Pop Archives

Johnny Farnham - Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On my Head (1969)

(Burt Bacharach - Hal David)
Australia Australia
#1 Sydney #2 Melbourne #1 Brisbane #1 Adelaide #1 Perth

Co-charted in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth with the original by B.J. Thomas.

Johnny Farnham: enduring Melbourne pop star whose career took off after his first single, the neo-vaudeville novelty Sadie The Cleaning Lady, was skilfully publicised and became the best-selling Australian single of the 60s. He had a run of hits into the first half of the 70s, and branched out into TV and stage drama.

In the early 80s, by then known as John Farnham, he had a further hit with a powered-up version of the Beatles' Help, and he fronted the Little River Band for a time. His real career revival came in 1986 with the hugely popular contemporary album Whispering Jack and its three hit singles including the #1 You're The Voice.

Further reading: Milesago's John Farnham page. The official site is at JohnFarnham.com.au.


Sacha Distel - Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On my Head (1969)

(Burt Bacharach - Hal David)
France France
#10 UK

French jazz guitarist and popular singer (1933-2004). See the biography of ‘France’s favourite crooner’ at Radio France Internationale (in English).


Sacha Distel also recorded this as Toute La Pluie Tombe Sur Moi (‘all the rain falls on me’).


B. J. Thomas - Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On my Head (1969)

(Burt Bacharach - Hal David)
USA USA
Original version
#1 USA #38 UK #1 Sydney #2 Melbourne #1 Perth #3 NZ

Co-charted in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth with the Australian cover version by Johnny Farnham.

From the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Singer from Houston, Texas, full name Billy Joe Thomas, who began as a rocker and moved successfully into country-pop.


Bobbie Gentry - Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On my Head (1970)

(Burt Bacharach - Hal David)
USA USA
Later version
#40 UK

See also The Originals where Arnold Rypens lists several other later versions, from 1970 releases by Bert Kaempfert, The Four Tops, Perry Como, Dionne Warwick, Bobbie Gentry, and Willie Mitchell, through to Mercury Rev in 1999. The master list, though, is from Stefan Wesley's Bacharach site [archived page].