I Can’t Stand The Rain | Chords + Lyrics
Intro (0:00)
| A7 | A7 |
Verse 1 (0:11)
| A7 | A7 | A7 | A7 |
I can’t stand the rain, against my window, bringing back sweet memories.
| A6 | A6 | D6 | A6 |
Hey window pane, do you remember, how sweet it used to be.
Chorus 1 (0:37)
| G | G | A | A |
When we were together, yeah, everything was so grand.
| C | C | Bm7 | E7 |
Now that we’ve parted, there’s just one sound that I just can’t stand.
Verse 2 (1:03)
| A7 | A7 | D7 | A7 |
I can’t stand the rain, against my window, bringing back sweet memories.
| A6 | A6 | D7 | A6 |
I can’t stand the rain, against my window, ’cause he not here with me.
Chorus 2 (1:29)
| G5 | G5 | A | A |
Oh, where the pillow, where his head used to lay, yeah.
| C | C | Bm7 | E7 |
I know you’ve got some sweet memories, but like the window, you ain’t got nothing to say. Yeah.
Instrumental (1:55)
| A A6 Aadd9 | G Gadd9 | A A6 Aadd9 | C |
Verse 3 (2:07)
| A6 | A6 | D7 | A7 |
Well, I can’t stand the rain, against my window, bringing back sweet memories.
| A6 | A6 | D7 | A7 |
I can’t stand the rain, against my window, yeah, ’cause you’re not here with me.
| A7 | A7 | D7 | A7 |
I can’t stand the rain. Yeah. I can’t stand the rain. Mm-hm.
You can learn how to play I Can’t Stand The Rain!
Ann Peebles‘s I Can’t Stand The Rain is not a blues, it’s more complicated than that. Let’s analyze this very clever tune.
The intro is an A7 arpeggio.
For the verse, we either continue playing the arpeggio riff or play a standard A to A6 honky-tonk part. This is then moved to the D chord as well.
You could describe I Can’t Stand The Rain’s verse chords as a 12 bar Blues, but without a turnaround, like this:
| A6 | A6 | D6 | A6 |
| A6 | A6 | D6 | A6 |
| A6 | A6 | D6 | A6 |
The chorus is much more adventurous starting on a bVIIx (G) before we go back to A, then a C (bIIIx), before we resolve with a II – V. Like this:
| G | G | A | A |
| C | C | Bm7 | E7 |
However, looking at I Can’t Stand The Rain’s chords like this is only helpful if you know the actual riff and for that, you need TAB.
In order to play the riff anywhere on the neck, you need TAB for all areas, luckily, this is what is provided in the two guitar lessons you find below, enjoy!
I Can’t Stand The Rain | Main riff
In order to not just learn how to play I Can’t Stand The Rain, but actually learn from it, we must play the main riff in all five positions of the neck.
Use the TAB loop videos in the playlist above to practice each area individually.
Depending on what area you play in, a slide or hammer-on may be suitable. For example 1, all you need to do is bend the first note and snap off the chords early.
For example 2, we use hammer-ons in the G shape.
Example 3 is probably the easiest way to play the riff, in an E shape. This example plays different fractions of the E-shaped chord and slides from b7 to root.
Example 4 is an interesting take on the riff, the more I play it, the more I like it.
In A, on an acoustic guitar, the C shape is just too far up the neck, but do practice it, soon we are moving to chord IV, and then it becomes more useful.
In the next step, we play this riff in D as well. make sure you’ve practiced with the TAB loops enough so you can play it in A as described above before you move on.
I Can’t Stand The Rain | Main riff in D and A
Let’s work out how to play I Can’t Stand The Rain’s riff in D as well. As you work your way through all five areas of the neck, aim to get all the detail perfect, be it a slide, bend, or hammer-on.
Use the TAB loops to practice each area individually. The first example is difficult. When you get the bend right, it’s pretty cool.
Here’s example 2, this is difficult.
Example 3 is the easiest way to play the riffs, but does it sound the best though?
This example is very strange. If it feels weird, remember, by completing all shapes, your understanding of the fretboard deepens.
For example 5, we’re really far up the neck for an acoustic guitar. Maybe you won’t use it. Still, do complete it, see it as an exercise in finding the intervals around each shape.
In the next step, we Honky-Tonk all the chords. This is followed by working on the chorus and instrumental sections. Once you can play all this, you’re ready to play I Can’t Stand The Rain on just one acoustic guitar – All over the neck!
You will have learned the song, but more importantly, from it. Take this approach to every song you learn and you will soon find playing guitar to be easy as you will understand the instrument and music through intervals and chord shapes.
When you can play the song, we start working on the vocal melody. We do this in the same way as you’ve played the riff, phrase by phrase, we move it to every area of the fretboard.
For the complete experience, sign up here.
I Can’t Stan The Rain covers
I Can’t Stand The Rain has been recorded by many artists. Humble Pie recorded their version in 1974, and Ronnie Wood did so in 1975.
Eruption had their biggest hit with the song in 1978, Lowell George (of Little Feet) made his version in 1979.
Tina Turner released her version in 1984 on the album Private Dancer and then the following year as a single.
Bad Manners recorded their version in 1993 and Missy Elliot decided that it was enough to just sample the chorus for her track The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) in 1997.
Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave) recorded his version in 2006.
As recently as 2008, Seal decided that he should include I Can’t Stand The Rain on his album Soul.
I Can’t Stand The Rain | Related pages
I Can’t Stand The Rain – 8 guitar lessons
The final song in the intermediate acoustic course is learned in just five steps by practicing with loops for each section.
Following this, we create a 2nd guitar part and play the vocal melody for both the verse and the chorus.
Go to I Can’t Stand The Rain – 8 guitar lessons.
Intermediate Acoustic Songs
The intermediate songs can not be played using just basic open-position chords. We have to move up the fretboard and play CAGED barre chords as well.
We incorporate bass lines, licks, extend chords, and even play vocal melodies. Most importantly, we invent 2nd guitar parts and play these songs together.
Go to Intermediate Acoustic Songs.
I Can’t Stand The Rain – 5 similar tunes
- Born Under A Bad Sign chords
- Come Together chords
- I Heard It Through The Grapevine chords
- Soul Man chords
- Take Me To The River chords
Ann Peebles
Ann Peebles is an internationally acclaimed singer and songwriter, best known for her popular Memphis soul albums of the 70s on Hi Records.
Two of her better-known songs are I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down and I Can’t Stand The Rain.
Go to Ann Peebles.
Ann Peebles on the web
