Born Amanda Carol Barnett, the only child of Betty and Dan Barnett (who worked respectively as a bookkeeper and contractor), she was named after Amanda Blake, the husky-voiced actress who played Miss Kitty on the long-running television western “Gunsmoke." Barnett began her musical career by singing in church at the age of five. Members of the congregation noticed her perfect pitch, and that her vocal performance had star quality. Her mother encouraged her by booking singing engagements wherever people would listen: bowling alleys, VFW halls and political rallies (notably for Lamar Alexander and future Vice President Al Gore, Jr.. When there was no venue, she would perform in parking lots. By age nine, her father financed a professionally recorded gospel music album. The following summer, she had joined a summer theatre cast at Dollywood and shared the stage with Dolly Parton herself. It was during her two years at Dollywood that she won a talent contest that included making a demo in Nashville, just a two-hour drive from her home.
During the trip to Nashville, Betty Barnett worked to get her talented daughter a spot on the well-known "Midnight Jamboree" radio show, which aired after the Grand Ole Opry program on WSM-AM. Opry star George Hamilton IV was also a guest on the program, and was so impressed he commented, "If there are any producers out there, you better call." One did indeed, and she was soon signed by producer Jimmy Bowen. The then 12-year-old Barnett earned a lot of industry buzz after her debut on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, covering Patsy Cline's "Crazy." It would prove to be a foreshadowing moment of her professional career.
Bowen's career transitioned from label to label at the time. Each time, he took young Barnett with him, and despite constant training and development funding, no album ever resulted. Barnett graduated from high school in 1993 and headed back to Nashville full-time to seek her fortune. Ironically, her label, Capitol Records dropped her that December.
A stroke of luck finally came her way early in 1994, when she heard about auditions for a stage show that very day, much to her surprise. Called Always... Patsy Cline, she felt she was a natural to play the legendary country chanteuse, and she beat out all the others who tried out for the part. It played nightly at the Ryman Auditorium, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry where Cline herself had sung, and Barnett performed to sold-out crowds for two years. Thanks to reviews that constantly compared her favorably to Cline, Barnett was a hot property on Music Row again, finally putting out self-titled album on Asylum Records in 1996. Three singles from the album charted on the Billboard country charts.
Working with the country glitterati, including Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Vince Gill and Trisha Yearwood, Barnett's star was rising. A nationwide tour in 1997 was met with good reviews. She reprised her role in Always... Patsy Cline (this time with above-the-title billing) for a short time and she contributed performances to two film soundtracks before releasing her next album in 1999 on Sire Records, I've Got A Right to Cry, produced by the man who had made Patsy Cline herself a star, studio legend Owen Bradley. He died mid-way through the project and his brother Harold Bradley took over production duties. It would be released soon after Bradley's death.
Reviews of I've Got A Right To Cry were strong, including raves in Rolling Stone, but sales disappointed, and Barnett was dropped from Sire. Press interviews constantly compare her to Patsy Cline, which may have resulted in a musical form of typecasting and negatively impacted her career. Barnett maintains that Cline is an influence, but that she is not a Patsy Cline impersonator.
Having learned from Music Row veterans, she began working herself as a record producer in 2000, working with gospel and country artists. Barnett keeps her intimate life very private, and currently resides in Nashville. She continues to sing in concerts around the city and works as a producer.
Rainy Days
Mandy Barnett Lyrics
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Rain drops falling from the sky
Tear drops falling from my eyes
Too many heartaches since you've been gone
I'm drowning in sorrow and pain
Too many memories won't leave me alone
Oh, it's raining, raining
Rainy Days
All I do is think of you, skies of grey
Turn my world a deeper blue with you so far away
There's only Rainy Days
Sunshine hides behind the clouds
He's feelin' blue like me
Maybe tomorrow he'll come out again
And shine down on this lonely world
I wish my sorrow would come to an end
'Cause it's raining, raining
Rainy Days
All I do is think of you, skies of grey
Turn my world a deeper blue with you so far away
There's only Rainy Days
Wishin' and hopin'
You hear my heart callin', callin'
Tears on your picture, tears on the floor
They're fallin', fallin'
Rainy Days
All I do is think of you, skies of blue
Turn my world a deeper blue with you so far away
There's only Rainy Days
All I do is think of you, skies of blue
Turn my world a deeper blue with you so far away
There's only Rainy Days
The song "Rainy Days" by Mandy Barnett speaks about the pain of separation, loneliness and heartache. The lyrics convey the feelings of someone who is left alone, drowning in sadness and sorrow. Rain drops falling from the sky are compared to tear drops falling from the eyes, emphasizing the melancholy mood. The singer mentions how many heartaches have occurred since the person they are missing has been gone, and how the memories are too strong to leave them alone. The somber mood of the singer is heightened by the use of skies of gray and the longing for the sunshine to come out again and shine down on this lonely world. The singer is left wishing and hoping for their return, but until then, there's only rainy days.
Line by Line Meaning
Rain drops falling from the sky
The sky is pouring down water droplets like tears of the clouds.
Tear drops falling from my eyes
I am crying due to the heartache that I am feeling inside me.
Too many heartaches since you've been gone
Since you left, I have experienced unbearable pain and heartbreak many times.
I'm drowning in sorrow and pain
My pain is so intense that it feels like I am engulfed in a sea of despair and hopelessness.
Too many memories won't leave me alone
My mind is constantly haunted by memories of you that refuse to fade away.
Oh, it's raining, raining
The weather reflects my emotional state; it's raining in both the sky and my heart.
Sunshine hides behind the clouds
The sun has disappeared behind a veil of clouds, just like how happiness has disappeared from my life.
He's feelin' blue like me
The sun is also affected by my sorrow and is also depressed just like me.
Maybe tomorrow he'll come out again
Perhaps tomorrow the sun will shine again and things will look brighter for me and the world.
And shine down on this lonely world
The sun's rays can bring warmth and joy to my lonely heart and the world around me.
I wish my sorrow would come to an end
I hope that one day, the pain and sadness that I feel will go away, and I will be happy again.
'Cause it's raining, raining
My heavy heart and the sky are both shedding tears at the same time; it is raining outside as well as inside me.
Wishin' and hopin'
I am wishing and desperately hoping that someday you will come back to me and heal my broken heart.
You hear my heart callin', callin'
I am calling out to you through my heart, wishing for you to hear me and return back to me.
Tears on your picture, tears on the floor
I cry so much that my tears have fallen on your picture, and now are wetting the floor.
They're fallin', fallin'
My tears are continuously falling down because I can't seem to stop crying.
Rainy Days
During these dark and gloomy times, all that surrounds me are rainy days.
All I do is think of you, skies of grey
My thoughts are constantly consumed by you, and the grey skies reflect my somber mood.
Turn my world a deeper blue with you so far away
With you being so far away from me, my world has become a much more profound and darker shade of blue.
There's only Rainy Days
My life now seems to consist of nothing but rainy days filled with tears, sadness, and heartache.
All I do is think of you, skies of blue
Even though the sky is a shade of blue, my thoughts keep returning to you and the happier times we shared.
Turn my world a deeper blue with you so far away
Despite the blue sky above me, your absence continues to make my world feel darker and deeper.
There's only Rainy Days
My life still feels like it is being drowned by never-ending rainy days, and I cannot escape my sadness.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KOSTAS LAZARIDES, PAMELA BROWN HAYES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind