Steve Reich: It’s Gonna Rain. On Purpose.

Steve Reich’s approach to create “It’s Gonna Rain” from 1965 is intriguing, as he used magnetic tapes which were played on a loop to result in the finished composition. The constant repetition of the title phrase from a sermon has a staggering effect which produces additional background noises and words that are not in the original recording.

At the beginning of the piece, the words of a preacher can be heard, which then merge and cut through each other. Thus, the sentence, “It’s gon’ rain” turns into “It gon’”, and later extends to, “It will rain” processing into an apocalyptic mood. The initial sermon becomes a prophecy. During the first listening, this piece can seem unnerving and irritating, because the generated words do not sound like music or a recording. Rather, the piece sounds like a broken tape is being played continuously while the cassette recorder is trying its hardest to revive its last intact parts. Upon closer listening, several other sounds can be heard, presumably with the intention to evoke distinct reactions to the tone of the recording.

The first two minutes after the original sermon, which consist of the words, “It’s gon’ rain” and their syllables, are the most unintelligible part of the recording, as they spit the words in random order. In between, the stroke of a wing can be heard like a metronomic drum. In the following three minutes, the words “It gon’/will rain!” can be heard. While this part is clearer, it remains as spectral as the previous minutes. The section in which the words “gon’” and “will” are heard, led me to an assumption: shallow listening will compel the brain to choose one of the two words for a more pleasant flow. However, closer listening reveals that both words fight to be vocalized and change the meaning of the utterance. The difference between these words is the connotation with which they are delivered. “It’s gonna rain” sounds like a hopeful promise, an urgently required rainfall after a seemingly endless drought. In contrast, the sentence, “It will rain” carries a menace, a dreaded rainstorm during a flood. According to the frame of a mind, the most compatible word will be chosen to be heard. The last minutes of the piece resonate in a remix of the previous parts and embody chaos before the relieving words, “-- rain after a while!” conclude the track and therefore disclose the meaning of the sermon.

Consequently, the most convenient aspect of minimal music becomes audible: a vacancy of both presentation and interpretation. Reich’s original inspiration for this composition must not be communicated because the technique and its developed final product are the melodics of the genre. Meaning is irrelevant.