Modern Rock Tracks No. 1s - Blind Melon and "No Rain"
Blind Melon bucks the grunge rock trend with "No Rain," a song that catapulted the band to the highest heights yet presaged the unfortunate passing of its lead singer
Blind Melon - “No Rain”
Weeks atop the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart: 3 total weeks (September 18, and then October 2 and 9, 1993)
Previous Modern Rock Tracks chart #1 hit: The Juliana Hatfield Three - “My Sister”
Next Modern Rock Tracks chart #1 hit: Nirvana - “Heart-Shaped Box”
Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers during this time:
Mariah Carey - “Dreamlover” 5 total weeks (9/11/93 to 10/9/93)
Blind Melon is one of those “what-if” bands, a group whose potential was squandered in large part due to their lead singer’s dalliance with illicit substances. The pieces were in place for the band to sustain a huge breakout, beginning with their first charting track, “Tones of Home,” which peaked at #20 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in late 1992/early 1993 when Peter Gabriel commanded the top of the charts with “Steam.”
They reached the pinnacle of their short-lived success thanks in large part to a catchy opening guitar riff, a song stylistically opposite from the wave of hard-rocking grunge, and a girl in a bee costume. And even though they had to go toe to toe with Red Hot Chili Peppers and their chart-topping smash “Soul To Squeeze,” Blind Melon managed to break through and command the charts for three weeks in 1993 with their signature hit, “No Rain.”
Make no mistake: The music video, first and foremost, takes this song to stratospheric heights that wouldn’t be possible without that level of exposure on MTV. The music video channel still dominated the zeitgeist of music in 1993, and this music video powered into heavy rotation in the second half of ‘93 and beyond. It was impossible to turn on the TV in 1993 and 1994 and not see this video.
And while the bee girl is the dominant figure in the video, there’s a lot going on that help this stand out. The band itself is featured prominently, sporting a look that feels plucked right out of the early ‘70s yet somehow feels ahead of its time. In a time when flannel and leather were becoming the norm, seeing a band in “retro” outfits — and lead singer Shannon Hoon sporting what could pass for John Lennon’s sunglasses — seemed oddly fresh and wildly different from everything else dominating the alternative rock sphere at the time.
A tight mix of acoustic guitar and electric bass compliment Hoon’s unique singing style, another song lacking a refrain, yet it seamlessly transitions from verse to bridge to verse without needing much in the way of repetition. Hoon croons at an octave several notches higher than your average grunge lead singer, and the flourish in the instrumental bridge is so catchy and upbeat you could be forgiven for wanting to replay it over and over again.
For its uplifting tone, the song dives into the depths of depression and working to find a way through difficult times, with the assistance of a friend or loved one.
I just want someone to say to me, no oh oh oh
"I'll always be there when you wake"
You know, I'd like to keep my cheeks dry today
So stay with me and I'll have it made
The music video helps underscore this point, beginning with the bee girl’s sadness over being laughed off stage, but eventually finding happiness with others who revel in her unique dancing abilities. In this case, the girl overcomes her depression, keeps her cheeks dry, and finds folks she can stay with so she’ll “have it made” by being less depressed and more accepted.
And ultimately, the video does drive home the point of the song. Bassist Brad Smith, who wrote the song, talks in an interview on Ultimate Guitar about how the song is about wishing for things to be bad outside so you can justify your sad feelings, but ultimately getting up enough motivation and courage to face your issues and find meaning in life:
“So the song is about not being able to get out of bed and find excuses to face the day when you have really, in a way, nothing. It was like rock bottom. I wasn't even on drugs or drinking. It was just tough. It was just a tough point in my life. And the cool thing about that song, I think a lot of people do interpret those lyrics properly and can connect with it on that level, where ‘I don't understand why I sleep all day and I start to complain that there's no rain.’ It's just a line about, I'd rather it be raining so I can justify myself by laying in the bed and not doing anything. But it's a sunny day, so go out and face it.”
- Brad Smith, bassist of Blind Melon
I’m not one to read too deeply into lyrical content, but I appreciate a song that’s willing to take a tough situation and turn it into a catchy ditty. Sting did this with his Modern Rock Tracks chart topper “All This Time,” a song that’s written about the feelings he endured mourning his father’s passing, though you’d never know it from the bouncy, up-tempo rhythm of the song. And while I think “No Rain” is a far better song than “All This Time,” there’s definitely a trend forming with artists who write and perform perky pop-rock hits with dark tones lying underneath (I’m looking at you, Third Eye Blind — we’ll definitely be taking a deep dive into YOUR semi-charmed kind of life at some point in the near future).
And while the song wasn’t penned by Hoon, it’s not hard to make the connection between the sadness evoked in “No Rain” and Hoon’s continued issues with substance abuse and otherwise unusual behavior. There’s the white-dress performance from Woodstock ‘94, complete with a post-set interview that features Hoon allegedly high on something other than life…
And, of course, there was the time Hoon performed naked and peed on people. The folks at The Georgia Straight provided a well-written recap of that kerfuffle, at a 1993 concert in Vancouver on Halloween:
“I figured maybe he’d tried mooning the crowd, lost his pants in the process, and was riding the song out till one of his pants roadies found him another pair, but no.”
“‘I’m sorry, but I’m just having so much fun,’” said Hoon, who proceeded to simulate sex with a guy dressed up in a bee costume. By the time the still-naked Hoon led the band into their big hit, ‘No Rain,’ I was kind of tired of watching his pasty butt bounce around the stage, but I must admit that he caught my attention again when he started peeing all over the stage and then aimed his weenie at the poor folks in the front row.
“Considering the duration of Hoon’s urination, it looked like a good pee, but a chorus of boos went up anyway. And the Vancouver police didn’t think it was a good pee, either, because they arrested Hoon after the show on an indecency charge.”
Unfortunately, a brief hiatus between albums, a hired counselor for the band’s tour of their follow-up album Soup, and even the birth of his daughter in 1995 wasn’t enough to steer Hoon away from an untimely and unfortunate death. On Oct. 21, 1995, Hoon was found dead after an apparent cocaine overdose. He was just 28 years old.
Blind Melon would continue for several years after Hoon’s death, but ultimately never made much of an impact on the charts. The first single off their Soup album, titled “Galaxie,” peaked at a respectable #8 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1995, though subsequent singles from that album and the band’s final release, Nico, failed to find any traction on alternative radio. “Galaxie,” however, is pretty decent and explores a different direction for the band, with a bit of a harder edge and unique changes in tone that would have spelled success for the group in the changing landscape of alt rock in the late ‘90s.
Nevertheless, Blind Melon will always be remembered as a bit of a one-hit wonder, with “No Rain” topping the MRT chart and the Canadian chart, as well as peaking at #20 on Billboard’s Hot 100. That said, if you’re going to be remembered for a song, this is a good one to be attached to, and while it’s unfortunate the band could never capitalize on this success, this track will likely stand the test of time across generations.
Rating: 9/10
Chart Check
Other notable MRT chart songs from this time period
Most of the top-10 list from the weeks Blind Melon commanded the charts will end up peaking behind the next #1 hit, so it’s slim pickings for the Chart Check section this week. In addition to my occasional shout out to “Beavis and Butthead,” this week features an unusually placed top-10 hit from Squeeze and the Modern Rock Tracks debut of … Ace of Base?
“Galaxie” by Blind Melon - from “Beavis and Butthead”: Butthead: “This is Blind Melon! Did you know all these guys are blind?” Beavis: “No way, really?” Butthead: “Yeah. I saw it on ‘MTV News.’” Beavis: “Well I’ll be damned.”
I thought for sure the guys did a video on “No Rain,” but I was wrong. Really enriching discussion about what executive producers add to videos post-production…
“Everything In The World” by Squeeze (#9): I’m not the biggest Squeeze fan, as I’ve perused their catalog and a lot of their stuff is hit-or-miss with me. I do love “Pulling Mussels (From The Shell),” though, and their #9 hit “Everything In The World” definitely gives me some of those vibes. That said, while I could easily see “Pulling Mussels” finding a home in the early ‘90s, “Everything In The World” feels oddly out of place. Nevertheless, a top-10 finish for Squeeze in an alt-rock landscape full of grunge, Blind Melon and Red Hot Chili Peppers is a neat accomplishment.
“All That She Wants” by Ace of Base (#17): The ‘90s were an amusing time for Swedish musicians to make hit songs in the U.S., as their translations are always a little bit off center. Roxette, for example, had their classic “Hello, you fool, I love you” line from their Hot 100 chart-topper “Joyride,” a weird juxtaposition of sentimentality and disparagement. And then there’s Brittany Spears looking to get hit one more time.
Ace of Base added to this hilarity with their Hot 100 #3 hit “All That She Wants,” wherein the subject of the narration was not, in fact, looking to get an actual infant child, but rather a new romantic partner. This odd lyrical quirk did nothing to stem the tide of Ace of Base’s popularity in the U.S., as this song not only dominated pop radio but also racked up a surprisingly high #17 chart peak on alternative radio as well.
Coincidence, I just featured Blind Melon on my Nov 8 Friday Fave. I too have always wondered "what if" Quite liked them & their albums hold up. https://substack.com/@raeroer/note/p-151384096
Love "No Rain." I still think it's one of the defining songs of the 90s. The year it was released I put it at number two on my Top Ten. It's sad their time in the limelight ended so quickly.