Rain at the Drive-In
by NRBQ

Album: Grooves in Orbit (1983)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song introduces us to a young couple who attend a drive-in theatre on a dark and stormy evening. The rain steams their car windows, so the promiscuous pair are able to make love, because "we can't see out, they can't see in." NRBQ keyboardist, Terry Adams, told Shirley Haun that he and his friends would frequently escape to the drive-ins in his home town of Louisville, Kentucky: "I think Louisville had more drive-ins than any other city in the US. It was just a part of everything. That song might suggest that it was time to get naked or something but, it was just a place to... We were too young to rent motel rooms and hang out, not so much getting naked, but a place where you could park the car and talk to each other, and be with friends and not have to be worried about anything. The drive-ins were important then."
  • Grooves in Orbit was NRBQ's first and only album released on Bearsville Records, a label which was owned by Albert Grossman, who managed Bob Dylan between 1962 and 1970. Grossman infamously fell out with NRBQ after they refused to remove the song "12 Bar Blues" from Grooves in Orbit. He subsequently prohibited the distribution of any further NRBQ material, meaning the band were unable to release any new songs until Grossman died in 1986.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Hawksley Workman

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.

Penny Ford of Snap!

Penny Ford of Snap!Songwriter Interviews

The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.

Queen

QueenFact or Fiction

Scaramouch, a hoople and a superhero soundtrack - see if you can spot the real Queen stories.

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.

Jimmy Webb

Jimmy WebbSongwriter Interviews

Webb talks about his classic songs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman" and "MacArthur Park."

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?