“I’m No Stranger to the Rain”
Keith Whitley
Written by Sonny Curtis and Ron Hellard
Radio & Records
#1 (2 weeks)
March 17 – March 24, 1989
Billboard
#1 (2 weeks)
April 8 – April 15, 1989
Keith Whitley’s final No. 1 single of his lifetime was a massive hit that turned into a poignant epitaph.
“I’m No Stranger to the Rain” was already the best single of his career, earning that distinction despite following stone cold country classics “Don’t Close Your Eyes” and “When You Say Nothing at All.” As great as those records were, they didn’t capture the very essence of Whitley as an artist and as a man the way that “Rain” did.
On record, it’s a powerful declaration of resilience intertwined with clear eyed accountability: “I’m a friend of thunder. Lord, is it any wonder lightning strikes me?”
Whitley gives a Hall of Fame performance here, emphasizing his strength with one line and his demons with another. He sings with the spirit of a survivor, but the pain that made his survival impossible is palpable under the surface.
And so when Whitley died of an alcohol overdose just weeks after this song topped both charts for two weeks, “Rain” was transformed from an optimistic determination to persevere into the tragic final words of a generational talent who couldn’t make it through the biggest storm of his life.
It’s as poetic as it is tragic.
“I’m No Stranger to the Rain” gets an A.
Every No. 1 Single of the Eighties
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Kevin, I’m No Stranger To The Rain was #1 on Radio & Records from March 17-March 24, 1989, not March 18-March 25, 1989, Please fix it ASAP, Thank You.
An all time great doing one of his best songs. Easy A. Really enjoy Josh Turner’s version as well. Just a great song in general.
I had my timeline of events wrong all of these years. I thought Whitley had died after “When You Say Nothing At All” hit the top and that “I’m No Stranger to the Rain’ was the single that succeeded his death. Usually my memory serves me well for these things so it’s a surprise when I find out I’ve had it wrong all this time. Anyway, three classic records in a row from Whitley, which I suppose has happened with other artists but it really stands out with Whitley since they all came before his death. It’s striking to imagine how much less Whitley’s legacy would have been if he’d died a year earlier before this trio of iconic hits.
This is without dispute an outstanding song where the power of every lyrical line impresses as one listens. I’m not quite sure I’d rate it ahead of “Don’t Close Your Eyes” because that song requires a more emotive delivery that epitomizes Whitley’s talent, but with that said, “I’m No Stranger to the Rain” requires a believable narrator to pull off effectively. It likely would have had a lesser impact if someone like Collin Raye had gotten a hold of it. I know Whitley continued to have posthumous hits on the charts for another two years, but I’m not sure if those were old recordings or stuff that he’d been working on for an upcoming album. I’m guessing that at least for the “I Wonder Do You Think of Me” album, it was the latter. Either way, the trio of classics that preceded his death will always stand out as peak Keith Whitley.
Grade: A
Garth Fundis spoke a bit about the sessions that became the posthumous album in the Trisha Yearwood book that came out around 1993. He heavily discouraged Whitley from recording “Tennessee Courage” because of his increasing struggles with alcohol. Whitley insisted, and when the band tried to phone it in, Fundis called them out on it, saying if it was going to be recorded, they were going to do it right.
I had the same phantom memory of Whitley’s “Rain” being a posthumous hit. I think it might be because the song was a posthumous winner for CMA Single of the Year and those facts are easily blurred in my mind.
I know Lorrie Morgan has often spoken about the misconception that “Dear Me” was about Whitley because it was climbing the charts when he died.
I cant really add much to whats already been posted here, so i’ll just say that I was 14 when i learned that alcohol can kill. I’m not a drinker, in fact i dont really like the taste of alcohol, but his death hit me like a ton of bricks.
I still remember feeling my guts hit the floor while getting ready for school when K-102 morning DJ Charlie Bush reported that Keith Whitley had died from alcohol poisoning.
He was “my” star and not supposed to die.
I was stunned and terribly sad. I remember feeling compelled to tell my mom that Keith Whitley had died although I don’t think she knew who he was.
I also remember my best friend’s mom sharing how much she related to this song when it came on the radio while driving my friend and I somewhere in suburban Minneapolis. I always wondered what rain and thunder she had known in her life.
This is a hall of fame performance and a disarmingly honest bit of lyrical self-reflection.
How special was country radio to listen to in 1989?
Infinitely. I dont think its a coincidence that it was also one of the best times in my life. Those songs, coming during my freshman year in high school, and later in the year my sophomore year, added to up to a truoy great time in my life!