In the early days of their career their dark, heavy, oppressively slow sound made them innovators of genres like sludge, grunge, and doom metal. The Melvins' music is influenced by Flipper, Black Flag's My War-era hardcore punk and Black Sabbath-style heavy metal, but their idiosyncratic approach, bizarre sense of humor, and experimentation make neat categorization difficult. Singer/guitarist Buzz Osborne (aka "King Buzzo") and drummer Dale Crover are constant members while several bass guitarists have cycled through the group. The Melvins usually performed as a trio until 2006 when two members of Big Business became permanent members of the band.
The band was named after a grocery clerk at the Thriftway in Montesano, Washington where Osborne was employed. Melvin was the most-hated fellow employee and the band felt it to be an appropriate name. Like SF noisenik predecessors Flipper, their love of slow tempos and sludgy sound were a strong influence on grunge music, especially Nirvana and many other bands from Seattle. Their protegés, however, tended to use more conventional musical structures with this sound.
Though the group has received mostly positive critical notice, Crover's drumming has been especially praised; Patrick Kennedy describes his work as "astonishing, powerful, and daring."
While never finding and most likely never even seeking great mainstream success, the Melvins maintain an impressive schedule of new albums and tours, including a collaboration with Fantômas in The Fantômas Melvins Big Band, two releases with former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, and in 2004 the Melvins collaborated with ambient artist Lustmord for Pigs of the Roman Empire. In appreciation of their devoted fans, the Melvins have released various collectables through the years that have included two-headed dolls, an eight-track tape, and a plastic fetus in a jar.
Fellow Aberdeen resident Kurt Cobain (a good friend of Crover) was a huge Melvins fan and helped them transport their equipment to a few shows. Cobain also auditioned to join the band on bass, but he didn't make it, reportedly because he was so nervous that he forgot all the songs. Cobain maintained his relation with the band. Later he produced and played on some songs (guitar on "Sky Pup", percussion on "Spread Eagle Beagle") on the band's major label debut, Houdini. Dale Crover is also attributed as playing on the Nirvana debut album, Bleach, and on "Incesticide". In addition, Dave Grohl (ex-drummer for Nirvana) co-wrote and played drums for Isabella on Buzzo's Melvins solo album, King Buzzo.
In the rain
Melvins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wicked!
I don't like you
Not a little thing about you.
There's a flower all around you
In the rain
Images of peace
And now your pretty face
In the rain
Tropical decision
It was a mystical incision
Thought you were in prison
In the rain
As you wander with the kid
With a presage and a snip
All the way to Memphis
In the rain
The opening lyrics from the song "In the Rain" by Melvins, is sung in a heavy, grungy tone, giving the lyrics a sense of danger, aggression and distaste. The lead singer is blunt, describing how he doesn't like the person he's singing about, not even a little thing about them. He finds everything about them distasteful, and the way the words are delivered suggests that the person has caused great harm or hurt to the singer, perhaps even crossing them in some unforgivable way. However, despite the vocalist's dislike for the person, he sees a flower all around them, and images of peace, but it's not enough to change his opinion about them. Yet, there is no hostility in these descriptions, and it's possible that the flower and peaceful images could be a metaphor for love, compassion, or forgiveness. The singer's tone changes to a happier one when he sees the person's pretty face and things that bring him joy, creating a contrast to the earlier description of wickedness.
The third stanza starts with "Tropical decision," followed by "It was a mystical incision," possibly suggesting that the singer is in a tropical place or that a significant decision has been made, resulting in something mystical happening. The following lines "Thought you were in prison" suggest that perhaps the singer believed the person he is singing about was jailed or confined, but they've now been released, and both parties find themselves in the rain. The next line, "As you wander with the kid," introduces a new character, and it can be interpreted that the person in question is walking with a child, pointing to their maturity and responsibility, or that they are spending time with their own child. The words "with a presage and a snip" are esoteric and challenging to understand, but it could suggest that the person has made a small change or decision, which has significant consequences, and now they are traveling to Memphis, possibly as part of that decision.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't like you
Expressing a disliking towards someone
Wicked!
Giving a shout-out acknowledging that the person is acting wickedly
I don't like you
Reiterating a strong dislike towards the person
Not a little thing about you.
Highlighting that there is not a single thing about the person that is likable
There's a flower all around you
Describing a visual where the person is surrounded by flowers
In the rain
Implying that this visual is occurring in the rain
Images of peace
These visuals create a sense of peacefulness
And now your pretty face
Focusing on the person's pretty face amidst this peaceful visual
Things that give me grins
Suggesting that the person's pretty face, amidst the peaceful visuals, are making the artist smile or laugh
In the rain
Reiterating that this is all occurring in the rain
Tropical decision
Potentially an inside joke or reference, unclear meaning
It was a mystical incision
Describing a past event in a mysterious or spiritual context
Thought you were in prison
Recalling an earlier thought of the person being in prison
In the rain
Connecting this thought to the overarching setting of everything occurring in the rain
As you wander with the kid
Picturing the person wandering around with a child
With a presage and a snip
Unclear meaning, potentially another inside joke or reference
All the way to Memphis
Describing an extended journey, potentially metaphorical or literal, to Memphis
In the rain
Reiterating that this journey is occurring in the rain
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOE CROKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind