Ever hear of the song “It’s Raining Men”? At YourCanna-Club we’ve been searching for great dance tunes for our Friday dance parties. We’ve listened to lots of them and we still think “It’s Raining Men” is one of the best. This song was and still is wildly popular around the world and many in the LGBTQ community consider it their official anthem.
Recently the musician and song writer Catherine Walthall, wrote about the history of “It’s Raining Men.”
“It’s Raining Men” was written in 1979 by Paul Jabara and Paul Shaffer,” Walthall tells us. “Shaffer would later go on to be the bandleader for David Letterman’s late-night show. Jabara had previously written hit songs for Donna Summer, including ‘Last Dance’ and ‘No More Tears.’ Initially, Jabara intended to write “It’s Raining Men” for Summer to sing. But Summer rejected the song saying it offended her values as a born-again Christian. She told Paul, ‘I hate the song” and then sent him a Bible the next day.”
That’s when The Weather Girls – Martha Wash and Izora Armstead – got involved. Martha and Izora, known for their wild sense of humor, called themselves “Two Tons O’ Fun.” They sang together in the gospel group N.O.W. (News of the World). After several releases as “Two Tons O’ Fun,” they changed the name of their band to “The Weather Girls.”
Paul Shaffe convinced Martha and Izora to record “It’s Raining Men” and it became the country’s #1 dance song. The song has retained it’s enormous popularity and has become an “anthem” of sorts at gay men’s wedding receptions and gay dance clubs. You can read the rest of Catherine Walthall’s story HERE. We liked Geri Halliwell’s version the best but we don’t recommend you try her dance moves.
Here’s another great one performed by “The Weather Girls” – the group that made the song famous all over the world.
