1979 Janis Ian – Night Rains

Night Rains is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Janis Ian, originally released in 1979 on Columbia Records.

The commercial failure of her previous self-titled album and its accompanying singles led Columbia to demand Ian make a major change of direction for Night Rains to restore her commercial fortunes. She initially focused on writing film music for Foxes and The Bell Jar, and then adopted a fully commercial pop sound, collaborating with Albert Hammond of “It Never Rains in Southern California” fame on one song, and with superstar disco producer Giorgio Moroder on two tracks including the Foxes theme. E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons played on two songs and jazz pianist Chick Corea on “Jenny (Iowa Sunrise)”.

Consequent upon its release alongside twenty-four other Columbia Records albums in the fall of 1979,[7] Night Rains was effectively un-promoted by the label in the United States and became Ian’s first to not dent the Billboard albums chart since Present Company. Even a re-release a year later with much greater record company promotion failed to get Night Rains onto the chart.

Although first single “Here Come the Night” (Theme from The Bell Jar) did not chart anywhere, second single “Fly Too High” became a top ten hit in the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand, and drove Night Rains into the top twenty in those markets. “Fly Too High” and third single “The Other Side of the Sun” also became Ian’s first-ever chart entries in the United Kingdom, although Night Rains did not crack the top 75 albums.

Subsequent to Ian’s 1990s comeback, “Fly Too High” and “Jenny (Iowa Sunrise)” have remained part of her live setlist, and both those songs have appeared on career-spanning compilations.