Driving Rain

Driving Rain
Studio album by
Paul McCartney
Released11 November 2001
Recorded16 February–20 October 2001
StudiosHenson, Hollywood, California
GenreRock
Length67:08
LabelParlophone
ProducerDavid Kahne
Paul McCartney chronology
Wingspan: Hits and History
(2001)		 Driving Rain
(2001)		 Back in the U.S.
(2002)
Paul McCartney studio album chronology
Run Devil Run
(1999)		 Driving Rain
(2001)		 Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
(2005)
Singles from Driving Rain
  1. "From a Lover to a Friend"
    Released: 29 October 2001
  2. "Freedom"
    Released: 5 November 2001

Driving Rain is the thirteenth solo studio album by the English musician Paul McCartney, released on 11 November 2001 as a double LP, a single cassette, and single CD.

Background

Following the example of Run Devil Run's brisk production schedule, Driving Rain – except for two songs – was cut with David Kahne producing in two weeks, starting in February 2001. McCartney called on musicians who were scheduled to back him on tour.

Album cover

The cover of the album features a photograph taken with a Casio wristwatch containing a built-in camera.

Music and lyrics

"Back in the Sunshine Again" was co-written by McCartney and his son James. On 11 September 2001, McCartney was sitting on a plane in New York City when the terrorist attacks occurred, and was able to witness the events from his seat. Incensed at the tragedy and determined to respond, he composed "Freedom" and helped organise The Concert for New York City, a large all-star show at Madison Square Garden on 20 October.

The songs "About You" and "Heather" were written for his then-wife, Heather Mills, as thanks for helping McCartney grieve the death of his first wife, Linda.

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar
BlenderStarStarStarStar
DotmusicStarStarStarHalf star
Drowned in Sound7/10
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStar
Entertainment WeeklyB
MojoStarStarStarStarHalf star
NME6/10
Rolling StoneStarStarStarStar
Spin7/10

In November 2001, Driving Rain was released to generally strong reviews but poor sales. The album sold 66,000 copies in its first week in the US. Driving Rain peaked at number 46 in the UK, and became McCartney's lowest-selling album in his homeland. The US reaction was a little stronger, with the album peaking at number 26 and being certified Gold by the RIAA.

McCartney halted the pressing of Driving Rain so that "Freedom" could appear as a hidden track (since the artwork had already been printed). The just-released "From a Lover to a Friend" (which only reached number 45 in the UK) was repackaged with "Freedom", although the single failed to re-chart.

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, the album received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 from 12 critic scores.

Reviewing the album for Uncut magazine, Ian MacDonald commented on McCartney's spontaneous approach to its recording, saying that "In parts (for example, the lengthy closer 'Rinse The Raindrops'), the results are almost ferocious, coming as close to a McCartney-esque Tin Machine as one could reasonably imagine." MacDonald considered the more "polished and produced" tracks to be "the most successful", however, and concluded: "Possibly a grower, this album is certainly better than anything Macca's done for some while, if not the late masterpiece some of us have been hoping for." Fox News commentator Roger Friedman remarked that the chorus of the song "Tiny Bubble" is "remarkably" similar to "Piggies", written by George Harrison and released on the Beatles' 1968 self-titled double album (also known as the "White Album").

McCartney opened his tour in support of the album in April 2002. Titled the Driving USA tour, it was a commercial success, with extensions being added to the itinerary around the world. Four of the album's sixteen songs were performed: "Lonely Road", "Your Loving Flame", "Freedom" and the title track. "From a Lover to a Friend" was also performed at the Concert for New York City on October 20, 2001.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Paul McCartney, except "Spinning on an Axis" and "Back in the Sunshine Again" co-written by James McCartney.

Driving Rain track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Lonely Road"3:16
2."From a Lover to a Friend"3:48
3."She's Given Up Talking"4:57
4."Driving Rain"3:26
5."I Do"2:56
6."Tiny Bubble"4:21
7."Magic"3:59
8."Your Way"2:55
9."Spinning on an Axis"5:16
10."About You"2:54
11."Heather"3:26
12."Back in the Sunshine Again"4:21
13."Your Loving Flame"3:43
14."Riding into Jaipur"4:08
15."Rinse the Raindrops"10:08
16."Freedom"3:34
Total length:67:08

Note: "Freedom" is unlisted on the album sleeve.

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.

Charts and certifications

References

  1. ↑ "Paul McCartney 'Driving Rain' news". Archived from the original on 15 January 2012.
  2. ↑ Clayson, Alan (2003). Paul McCartney. London: Sanctuary. p. 252. ISBN 9781860744822.
  3. ↑ Vincent Perez Benitez, The Words and Music of Paul McCartney: The Solo Years 2010, p. 158: "Your Way hearkens back to the sound of McCartney's first two albums of the 1970s … He composed About You for Heather Mills, thanking her for helping him get over his grief regarding the death of his first wife, Linda Eastman."
  4. 1 2 "Critic reviews for Driving Rain". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  5. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Paul McCartney Driving Rain". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  6. ↑ Du Noyer, Paul (December 2001/January 2002). "Paul McCartney Driving Rain". Blender. p. 119.
  7. ↑ Heath, Chris (14 November 2001). "Paul McCartney – 'Driving Rain' (Parlophone)". Dotmusic. Archived from the original on 20 April 2002. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  8. ↑ Westfox, James (30 December 2001). "Paul McCartney - Driving Rain". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  9. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th edn). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 1257. ISBN 0-19-531373-9.
  10. ↑ Willman, Chris (12 November 2001). "Mini Capsule Review: Driving Rain (2001)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 31 March 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  11. ↑ A satisfying, and often very moving, body of work. [Dec 2001, p.100]
  12. ↑ Segal, Victoria (20 November 2001). "Paul McCartney: Driving Rain". NME. Archived from the original on 23 November 2005. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  13. ↑ Kot, Greg (30 October 2001). "Album Reviews: Paul McCartney Driving Rain". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 20 April 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2008.
  14. ↑ Moon, Tom (January 2002). "Paul McCartney Driving Rain". Spin. p. 108. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  15. ↑ McGee, Garry (2003). Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 157. ISBN 9780878333042.
  16. ↑ "Driving Rain". JPGR. 2001. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
  17. ↑ Wawzenek, Bryan. "How Paul McCartney began building his next era on 'Driving Rain'". UltimateClassicRock.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  18. ↑ MacDonald, Ian (January 2002). "Paul McCartney: Driving Rain (Parlophone)". Uncut. Available at Rock's Backpages Archived 28 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine (subscription required).
  19. ↑ "McCartney Sounds Like Harrison in New Tune". Fox News. 25 March 2015. Archived from the original on 12 March 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  20. ↑ Driving Rain (Booklet). Paul McCartney. MPL Communications / Hear Music. 2011 [2001]. 088807321779.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ↑ "Paul McCartney – Driving Rain – austriancharts.at". Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  22. 1 2 "CANOE -- JAM! – Paul McCartney set to tour this spring". canoe.com. JAM! Showbiz. 30 January 2002. Archived from the original on 8 January 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  23. ↑ "danishcharts.dk Paul McCartney – Driving Rain". danishcharts.dk. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  24. ↑ "dutchcharts.nl Paul McCartney – Driving Rain". dutchcharts.nl. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  25. ↑ "lescharts.com Paul McCartney – Driving Rain". lescharts.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  26. ↑ "Album Search: Paul McCartney – Driving Rain" (in German). Media Control. Archived from the original (ASP) on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  27. ↑ "italiancharts.com Paul McCartney – Driving Rain". italiancharts.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  28. ↑ "Highest position and charting weeks of Driving Rain by Paul McCartney ポール・マッカートニー-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック" (in Japanese). oricon.co.jp. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  29. ↑ "norwegiancharts.com Paul McCartney – Driving Rain". Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  30. ↑ "swedishcharts.com Paul McCartney – Driving Rain". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  31. ↑ "Paul McCartney – Driving Rain – hitparade.ch". Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  32. ↑ "Paul McCartney > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  33. ↑ "Paul McCartney Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  34. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  35. ↑ "British album certifications – Paul McCartney – Driving Rain". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Formats field. Type Driving Rain Paul McCartney in the "Search:" field.
  36. ↑ "American album certifications – Paul McCartney – Driving Rain". Recording Industry Association of America.
  37. 1 2 "Paul McCartney's new album "Memory Almost Full" will be released June 5 in North America". Billboard. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2007.