Anyone who has ever been in love knows the agony of screwing up a good thing. The tension, the bad arguments, the guilt, it all slowly eats away at you. The silence ends up killing you the most, every failure stinging more and more as more time passes. You would do anything to get that special someone back, even if it meant begging and pleading in the rain. One thing about R&B: it never lacks in this department.
Across decades of R&B and soul history, artists have howled to the moon over lost love. Jodeci dragged a piano to the desert in leather pants to let women know they would cry for them. However, the most cliché part of any romance is to run in the rain and let that special someone know that you love them. Consequently, Noisey has selected four different R&B songs that fit the bill for all the yearners out there in the world.
Four R&B Songs for All The Yearners Singing in The Rain
“One Wish” by Ray J
As much as people laugh at Ray J and all of his absurd melodrama, there’s an earnestness you can’t help but appreciate. Take “One Wish”, where he goes over all the memories and wails in grief to have the love of his life back. He wishes for a genie— but instead of the typical three wishes, he only needs one.
In the video, he’s literally singing and dancing in the rain, but he sells it with his dramatic strength and his wholehearted singing. “If I had one wish, I’d make you my whole life, and you’d be my wife, make it right this time,” Ray J croons. Over such delicate, heartfelt chords, you can’t help but tell he means every word, even if he’s over the top about it.
“On Bended Knee” by Boyz II Men
Arguably the biggest song about begging, “On Bended Knee”, follows all the stages of grief besides acceptance. Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, and Nathan Morris refuse to give up on love and will get down on their knees to prove it. The bridge acts as the climax, where Wanya sings with so much passion that the woman can’t help but hear the remorse in his voice. “No, I don’t believe our love’s terminal/I’m down on my knees begging you please/Come home,” Morris belts as the rain falls in the video.
“Can You Stand The Rain” by New Edition
Instead of singing in the rain for forgiveness, “Can You Stand The Rain” alters the formula by asking if you can weather the inevitable hard times. Johnny Gill, Ralph Tresvant, and Ricky Bell essentially plead for understanding before mistakes even take place. They bring the rain early to see if the love is strong enough to endure.
But New Edition are so romantic and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis set such a beautiful scene on production, the answer is inevitable. “Come on, baby, let’s go get wet,” Michael Bivins says on the brief interlude. They’ll sing in the rain, but it won’t be a sad plea. Instead, they’ll relish in the good times and the bad times alike.
“Come Back to Me” by Janet Jackson
Oftentimes, it’s the man pleading for forgiveness in R&B songs. And that makes sense. The guys are bound to make the clumsiest mistakes or the most arrogant decisions. But they never intend to lose that special someone in their life, hence the begging.
But Janet Jackson subverts the trope by taking a woman’s longing and aiming for a softer melancholy. With Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis’s gorgeous production, Janet forgoes the typical wailing and manly intensity for more subtle tears. She admits that living without her man is agony, that the smile is all she can think about anymore. The theatrics may not be over the top, but the tender quality of “Come Back to Me” makes it an all-time yearning song.
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