Michael Ray Shares Backstory, Favorite Lyric From ‘Whiskey And Rain’

All it took was the ten-second instrumental opening of "Whiskey And Rain" for Michael Ray to get sold on it.

Written by Jeremy Chua
Michael Ray Shares Backstory, Favorite Lyric From ‘Whiskey And Rain’
Michael Ray; Cover art courtesy of Warner Music Nashville/Photo credit: Sean Hagwell

Sometimes, all it takes is a few short seconds of a song’s opening to make one fall in love with it. That certainly was the case for Michael Ray and the instant connection he had with his brand-new single, “Whiskey And Rain.” 

“I just feel that whole [instrumental intro] right there made me instantly fall in love with it. I remember when I first heard it and I was like, ‘please, please let the lyrics be as good as that opening,” Ray tells Sounds Like Nashville in an interview. “And then when I heard it, I loved it!”

“Whiskey And Rain,” penned by Jesse Frasure and Josh Thompson, was sent to Ray in the genesis process of writing and searching for songs for his upcoming third album. When the mid-tempo throwback tune eventually made its way to the 32-year-old, he knew in an instant he had to stamp his name on it.

“I thought, ‘Holy crap, this embodies I feel like everything that this record is!’ The more we dove into the album, writing and recording, we’re all like, man, ‘Whiskey And Rain’ has gotta be the first single,” Ray shares. “It’s just the perfect insight for the fans and everybody of where this [album] is going.” 

When asked what his favorite lyric was, Ray passionately threw out a line from the second verse: “I’m gonna wake up in the morning feeling brand new / Without a single cloud in the sky, oh-oh  / But tonight it ain’t the weather breaking,” noting how “clever” it was written.

While the premiere date for the “Whiskey And Rain” music video has yet to be announced, the Florida native promises that the “honky-tonk”-themed visual is “coming soon.”

“We’ve just finished the last approval and we’re just sending it in to get finalized,” Ray says. “It’s a 90’s throwback-feel video. It’s based on a honky tonk [and] there’s a couple of twists in there you know? I think it’s an interesting video that keeps it going.”

Listen to “Whiskey And Rain” on our New Nashville playlist below. And, while you wait for the official music video to drop, watch its prequel above.