The Top 10: Songs About Rain by Scottish Bands

Songs about sun by Scottish bands would be too hard, so I compiled this collection instead

Bay City Rollers in tartan, of course (Getty)

This list was suggested by Chris Hanretty three years ago. It is now mature and ready to go. Here they are, in chronological order.

1. “Another Rainy Day In New York City”, Bay City Rollers, 1976. Thanks to Joe Ainsworth and Teri Walsh.

2. “Stop The Rain”, Average White Band, 1979. Nominated by Joe Ainsworth.

3. “The Storm”, Big Country, 1983. Another from Joe Ainsworth.

4. “Tinsel Town In The Rain”, Blue Nile, 1984. Nominated by Gerald Clark.

5. “Raintown”, Deacon Blue, 1987. One of Chris Hanretty’s original nominations. “Jesus, Do Your Hands Still Feel the Rain” and “Mexico Rain” also nominated by Paul Turpin.

6. “Happy When It Rains”, The Jesus and Mary Chain, 1987.

7. “Spit In The Rain”, by Del Amitri, 1992. Nominated by Joe Ainsworth. “Hatful of Rain”, the title track of their greatest hits album, was also nominated by David Mills.

8. “Only Happy When It Rains”, Garbage, 1995. Different from the Jesus and Mary Chain song, nominated by Mark Farrington.

9. “Why Does It Always Rain On Me?” Travis, 1999. Nominated by everyone, including Jonathan Isaby and Emmabella Murray, who said: “I think the heavens opened when they started singing it at Glastonbury.”

10. “Dry the Rain”, Beta Band, 1999. From Chris Hanretty and Paul Turpin.

“Here Comes the Rain Again”, by the Eurythmics was nominated by Teri Walsh, but my colleague David Lister ruled that Dave Stewart is from Sunderland and, therefore, the band is not Scottish.

Next week: Political walkouts, after Tom Watson’s abrupt exit from the shadow cabinet this month because it wasn’t going to be shown a draft European manifesto.

Coming soon: Unused band names, after I came across the Deliverance Ministry, which The Times called a secretive part of the Church of England in an article about exorcism.

Your suggestions please, and ideas for future Top 10s, to me on Twitter, or by email to top10@independent.co.uk