Night Rains is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Janis Ian, released in 1979 on Columbia Records.
| Night Rains | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Studio | A & R Studios, New York City CBS Recording Studios, New York City Musicland, Munich, West Germany Rusk Sound, Los Angeles, California The Hit Factory, New York City | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Janis Ian, Ron Fragipane Giorgio Moroder | |||
| Janis Ian chronology | ||||
| ||||
The commercial failure of her previous self-titled album and its accompanying singles led Columbia to demand Ian make a major change of direction for Night Rains to restore her commercial fortunes.[1][2] She initially focused on writing film music for Foxes and The Bell Jar,[3] and then adopted a fully commercial pop sound, collaborating with Albert Hammond of "It Never Rains in Southern California" fame on one song, and with superstar disco producer Giorgio Moroder on two tracks including the Foxes theme.[1] E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons played on two songs and jazz pianist Chick Corea on "Jenny (Iowa Sunrise)".
Consequent upon its release alongside twenty-four other Columbia Records albums in the fall of 1979,[4] Night Rains was effectively un-promoted by the label in the United States and became Ian's first to not dent the Billboard albums chart since Present Company. Even a re-release a year later with much greater record company promotion failed to get Night Rains onto the chart.[3]
Although first single "Here Comes the Night" (Theme from The Bell Jar) did not chart anywhere, second single "Fly Too High" became a top ten hit in the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand, and drove Night Rains into the top twenty in those markets. "Fly Too High" and third single "The Other Side of the Sun" also became Ian's first-ever chart entries in the United Kingdom, although Night Rains did not crack the top 75 albums.
Subsequent to Ian's 1990s comeback, "Fly Too High" and "Jenny (Iowa Sunrise)" have remained part of her live setlist, and both those songs have appeared on career-spanning compilations.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Omaha World-Herald | [6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
The Omaha World-Herald wrote that Ian's "tender, painful, usually affectedly serious lyrics too often end up a bit corny."[6]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Janis Ian, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Produced by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Other Side of the Sun" | Albert Hammond, Janis Ian | Janis Ian, Ron Fragipane | 3:59 |
| 2. | "Fly Too High" | Janis Ian, Giorgio Moroder | Giorgio Moroder | 5:10 |
| 3. | "Memories" | Janis Ian, Ron Fragipane | 4:46 | |
| 4. | "Night Rains" | Janis Ian, Ron Fragipane | 3:24 | |
| 5. | "Here Comes the Night" (Theme from The Bell Jar) | Janis Ian, Ron Fragipane | 3:37 | |
| Total length: | 20:56 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Produced by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Day by Day" | Janis Ian, Giorgio Moroder | Janis Ian, Ron Fragipane | 4:14 |
| 2. | "Have Mercy Love" | Janis Ian, Ron Fragipane | 4:38 | |
| 3. | "Lay Low" | Janis Ian, Ron Fragipane | 3:06 | |
| 4. | "Photographs" | Janis Ian, Ron Fragipane | 2:47 | |
| 5. | "Jenny (Iowa Sunrise)" | Janis Ian, Ron Fragipane | 3:32 | |
| Total length: | 18:17 | |||
Charts
edit| Chart (1979/1980) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] | 11 |
| New Zealand[9] | 11 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Charts)[10] | 2 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[11] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b Hunt, Dennis (1980-09-01). "Janis Ian Gave 'Em What They Wanted and So What Now?". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 10-A.
- ^ Hunt, Dennis (1980-10-11). "Believe It or Not, Janis Ian Has Changed". The Journal-Herald. Dayton, Ohio. p. 22.
- ^ a b Garner, Jack (1980-07-27). "Learning To Live with Peaks and Troughs". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. p. 1C.
- ^ Beck, Marilyn (1980-08-08). "Producers Dig In for Long Actors' Strike". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. A-6.
- ^ William Ruhlmann. "Night Rains – Janis Ian". All Music Group.
- ^ a b Smith, Will (2 Oct 1979). "New Sounds". Omaha World-Herald. p. 6.
- ^ DeCurtis, Anthony; George-Warren, Holly and Henke, James; The Rolling Stone Album Guide – Completely New Reviews: Every Essential Album, Every Essential Artist, p. 339 ISBN 0679737294
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 145. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Janis Ian — Night Rains". charts.nz. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
- ^ van Slooten, Johan; Albumdossier 1969-2002 GottmerBecht, 2002.
- ^ "Kent Music Report No 341 – 5 January 1981 > Platinum and Gold Albums 1980". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 12 November 2021 – via Imgur.com.
