Fool in the Rain explained

"Fool in the Rain" is the third song on Led Zeppelin's 1979 album In Through the Out Door. It was the last single released in the US before they formally disbanded in 1980. The song reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 16 February 1980.

Composition

Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones and vocalist Robert Plant were inspired by samba beats that played during the 1978 FIFA World Cup tournament in Argentina.^[2] Biographer Dave Lewis commented:

Critical reception

While In Through The Out Door was not regarded with the same praise as Led Zeppelin's previous albums, "Fool in the Rain" still managed to garner positive reception.^{[3] [4] [5] [6]} Scott Ludwig, writing for Courier News in 1980, highly praised Bonham's performance.^[7] In a retrospective review, Andrew Doscas of PopMatters called it the "standout track", opining it was "the band’s last fun song" and "the only such found on In Through the Out Door".^[4] Cash Box said it has "a zesty Latin-samba instrumental break, Page's sharp lead and rhythm guitar work and Plant’s high, tough vocals."^[8]

Performances

"Fool in the Rain" was never performed live by Led Zeppelin.^[2] However, band member Robert Plant teamed up with American rock band Pearl Jam in 2005 and performed the song live for the Hurricane Katrina benefit in Chicago's House of Blues. Pearl Jam originally did not plan it, but changed their itinerary after Hurricane Katrina went through New Orleans. All proceeds of the performance went to charities.^[9]

Personnel

According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:

• Robert Plant – vocals
• Jimmy Page – electric guitars, acoustic guitars (six- and twelve-string)
• John Paul Jones – bass, piano, synthesiser (?)
• John Bonham – drums, timbales, agogo, marimba (?)
• Unidentified musicians: maracas, shaker, guiro, whistle

Chart history

Chart! scope="col"

Peak
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	21	[10]
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 Singles	31	[11]
U.S. Record World The Singles Chart	34	[12]
Canada RPM Top 100 Chart	12	[13]

Chart! scope="col"

Peak
Canada Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart	69	[14]

Bibliography

• Book: Jean-Michel. Guesdon. Philippe. Margotin. 2018. Led Zeppelin All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Running Press. 978-0-316-448-67-3.

Notes and References

1. Book: Bream, Jon. Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin: The Illustrated History of the Heaviest Band of All Time. 17 September 2010. Voyageur Press. 978-0-7603-3955-8. 222.
2. Book: Lewis, Dave. 2012. Led Zeppelin: From a Whisper to a ScreamComplete Guide to Their Music. London. Omnibus Press. 978-0-85712-788-4. eBook.
3. Web site: Led Zeppelin: Presence / In Through The Out Door / Coda Album Review. Pitchfork. Condé Nast. 5 July 2018. Mark. Richardson. 28 July 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180119164254/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20668-presence-in-through-the-out-door-coda/. 19 January 2018.
4. Web site: Led Zeppelin: In Through the Out Door (Deluxe Edition). Andrew. Doscas. 22 September 2015. 5 July 2018. PopMatters. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180705062256/https://www.popmatters.com/led-zeppelinin-through-the-out-door-deluxe-edition-2495487962.html. 5 July 2018.
5. Web site: Led Zeppelin: Presence, In Through the Out Door and Coda Reissue Reviews. Ryan. Reed. 13 August 2015. 5 July 2018. Paste Magazine. Wolfgang's. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160420072555/http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/08/led-zeppelin-presence-in-through-the-out-door-and.html. 20 April 2016.
6. Web site: Led Zeppelin: Presence, In Through The Outdoor, Coda (Reissues). The Quietus. 5 July 2018. Julian. Marszalek. 28 July 2015.
7. News: Zeppelin's Fury Continues. Courier News. 22 March 1980. 25. Newspapers.com. 14 July 2018.
8. News: CashBox Singles Reviews. December 15, 1979. 11. Cash Box. 2022-01-01.
9. Pearl Jam, Robert Plant Unite Onstage. Blair. Fischer. 6 October 2005. 5 June 2018. Rolling Stone. Penske Business Media. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180705062256/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/pearl-jam-robert-plant-unite-onstage-85093/. 5 July 2018.
10. Hot 100 Singles – 16 February 1980 . Billboard. 17 January 2009. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131004160833/http://www.billboard.com/charts/1980-02-16/hot-100 . 4 October 2013 .
11. Web site: Top 100 Singles – 23 February 1980 . Cash Box . 17 January 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090210163204/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/19800223.html . 10 February 2009.
12. Web site: Top 40 for 1980 – February 1980 . Record World.
13. Web site: RPM Singles Chart – 23 February 1980 . RPM . 15 January 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121006022133/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.9499a&volume=32&issue=22&issue_dt=February%2023%201980&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=hrg50o22lgammqcogv27ve6d95 . 6 October 2012.
14. [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=led zeppelin|chart=Hot Canadian Digital Singles}} Hot Digital Singles – 1 December 2007 ]. Billboard. 2009-01-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130908195814/http://www.billboard.com/artist/306805/led%2Bzeppelin/chart?f=346 . 8 September 2013.