Whiskey and Rain

"Whiskey and Rain"
"Whiskey and Rain"
Single by Michael Ray
from the EP Higher Education
Released	October 26, 2020
Genre	Country
Length	3:26
Label	Warner Bros. Nashville
Songwriters	Jesse Frasure; Josh Thompson;
Producer	Ross Copperman
Michael Ray singles chronology
Music video
	"Whiskey and Rain" on YouTube

"Whiskey and Rain" is a song recorded by American country music singer Michael Ray. It was released on October 26, 2020, and served as the lead single to his EP Higher Education.^[1] The song reached number one on the Country Airplay chart dated January 22, 2022, giving Ray his second number one single on the chart.^[2] The song was co-written by Jesse Frasure and Josh Thompson, and produced by Ross Copperman.^[3]

Content

"Whiskey and Rain" describes someone drowning their sorrows in a glass of something strong, and Ray pointed out the song's vibe draws to mind some of his country forebears.^[4]

He told website Everything Nash: “I guess I always knew that I wanted more of a traditional country sound. That’s what I grew up on, what I listen to, to this day. And I just always felt like that was the record I wanted to make. It took this year, I guess, to really realize that on my own. So this song, it was just that catchy, hooky melody, that throwback to the Gary Allan. It sounds like Gary Allan, Dwight Yoakam — all of that. It just stood out. And really, we felt was a great way to introduce this new record and new sound.”^[5]

Composition

"Whiskey and Rain" is a song with a '90s country vibe. Frasure tweaked the demo with a sibilant, '80s-pop drum sound and light, flute-tinted piano chords.^[6]

Music video

The music video was released on October 29, 2020, directed by Sean Hagwell, who brings the song’s throwback style to life. The video revealed Ray riding out the storm.^[7]

Ray told to CMT about the message from this video: “We wanted the video to show that going through rough spots in life can open you up to different people and their situations. Maybe you can listen to their stories for a while. I think the video reflects the depth of the song, and it shows how sometimes the negative things in life can bring people together.”^[8]

Charts

"Whiskey and Rain" reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart dated January 22, 2022, becoming Ray's second number one on that chart, and his first since his debut single, "Kiss You in the Morning", in August 2015.^[2] Having taken 65 weeks to reach number one, it tied a record previously set in June 2020 by Travis Denning's "After a Few" for the slowest ascent to the top.^[9] It also became Ray's first Top 40 single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 37.^[10]

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Whiskey and Rain"
Chart (2020–2022)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100^[11]	37
US Country Airplay (Billboard)^[12]	1
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[13]	6

Year-end charts

2021 year-end chart performance for "Whiskey and Rain"
Chart (2021)	Position
US Country Airplay (Billboard)^[14]	55
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[15]	60

2022 year-end chart performance for "Whiskey and Rain"
Chart (2022)	Position
US Country Airplay (Billboard)^[16]	46
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[17]	59
US Radio Songs (Billboard)^[18]	70

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[19]	Platinum	1,000,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

^ "Future Releases for Country Radio Stations". All Access. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Country Airplay - Week of January 22, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
^ Wendowski, Andrew (September 25, 2020). "Michael Ray Releases '90s-Inspired New Single 'Whiskey And Rain'". Country Now. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
^ "Raise a glass: Michael Ray releasing new single, "Whiskey and Rain"". ABC News Radio. September 22, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
^ "Michael Ray Shares the Story Behind 'Whiskey and Rain' Video [EXCLUSIVE]". Everything Nash. January 18, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
^ Roland, Tom (November 11, 2020). "Makin' Tracks: Michael Ray Blends Multiple Retro Eras Into New Country Single 'Whiskey and Rain'". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
^ Parton, Chris (November 2, 2020). "Michael Ray Washes Heartbreak Away in 'Whiskey and Rain' Video". Sounds Like Nashville. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
^ Shelburne, Craig (November 9, 2020). "Michael Ray's "Whiskey and Rain" Soaks Up the '90s Country Influence". CMT. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
^ Asker, Jim (January 19, 2022). "Michael Ray's 'Whiskey and Rain' Storms to No. 1 on Country Airplay Chart". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
^ "Michael Ray Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
^ "Michael Ray Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
^ "Michael Ray Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
^ "Michael Ray Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
^ "Country Airplay Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
^ "Country Airplay – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
^ "Radio Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
^ "American single certifications – Michael Ray – Whiskey and Rain". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 7, 2022.

[1] "Future Releases for Country Radio Stations". All Access. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2021.

[bb_chart-2] "Country Airplay - Week of January 22, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2022.

[3] Wendowski, Andrew (September 25, 2020). "Michael Ray Releases '90s-Inspired New Single 'Whiskey And Rain'". Country Now. Retrieved July 21, 2021.

[4] "Raise a glass: Michael Ray releasing new single, "Whiskey and Rain"". ABC News Radio. September 22, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2021.

[5] "Michael Ray Shares the Story Behind 'Whiskey and Rain' Video [EXCLUSIVE]". Everything Nash. January 18, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.

[6] Roland, Tom (November 11, 2020). "Makin' Tracks: Michael Ray Blends Multiple Retro Eras Into New Country Single 'Whiskey and Rain'". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2021.

[7] Parton, Chris (November 2, 2020). "Michael Ray Washes Heartbreak Away in 'Whiskey and Rain' Video". Sounds Like Nashville. Retrieved July 21, 2021.

[8] Shelburne, Craig (November 9, 2020). "Michael Ray's "Whiskey and Rain" Soaks Up the '90s Country Influence". CMT. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2021.

[9] Asker, Jim (January 19, 2022). "Michael Ray's 'Whiskey and Rain' Storms to No. 1 on Country Airplay Chart". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2022.

[10] "Michael Ray Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2022.

[sc_Billboardhot100_Michael_Ray-11] "Michael Ray Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2022.

[sc_Billboardcountryairplay_Michael_Ray-12] "Michael Ray Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2022.

[sc_Billboardcountrysongs_Michael_Ray-13] "Michael Ray Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 5, 2022.

[14] "Country Airplay Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2021.

[15] "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2021.

[16] "Country Airplay – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2022.

[17] "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2022.

[18] "Radio Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2022.

[United_StatesMichael_RayWhiskey_and_RainsingleCertRef-19] "American single certifications – Michael Ray – Whiskey and Rain". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 7, 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

v t e Michael Ray
Studio albums	Michael Ray Amos
Notable singles	"Kiss You in the Morning" "Real Men Love Jesus" "Think a Little Less" "Get to You" "One That Got Away" "Her World or Mine" "Whiskey and Rain"
Related articles	"Run Away with You"

Whiskey and Rain

Hub talks

Whiskey and Rain

Whiskey and Rain

Hub rules

Whiskey and Rain

Hub overview

Add your contribution

Inside this hub

Media Collections

Timelines

Articles

Notes collections

Notes

Days in Chronicle

Root Wikipedia Article

Whiskey and Rain

Content

Composition

Music video

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

Add your contribution

Related Hubs