NEW EDITION - "CAN YOU STAND THE RAIN" From their 1988 album, "Heart Break"
OK, I know that it says 1988. Not the 90's. But lots of songs that came out in the very late 80's enjoyed life in the early 90's, especially when they were created by a viable 80's pop group that was steadying itself for a 90's comeback, such as Boston's own New Edition.
New Edition, in my opinion, do not get their just due. These guys were doing the boy band thing way before those New Kids put on their first pair of British Knights and learned the white boy shuffle (after which they were first in line for former New Edition manager Maurice Starr's next Boston casting call; he would become their manager after he split with New Edition). "Cool It Now," "Mr. Telephone Man," "Candy Girl..." these were all sunny pop tunes that took some of the very heavy load off of Michael Jackson in the race to sufficiently entertain a modern R&B and pop audience in the 80's. By the end of the decade, the band sought to be seen less as boys and more as men (hence their 1991 single "Boys to Men," and subsequent bestowing of this name to their proteges and wildly successful 90's R&B act, Boyz II Men), and started pumping out suave jams like "Can You Stand The Rain."
Look at them in their suits...We had the 45" vinyl record of this song in my house, and this was the photo used on the sleeve. They were dead up serious about their new image and it worked for that moment which saw an upswing in smooth and elegant urban music. With the addition of non-Bostonian Johnny Gill (he's from D.C.) to the mix after the departure of Bobby Brown (who was pursuing his solo career), they were once again on their way to relevance. Success!
I love this song. I miss these types of sexy jams...You throw these on the stereo (in today's case you click open iTunes), dim the lights, light a few candles...you know the rest. I call these "Lay Lady Lay" songs...Bob Dylan, ironically, wrote the smoothest jam there is way back in 1969. All a swingin' guy has to do is throw "Lay Lady Lay" or "Can You Stand The Rain" on the Hi-Fi, turn the lights down low, pour his lady friend some Martini & Rossi, and let whatever happens happen, baby.
Here is New Edition performing "Can You Stand The Rain" on one of my favorite 90's shows, "The Arsenio Hall Show:"
"Just plain Ron, I guess..." I love the interview with Arsenio afterward. Damn The Man promises you more Arsenio in the future. Not to mention Bell Biv Devoe!
Here's the studio track for those of you who have never heard the song before:
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