aaaah because a moldy mold
Because my mind has become stale and uncreative
Has settled, settled on my brain.
And it's affecting me deeply
And in vain, in vain
Once again, I speak in vain
I tell you we're all the same
I'm reiterating that we're all equal
'cause there you stand
But there you are, still standing before me
A-sayin' man it's not for real
Claiming that it's not really true
'cause we're the ones
Because we're the people who
Who get to steal the show
Get to take all the attention
And I don't know
And I'm not sure
I guess you're right
Perhaps you are right
But even so
But still
If there's no audience,
If no one is watching
There just ain't no show.
Then there's no performance to be seen
I said in vain, in vain
Once again, I speak in vain
I tell you we're all the same
I reiterate that we're all equal
'cause there you stand
And yet you remain standing there
A-sayin' man it's not for real
Telling me that it's not true
'cause we're the ones
Because we're the people who
Who get to steal the show
Get to take all the attention for ourselves
And I don't know
And I'm uncertain
I guess you're right
Maybe you're correct
But even so
Nevertheless
If there's no audience,
If there's no one to watch
There just-a ain't no show.
There simply won't be any performance
Raino, rain
Rain, please come down
Won't you fall, won't you fall on me again
Let the rain fall on me once more
Mmm yeah, because a moldy mold
Yes, because my mind has become stagnant and stale
Has settled, settled on my brain.
It's affecting me deeply and needs to be washed away with the rain
Vain, in vain
My words are in vain, I fear
I tell you we're all the same
Once again, I'm saying that we're all equal
'cause there you stand
But there you are, standing in front of me
A-sayin' man it's not for real
Telling me that it's not true
'cause we're the ones
Because we are the people
Who get to steal the show
Who get to attract all the attention
And I don't know
And I'm not sure
I guess you're right
Maybe you're correct
But even so
However
If there's no audience,
If there's no spectators
There just ain't no show.
Then there cannot be a performance
Contributed by Cooper G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@hookster8179
Help the ARTIST, everyone, we need to Rock on getting past this COVID MOLDY MOLD
Rain-o, rain-o fall upon the earth again and make it good
Make it cool and fill the river, fill the pool, quench the thirst
Of every fool and every sage and every sour soul
Who's lost so much he doesn't know his need
Mmm, in vain, in vain, I tell you we're all the same
'Cause there you stand sayin' man it's not for real
'Cause we're the ones who get to steal the show
And I don't know, I guess you're right but even so
If there's no audience there just ain't no show
Rain-o, rain, won't you fall on me again?
Ah, because a moldy mold has settled, settled on my brain
And in vain, in vain, I tell you we're all the same
'Cause there you stand sayin' man it's not for real
'Cause we're the ones who get to steal the show
And I don't know, I guess you're right but even so
If there's no audience there just ain't no show
Rain-o, rain-o fall upon the earth again and make it good
Make it cool and fill the river, fill the pool, quench the thirst
Of every fool and every sage and every sour soul
Who's lost so much he doesn't know his need
Well, I said in vain, in vain, I tell you we're all the same
'Cause there you stand sayin' man it's not for real
'Cause we're the ones who get to steal the show
And I don't know, I guess you're right but even so
If there's no audience there just ain't no show
Rain-o, rain, won't you fall, won't you fall on me again
Mmm, yeah, because a moldy mold has settled, settled on my brain
Vain, in vain, I tell you we're all the same
'Cause there you stand sayin' man it's not for real
'Cause we're the ones who get to steal the show
And I don't know, I guess you're right but even so
If there's no audience there just ain't no show
@HDPinkFloyd
seen them live in 1971, one hell of a show...excellent song
@reflect4627
Calming, relaxing, down to earth, clarity, no weirdness. Simple and clean.
@brentscott5359
Such a great tune. Pity it's not gotten more views. One of the best bands to come out of Canada.
@clairerobsin
best band to come out of Chilliwack that's for sure!
@dennisorr8863
@@clairerobsin Other than the name, I don't think they had anything to do with Chilliwack.
@philiphicks1273
Another one of the greatest rock voices ever out of Canada.
Always too cool for the room, heard them open for The Beachboys in 1972.
@musiccollector
As Canadian as they come. True musical legends. Love these guys.
@danielweaver8399
Spent a summer in Montana working as a flooring installer with a Phillipino American craftsman. We smoked hash and listened to to this album everyday on the way to the job sites. One of the best summers of my life.
@danhunt2425
I saw the Collectors perform their final show in Victoria, at UVic... They announced they were regrouping and changing their name to Chilliwack... For the last portion of the concert, they performed as Chilliwack, and played some of their new songs, including Lonesome Mary, and of course, Rain-O... Loved this song!
@bobcunningham5288
Saw Chilliwack several times as they toured across Canada in those days. My favourite Canadian band. Thanks for the upload of the full song.