Jan Berry and Dean Torrence began singing together after football practice … Read Full Bio ↴Jan Berry and Dean Torrence began singing together after football practice at University High School in Los Angeles in the late 1950s. Primitive recording sessions followed soon after in a makeshift studio in Jan's garage. They first performed on stage as The Barons at a high school dance. Then they were known as Jan & Arnie. After Dean returned from a stint in the army reserves, the duo began to make music as Jan & Dean in 1958.

Jan Berry and Brian Wilson collaborated on roughly a dozen hits and album cuts for Jan & Dean, including the number one national hit, "Surf City" (1963). Subsequent Top-10 hits for Jan & Dean included "Honolulu Lulu," "Drag City," "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena," and "Dead Man's Curve" -- which became eerily portentous when Berry received severe head injuries in an automobile accident just a short distance from Dead Man's Curve in April 1966.

This accident marked the end of their commercial peak, during which they'd scored an impressive total of 26 chart hits over eight years. The group finally stopped performing after Jan Berry died in March 2004.

crying in the rain
Jan & Dean Lyrics

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I'll never let you see
The way my broken heart is hurting me
I've got my pride and I know how to hide
All the sorrow and pain
I'll do my crying in the rain

If I wait for cloudy skies
You won't know the rain from the tears in my eyes

You'll never know that I still love you
So though the heartaches remain
I'll do my crying in the rain

Raindrops falling from heaven
Will never wash away my misery
But since we're not together
I'll wait for stormy weather
To hide these tears I hope you'll never see

Someday when my crying's done
I'm gonna wear a smile and walk in the sun
I may be a fool
But till then, darling, you'll never see me complain
I'll do my crying in the rain
I'll do my crying in the rain

I'll do my crying in the rain
I'll do my crying in the rain

Overall Meaning

In Jan and Dean's "Crying in the Rain," the singer is holding onto their pride after suffering a heartbreak. The singer sings about hiding their sadness and tears, saying they will “never let you see the way my broken heart is hurting me." They will wait for rainy weather because then, their tears won't be noticeable. The raindrops will mask their sorrow, and they will be allowed to weep in peace.

The lyrics then take a poetic turn, with the singer recognizing that the rain itself will not wash away their pain. The tears of heartbreak are described as being so strong that not even a natural disaster can cleanse them. Additionally, the singer hopes for “stormy weather” to hide their emotions, showing how hopeless and helpless they feel in the face of their own heartache. In the end, the song is not a tale of survival, but of surviving in isolation. The singer is willing to endure their pain forever and hide it from the world, wearing a smile only after they have done their “crying in the rain.”

Line by Line Meaning

I'll never let you see
I won't show you how much you've hurt me

The way my broken heart is hurting me
My heart is broken because of you

I've got my pride and I know how to hide
I have my self-respect and I can conceal my emotions

All the sorrow and pain
The pain and misery I feel inside

I'll do my crying in the rain
I'll cry where no one can see me

If I wait for cloudy skies
If I wait for a sad day to cry

You won't know the rain from the tears in my eyes
You won't be able to tell if I'm crying from the rain or from my tears

You'll never know that I still love you
You'll never know that I still have feelings for you

So though the heartaches remain
Although I'm still heartbroken

I'll do my crying in the rain
I'll cry where no one can see me

Raindrops falling from heaven
Rain falling from the sky