Lizzie and the Rainman

"Lizzie and the Rainman" is a song written by Kenny O'Dell and Larry Henley. The song was first recorded in 1972 being that year a single release for its co-writer Kenny O'Dell and an album cut for respectively Bobby Goldsboro (California Wine) and the Hollies ("Romany", under the slightly different title "Lizzy and the Rain Man").

"Lizzie and the Rainman"
Single by Tanya Tucker
from the album Tanya Tucker
B-side"Traveling Salesman"
ReleasedApril 14, 1975
RecordedMarch 19, 1975
GenrePop, soft rock, country
Length3:05
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)Larry Henley, Kenny O'Dell
Producer(s)Snuff Garrett
Tanya Tucker singles chronology
"I Believe the South Is Gonna Rise Again"
(1974)		 "Lizzie and the Rainman"
(1975)		 "Spring"
(1975)

Background

"Lizzie and the Rainman" relates how a rainmaker visiting a drought-stricken Texas town woos a skeptical local woman named Lizzie Cooper. The idea for the song came from the film The Rainmaker whose heroine is named Lizzie Curry.[1]

Tanya Tucker recording

In 1975, the song was recorded by American country music artist Tanya Tucker. A narrative song as was typical for the first phase of Tucker's career. She recorded her vocal for "Lizzie and the Rainman" in a 19 March 1975 session in Los Angeles produced by Snuff Garrett; Tucker would recall: "the recording was so impersonal. I was used to recording live with all the musicians in the studio, and I just sang to the tracks on this one."[1] Released as the lead single from the album Tanya Tucker - which marked Tucker's MCA Records debut - "Lizzie and the Rainman" was Tucker's fourth C&W #1[2] and was also her first single to make the Pop Top 40, reaching #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1975. A #7 A/C hit, "Lizzie and the Rainman" would prove to be Tucker's only Top 40 hit despite her later recording material more specifically aimed at the Pop market; her one subsequent Hot 100 item "Here's Some Love" peaked at #82.[3]

Chart performance
Chart (1975) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] 85
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 37
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[7] 7
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 1
Canadian RPM Top Singles 66
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks 2

Other recordings

References
  1. "Ron Hoysted/ Big Pond Hosting". Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 357.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 644.
  4. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 314. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. "Tanya Tucker Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  6. "Tanya Tucker Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  7. "Tanya Tucker Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.


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