It Never Rains in Southern California
1972 single by Albert Hammond
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"It Never Rains in Southern California" is a 1972 song jointly written and composed by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood and sung by Hammond, a British-born singer-songwriter.
| "It Never Rains in Southern California" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by Albert Hammond | ||||
| from the album It Never Rains in Southern California | ||||
| B-side | "Anyone Here in the Audience" | |||
| Released | 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 1972 | |||
| Genre | Soft rock[1] | |||
| Length | 3:19 (single version) 3:31 (album version) | |||
| Label | Mums | |||
| Songwriters | Albert Hammond, Mike Hazlewood | |||
| Producers | Albert Hammond, Don Altfeld | |||
| Albert Hammond singles chronology | ||||
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Lyrical content
The lyrics of "It Never Rains In Southern California" tell a first-person story of a showbiz aspirant whose attempts to break into entertainment were failures, but who wants to hide that fact from those he had left behind to pursue his dreams.
Though Hammond's and Hazlewood's lyrics do not actually specify the narrator's living conditions, it can be inferred that he was found homeless and penniless, a humiliation he would naturally be unwilling to reveal to those he had left behind.
Recording
Hammond collaborated with Don Altfeld to produce the selection when he recorded it.
Instrumental backing was provided by L.A. session musicians from the Wrecking Crew, but with Michael Omartian on piano.[2] The song appears on Hammond's debut album of the same name and peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is Hammond's only top 10 hit to date (although he would have one other top 40 hit in 1974 with "I'm a Train").
In 1984, Julio Iglesias re-worked the song as "Moonlight Lady" for his concept album 1100 Bel Air Place, with the original song on which it is based used as an uncredited reprise at the end of the track.
In 1989, Hammond re-recorded the song for his Best of Me greatest hits compilation.[3]
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Albert Hammond version
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Year-end charts
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Saori Minami version
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japanese Oricon Singles Chart[19] | 77 |
Trent Summar and the New Row Mob version
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs | 74 |