"When It Rains It Pours" is a song recorded by American country music singer Luke Combs. It was released in June 2017 as the second single from his debut album This One's for You (2017). Written by Combs, Ray Fulcher and Jordan Walker, the song is about a man gaining a streak of luck after his girlfriend left him, something that Combs himself had similarly gone through that acted as the basis for the song's creation. "When It Rains It Pours" reached number one on both the BillboardCountry Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts respectively, giving Combs his second number-one country hit overall. It also charted at number 33 on the Hot 100 chart. The song was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold 10,000,000 units as of August 2024. It achieved similar chart success in Canada, giving Combs his first number-one hit on the Canada Country chart and peaking at number 54 on the Canadian Hot 100. It garnered a 2× Platinum certification from Music Canada. Although it didn't chart in Australia, it was certified 7x Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting sales of 490,000 units in that country. An accompanying music video for the single, created by TA Films, retells the song's story. It was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2018 CMT Music Awards. For promotion, Combs performed the song live on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and CMT Crossroads with Leon Bridges.
Background and development
Taste of Country's Sterling Whitaker described the song as "a more uptempo, lighthearted song that turns the old woe-is-me phrase on its ear with a savvy twist."[1] In the song, the narrator humorously recalls a streak of favorable occurrences beginning with his girlfriend leaving him.[2] Combs co-wrote the track with Jordan Walker of the country music duo Walker McGuire, and they both met with Ray Fulcher at a Nashville bar where they talked about wanting to write a song together, and went over the idea at Walker's house.[3] The song's inspiration came from Combs having gone through a breakup and Walker suggesting that it be about making his ex-girlfriend mad.[3]
Commercial performance
"When It Rains It Pours" first entered the Billboard Country Airplay chart dated July 1, 2017, at number 56,[4] and the Hot Country Songs chart at number 43 the same week.[5] It reached atop the Country Airplay chart the week of November 3 and the Hot Country Songs chart three weeks later.[6][7] On the Billboard Hot 100, it debuted at number 85 the week of August 19.[8] Eleven weeks later, it peaked at number 33 the week of November 3, and remained on the chart for twenty weeks.[9][10] The song, along with Combs' previous single, "Hurricane", was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on August 14, 2024,[11] making Combs the first artist to have multiple country singles achieve this certification.[12]
In Canada, the song debuted at number 96 on the Canadian Hot 100 the week of September 9,[13] peaked at number 54 for two non-consecutive weeks, and stayed on the chart for twenty weeks.[10] It was certified double platinum by Music Canada on August 23, 2018.[14]
Music video
The music video was created by TA Films. The song's music video retells the story, featuring Combs encountering his ex-girlfriend, and then driving, celebrating with his friends, getting a phone number from a waitress (played by his then-girlfriend, now wife Nicole Hocking), and celebrating over winning money on a lottery ticket.[15] On June 6, 2018, it was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2018 CMT Music Awards, but lost to "I'll Name the Dogs" by Blake Shelton.[16]
^This One's for You (CD booklet). Luke Combs. River House Artists/Columbia Nashville. 2017. 88985-38883-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
