He became widely known for his version of "Wind Beneath My Wings" (1982), as well as his own compositions "Durham Town (The Leavin')" (1969) and "I Don't Believe in If Anymore" (1970), his 1970 hit "New World in the Morning" and his 1975 hit "The Last Farewell" (his only single to hit the US Billboard Hot 100, making it to the Top 20).
Whittakers first chart success came in 1969 when "Durham Town (The Leavin')" was his first UK Top 20 hit. In 1970 came two follow-up hits, "I Don't Believe In If Anymore" (Top 10) and "New World In The Morning" (Top 20), and 1971 brought two smaller hit singles "Why" and "Mamy Blue".
Whittaker was absent from the UK singles chart until 1975, when "The Last Farewell" went Top 3, after which it was another eleven years until "Skye Boat Song" returned him to the Top 10 of the singles chart.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Whittaker had success in Germany, with German language songs produced by Nick Munro (unable to speak German at that time, Whittaker sang the songs phonetically). In time he became more fluent in German and sang and was interviewed in German on Danish television in November 2008. Whittaker retired from touring in 2013.
RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN' ON MY HEAD
Roger Whittaker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Nothing seems to fit
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling
So I just did me some talking to the sun
And I said I didn't like the way he got things done
Sleeping on the job
But there's one thing I know
The blues they send to meet me won't defeat me
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me
Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Crying's not for me
Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining
Because I'm free
Nothing's worrying me
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me
Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Crying's not for me
Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining
Because I'm free
Nothing's worrying me
The song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" in 1969. The song is about a person who is being affected by the raindrops falling on his head, and nothing seems to fit with him because of it. He talks to the sun about the way it's handling things and how it's causing the rain to fall on him, but he concludes that complaining about it won't help him. He cannot stop the rain, so he accepts it and keeps moving forward with the belief that happiness will soon step up to greet him, and eventually, he will overcome this feeling.
The singer of the song tries to convey an optimistic message about life. Despite the difficulties, the raindrops that keep falling on his head and causing him discomfort, he knows that he is free and nothing will worry him. He urges people not to waste their energy on complaining; instead, they should learn to accept their situation and have a positive outlook on life. He suggests that even in the difficult times, one should focus on the possibility of happiness, which is always around the corner, waiting to greet them.
Line by Line Meaning
Raindrops keep falling on my head
It keeps raining and the raindrops keep falling on my head.
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
I feel out of place, just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed.
Nothing seems to fit
Things don't seem to be going well, nothing seems to fit.
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling
The raindrops just keep falling on my head.
So I just did me some talking to the sun
I talked to the sun, hoping it would make the rain stop.
And I said I didn't like the way he got things done
I told the sun that I didn't like the way it was managing the weather.
Sleeping on the job
I thought the sun was not doing its job properly.
But there's one thing I know
Despite the rain, I know one thing for sure.
The blues they send to meet me won't defeat me
I won't let the sad feelings brought by the rain beat me.
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me
I know that soon, the sadness will be replaced by happiness.
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Despite the rain, I won't cry or be sad.
Crying's not for me
I won't cry, it's not my thing.
Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining
I won't stop the rain by complaining, it won't help.
Because I'm free
I am free from worrying about the rain.
Nothing's worrying me
I am not worried or concerned about anything.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Burt F. Bacharach, Hal David
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nigel
on Jenny
I'm not sure by any means, but I wonder whether taking the midnight train is ultimately a metaphor for a more final journey. I also wonder if RW had someone specific in mind whose fate prompted this powerful song. I like it very much.