Day 5 - Rainy Days and Mondays

The Carpenters

1975

Disclaimer: All perspectives, opinions, and memories in this entry are mine and mine alone. Some content is rugged, raw, and - sometimes - NSFW, but it's all authentic and included with purpose.

Why It’s On The List:

This song always makes me think of my mom. Growing up in the 80s, some of my earliest memories are listening to records with mom of The Carpenters, Gordon Lightfoot, and Neil Diamond - the masters of what I’ve always referred to as 70’s Folk Rock.

There were a bunch of songs from that genre that could have made this list, but “Rainy Days” gets the nod because I inherited my love of actual rainy days from my mother.

I know it’s like a guy with too many Porsches complaining about one of his Porsches, but my one and only knock on living in Colorado is that it never rains. Don’t get me wrong, we get 15 minute apocalyptic storm showers but it never rains like it does on the east coast. Mom and I would appreciate when the rain would just set in for 2-3 days at a time. 

Rain has always reset me (no lie - every night I fall asleep to the 10 hour video of "Seattle Rain" on YouTube. Just so calming and soothing to hear the rain hit the city streets as cars pass by). I’ve noticed this about myself even more with the absence of rain in Colorado. When I could feel myself burning out or running thin back east, a rainy day would slow me down and get me back to normal. We just don’t have that here.

My wife, Summer, asked me why I didn't use a more "rainy picture" for today's title card. Fair question but I replied that this image just reminded me of mom a little bit more. She grew up in Roanoke, a small Virginia town surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. This title card makes me feel like I'm at my grandmother's house on Greenhurst on a foggy, rainy day.

In the spring of 2019, Summer and I took the kids back to Virginia. We flew in to the Beach to see our good friends, Chris and Michelle and my buddy, Kevin. Then we rented a car to drive across the state to Roanoke for my cousin Jake’s wedding. It rained the entire 4-hour drive. Summer said she hadn’t seen me that happy in a long time.  

And you better believe we had mom’s Folk Rock all-stars playing the entire way.

Listen to "Rainy Days and Mondays" here:

Favorite Line:

“No need to talk it out

We know what it’s all about

Hangin’ around

Nothin’ to do but frown

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down”

Good. Ness. So great. Makes me feel like I’m transported right to the middle of a “Mary Tyler Moore” episode.

While We're Here:

Not joking and in all seriousness, how did no one recognize this song as a cry for help from Karen Carpenter in the 70's? Such a wonderful talent that was lost way too soon at age 32 in 1983. She ultimately passed away from heart failure but it was directly from the anorexia and eating disorders with which she struggled.

If You Like This Song...
Here are some of my other favorite Folk Rock songs:
- Carefree Highway
- Kentucky Rain
- Forever in Blue Jeans
- If You Know What I Mean