Little Black Rain Cloud/Sunny Skies - Maureen McGovern

Today you get two covers for the price of one! The bulk of this song is James Taylor's Sunny Skies, but the more interesting part of the song is Little Black Rain Cloud originally sung by Sterling Holloway as Winnie the Pooh in Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree and later in the compilation movie The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. This is the only cover of Little Black Rain Cloud that I have. Do you have any? Please let me know!

This pairing is rather odd seeing as the weather being sung about in each part of the medley are practically opposite. But they seem to work together in a typical 90's adult contemporary pop fashion, and this is largely due to the lovely vocals of MAUREEN MCGOVERN. Maureen's career began over twenty years before this 1995 recording. She found fame from her version of The Morning After from the 1972 blockbuster film The Poseidon Adventure.

If you are into animation other than Disney, you may already know that McGovern was the voice Joseph's mother, Rachel, in the Dreamwork's film Joseph: King of Dreams. If you are into superheroes like I am, you may also know that McGovern recorded a version of Can You Read My Mind, the love ballad from Superman: The Movie which went on to become a hit single. You can hear a sample here. Admittedly, I think the song sounds a bit goofy as a pop ballad, but it sure sounds better than when Lois Lane recites it during the film.

In 1995, McGovern recorded Little Black Rain Cloud/Sunny Skies for a compilation album called WINNIE THE POOH: TAKE MY HAND. All of the songs on the album are covers that apparently relate to Winnie the Pooh in some way, although this and a cover of the theme song by The Chieftains are the only songs from the cartoons that made the cut.