It Never Rains (1982) – Dire Straits

It Never Rains is another long rock epic for which Dire Straits became known. It follows a familiar pattern: a slow, spacious opening built around piano and organ chords, then a gradual build toward extended guitar work near the end. There are flashes of real brilliance, especially in Mark Knopfler subtle filler notes that shape his signature sound. The song is full of strong guitar phrases and tempo shifts, such as around 1:45 when he sings the “Romeo” lyric over that gorgeous, looping piano lament.

The song is not without its flaws, in my view:

• The long and repetitive bridge section, especially from 2:18 when he sings, “Oh, you were just a roller coaster memory,” becomes predictable and continues for over a minute. Thankfully, it shifts again at 3:20 with “Oh, but it’s a sad reminder when your organ grinder…” and briefly returns to the feel of the strong two-minute opening. But that moment is unfortunately cut short, and it slips back into the languid bridge section once more. If that drawn-out bridge – and its return around 3:55 – had been cut or trimmed, the song might have been more radio-friendly and possibly a big hit.
  
• In the outro guitar section, there is a heavily overdriven and reverberated tone. It is not really a classic wah-wah effect, but a saturated, echoing guitar sound. To my ears, the reverb and distortion are at times too thick, and the music can feel distinctly flat. It comes in at 5:20, then get’s real bad at 6:50 and leaves me wincing. That said, the solo themes themselves are strong and expressive – I just prefer to hear them cleaner and more articulate, as in other Dire Straits epics.

So with these criticisms, one may ask why I keep It Never Rains in my collection. The answer is simple: within it lies a remarkable song, especially in the first 2:15, which contains some of my favourite Dire Straits music. It also serves as an interesting case study of the peaks and troughs of a rock epic – how extended bridges and bold production choices can shape, and sometimes limit, a song’s wider appeal. It doesn’t reach the grand heights of their rock epics Tunnel of Love and Telegraph Road, but it’s still got some pretty good stuff!

Interestingly, It Never Rains, the finale of Dire Straits’ fourth studio album Love Over Gold, released in September 1982, has almost a reverse feel to Telegraph Road, which opens the album. Instead of the clear, resonant, and crisp guitar that shapes Telegraph Road, It Never Rains closes with that aforementioned solo, marked by heavy reverb and overdrive, at times bordering on a wah-wah-like tone.

Thanks, for reading.

[Verse 1]
I hear the Seven Deadly Sins and the Terrible Twins
Came to call on you
The bigger they are, baby
The harder they fall on you
And you, you’re always the same you persevere
On the same old pleasure ground

[Refrain]
Oh, and it never rains around here
It just comes pouring down

[Verse 2]
You had no more volunteers, so you got profiteers
For to help you out
Well, with friends like that, babe
Good friends you had to do without
And now they’ve taken the chains and the gears
From off the ol’ merry-go-round

[Refrain]
Oh, and it never rains around here
It just comes pouring down

[Verse 3]
Now, your new Romeo was just a gigolo
When he let you down
See, the faster they are, babe
The faster they get out of town
They’re leaving make up stains
And the tears of a clown

[Refrain]
Yes, and it never rains around here
It just comes pouring down

[Bridge]
Oh, you were just a roller coaster memory
I don’t know why I was even passing through
Saw you making a date with Destiny
When he came around here asking after you
In the shadow of the Wheel of Fortune
You’re busy trying to clear your name
You say “I may be guilty, yeah, that may be true
But I’d be lying if I said I was to blame
See, we could have been major contenders
We never got no money, no breaks
You’ve got a list of all the major offenders
You got a list of all their major mistakes”
And he just standing in the shadows
Yes and he smile that “come on” smile
Oh I can still hear you say as clear as the day
“I’d like to make it worth your while”
Oh, but it’s a sad reminder when your organ grinder
Has to come to you for the rent
And all you’ve got to give him
Is the use of your side-show tent
Yes, and that’s all that remains of the years
Spent doing the rounds

[Refrain]
And it never rains around here
Well, it just comes pouring down

[Outro]
Now you know what they say about beggars, babe
You can’t complain about the rules
And you know what they say about beggars
You know who’s the first to blame his tools
You never gave a damn about-a who you pick up
And leave-a layin’ bleedin’ on the ground
You screw people over on your way up
Because you thought that you were never coming down
And he’ll take you out in Vaudeville Valley
With his hand up smothering your screams
And he’ll screw you down in Tin Pan Alley
In the city of a billion dreams, get out

References:
1. Love Over Gold – Wikipedia