By 2010, Luke Bryan was enjoying his emerging country music career with singles such as "All My Friends Say," "We Rode In Trucks" and "Do I," but none of his early singles had quite managed to reach the No. 1 spot. That all changed with the release of "Rain Is a Good Thing," his first No. 1 from his Doin' My Thing album. In this tune, Bryan sings about all the good things rain brings. For example, Bryan sings, "rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey, whiskey makes my baby feel a little frisky." The song is upbeat and tongue-in-cheek and perfectly exemplifies Bryan's humorous personality. Bryan co-wrote the tune with Nashville songwriter Dallas Davidson, and the song evolved naturally from a simple phrase the two artists would often say to one another.
"Dallas and I used to have the saying, 'Rain makes corn, and corn makes whiskey,' and it was just something we always said," Bryan told The Boot. "If we were a little bummed out about the rain, if we had a fishing trip planned or something and a big rain storm was coming through, we'd be like, 'Well, rain makes corn, and corn makes whiskey,' and that would kind of make us feel a little better about it."
Not only did the song come from that simple phrase, but it was also inspired by Bryan's upbringing on a peanut farm in Georgia. Farmers are dependent on rain to grow their crops, and Bryan tapped into his experience to write the song.
"Growing up in Georgia, my dad was a farmer, and we worked in agriculture, so we were always looking up at the sky, checking if it was raining or if rain was in the forecast," Bryan said. "And that always kind of set the tone for the mood in my household, whether we had rain coming in or not. Or if it had rained, we knew the crops would be good and it was going to be a good day or a good week around the Bryan household."
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"Rain Is a Good Thing" reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and became an anthem for farmers and country folks alike. The single was followed by countless more hits for Bryan, including "Someone Else Calling You Baby," "I Don't Want This Night To End," "Play It Again," "Knockin' Boots," "One Margarita" and many more. The music video for the song features real farmers who speak about the importance of their livelihood, as well as footage from Bryan's Welcome to the Farm Tour. Bryan continues his support of farmers to this day with his annual Farm Tour, which takes place at family farms across the country. His 2021 Farm Tour kicks off in September and will visit Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.
"Rain Is a Good Thing" Lyrics:
My daddy spent his life lookin' up at the sky
He'd cuss kick the dust, sayin' son it's way to dry
It clouds up in the city, the weather man complains
But where I come from, rain is a good thing
[Chorus]
Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey
Whiskey makes my baby feel a little frisky
Back roads are boggin' up, my buddies pile up in my truck
We hunt our hunnies down, we take 'em into town
Start washin' all our worries down the drain
Rain is a good thing
Ain't nothin' like a kiss out back in the barn
Wringin' out our soakin' clothes, ridin' out a thunderstorm
When the tin roof gets to talkin' it's the best love we've made
Yeah where I come from, rain is a good thing
[Chorus]
Farmer Johnson does a little dance
Creeks on the rise, roll up your pants
Country girls, they wanna cuddle
Kids out playin' in a big mud puddle
[Chorus]
