Rain In The Rearview

Album: Rebel (The Beginning) (2023)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • June 7, 2017 was a heart-wrenching day in Anne Wilson's life story. On that day, her big brother, Jacob, met a tragic end in a fateful car crash aged 23.

    In this moody, skyward-bound anthem, Anne Wilson pours her heart out. She barrels through pain and heartache, leaving the wreckage of the past in her rearview mirror as she journeys toward a new beginning.

    "This is a song about moving forward; moving forward from grief; moving forward from heartbreak and from pain in our lives," said Wilson. "There's a bible verse that I love that talks about how 'weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.' I think sometimes we get so stuck in the storms we are in, and it can look so hopeless like it's never going to end. I've been there. I felt that way when I lost my brother six years ago. I've shed my share of tears, and I still cry sometimes. I've had days when I wondered if I'd ever know joy again, but I'm learning how to keep moving forward; taking God's hand and letting him take the wheel, and I'm learning there's always a reason to wake up and face another day knowing that no matter what storm I'm facing this too shall pass. And someday when the rain from that storm I've faced is in my rearview, I'll look back and smile because I'm stronger for it and because I know who got me through it."
  • Wilson co-wrote "Rain in the Rearview" with Gabby Barrett producer Zach Kale, The Cadillac Three frontman Jaren Johnston, and CCM singer-songwriter Matthew West (also a co-writer on her breakthrough single "My Jesus").

    Zach Kale also co-produced the track with two of Wilson's go-to producers, Jeff Pardo and Jonathan Smith.
  • While Wilson initially made her mark in Contemporary Christian Music, her country-infused songwriting shone through on her debut album, My Jesus. The record even featured Lady A's Hillary Scott on the track "Mamas." This song, recorded for her three-track project Rebel (The Beginning), is her first single released to country radio.
  • Directed by TK McKamy (Maren Morris, Thomas Rhett), the song's music video is a visual allegory for Wilson's journey. It kicks off with the singer cruising in her car under the rain, and then the visuals shift, portraying her standing tall in the downpour - a symbol of discovering resilience in the face of adversity. The video wraps up with Wilson driving into the unknown, taking a courageous leap toward sunnier days ahead.

    "The three versions of me and the perspectives of all three were so accurate to how my life has been," Wilson shared with CMT. "We all go through different seasons and sometimes need the reminder that we can leave our past behind us."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Yoko Ono

Yoko OnoSongwriter Interviews

At 80 years old, Yoko has 10 #1 Dance hits. She discusses some of her songs and explains what inspired John Lennon's return to music in 1980.

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.