本日のSong／ I Think It's Gonna Rain Today

　何となく、今日はそんな日といえばそんな日か。

　Randy Newmanの原作でいろんなヒトがカヴァーしているけれど、僕はSidsel Endresen & Bugge Wesseltoftによるこれが好きだな。

　メロディーが賛美歌っぽくなくもない作りのようでもあって、歌詞にノアの方舟のことを重ねて受け取りたくもなるがどうか。

Broken windows and empty hallways,
a pale dead moon in a sky streaked with grey.
Human kindness is overflowing,
and I think it's gonna rain today.

*1

　背徳三昧の退廃的な風景の中、悪徳が溢れて雨が降り出すのではなく、荒涼とした廢墟めいた光景の中、human kindnessが溢れ返って雨が降り出しそうだとはどういうことか。

　少し斜に構えて強がりつつ、自分の孤独を裏返しにして世界を見つめるような目のあり方？

　歌を書いた当の本人によれば、

This might have been 1964 or ’63. I may have had the first two chords of the tune, where the voice starts. I have always loved those vanilla-kind of chords, straight-ahead Stephen Foster. And once I had a style, I crystallized it: The music is emotional – even beautiful – and the lyrics are not. The honest truth is the song bothered me because of the darkness – it felt sophomoric, too maudlin. But Judy Collins did a great version [in 1966]. UB40’s [1980 cover] was interesting. And I played piano for Barbara Streisand when she recorded it [in 1970]. Boy, it’s real good. She has a hell of a voice.

Randy Newman: My Life in 15 Songs – Rolling Stone *2