A few months ago I listed my top five 80s and 90s songs about sunshine in an attempt to brighten up my day and the day of others who have miserable, depressing Winters. Well, now that Spring is here, its raining more than ever in the Seattle area. I’ve lost all hope for seeing the sun consistently again and have compiled this list of rock songs about rain from the 80s and 90s to help me accept my fate. Maybe they’ll help you accept yours as well, whatever it might be. It just so happens the order in which these songs were released roughly corresponds to the five stages of grief. So join me as I explore the best 80s and 90s rock songs about rain.

“Raining Blood”, Slayer (1986)

Genre: Thrash Metal

Denial soon turns into anger when you look outside and the weather still sucks after a long period of sucking. There’s still a global pandemic and its raining harder than ever. Want to thrash out in vexation? Listen to “Raining Blood” by Slayer.

As said by co-writer Jeff Hanneman, "it's about a guy who's in Purgatory 'cause he was cast out of Heaven. He's waiting for revenge and wants to fuck that place up." Later, the guy does and it starts raining angel blood.

Well, if it did start raining angel blood here instead of just run-of-the-mill rain, I’d probably be pleased because at least its something different. I could go outside and get all Blade vampire rave party with the neighbors.

“Crying in the Rain”, Whitesnake (1987)

Genre: Hard Rock, Blues

As anger begins to subside and you start to feel the blues, but still want to totally rock, have a listen to Whitesnake’s “Crying in the Rain”. Yes, Whitesnake did have more songs than just “Here I Go Again”, and in fact, most of their songs were even better than that one. This is one of them.

The original version of this song was actually released in 1982 and was less heavy metal and more blues than the 1987 version. The song was inspired by David Coverdale’s divorce. As a divorced guy myself, I can relate.

On a side note, David Coverdale is one of our favorite follows on Twitter. He’s like your suave, slightly eccentric, British rock star Uncle who posts a mix of inspiration, witty (sometimes dirty) humor and pictures from days of yore. He rocks and we love him.

“November Rain”, Gun N’ Roses (1991)

Genre: Hard Rock, Ballad

Now we continue our tour of the stages of grief with “November Rain” by Guns’ N’ Roses. We’re starting to bargain and get a little depressed here. The video even starts with Axel Rose in a dark, blue room taking antidepressants before proceeding to melancholy piano and violins. Don’t worry, it will rock a bit later but there’s still a lot of piano and violin in this rock ballad. It’s interesting to note that Axel Rose actually composed all of the symphonic melody himself. He’s a talented musician.

Before you watch the accompanying video, just know that it is an almost 10 minute commitment. Its also one of the most expensive music videos produced at the time and worth the watch.

“Rain When I Die”, Alice In Chains (1992)

Genre: Grunge Rock

Welcome to the depression stage of grief. Is this song as depressing as the title suggests?

Yup.

Many of Alice In Chains’ songs on their album “Dirt” were not only depressing, they were depressing songs about depression. How meta can you get?

Yet, “Rain When I Die” also had some killer vocals and guitar riffs. They didn’t pack stadiums for nothin’.

This song is probably as “rainy 90s Seattle” as it gets.

“Only Happy When It Rains”, Garbage (1995)

Genre: Alternative Rock

We’ve finally moved to acceptance. We’ve given up and conceded that we’re now only marginally happy when it rains. “Only Happy When It Rains” by Garbage is a song about not only accepting misery, but reveling in it. In fact, its really a post-grunge parody of the hip depression and anxiety of 90s rock music.

According to the band, the song was self-deprecating, making fun of the darkness and weirdness of their own music. Ultimately, this is the best way to deal with rain and depression: Accept the weather; accept your feelings and just have some fun with it.

That’s how we rolled in the 90s and that’s how we should roll now.