“Here’s That Rainy Day” was composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Johnny Burke for the 1953 Broadway musical Carnival in Flanders. The show flopped, but the song became a standard through recordings by Frank Sinatra, Wes Montgomery, Bill Evans and Joe Pass.
The tune is usually played in G major. It opens with Gmaj7 moving to Bbmaj7, a striking shift to a chord a minor third up, before working back through ii-Vs. The harmony is rich and full of unexpected but beautiful moves.
For improvisation, highlight the opening shift by targeting D (common to both chords) or the A of Bbmaj7. Use guide tones through the ii-Vs and play lyrically.
Practice at a slow ballad or bossa tempo. Learn the melody from Sinatra’s version.
Section by section: the opening move from Gmaj7 to Bbmaj7 is the tune’s signature, so practice a phrase that holds D (common to both chords) and then moves to A, the seventh of Bbmaj7. The middle section moves through ii-V progressions; outline them with guide tones. The bridge brings more unexpected chords, so learn them slowly. The tune works as a ballad or a bossa, so practice both.
Practice tip: learn Joe Pass’s or Wes Montgomery’s version by ear. Their chord-melody approaches show how to voice this harmony beautifully, even if you play a single-line instrument.
How to use this Here’s That Rainy Day Lead Sheet PDF: print it or keep it on a tablet, mark the form sections and key centers in pencil, and write the guide tones you want to target above the tricky bars. Revisit those notes after each practice session so the tune gets easier every week.
Is it hard to play? It’s intermediate. Recordings to study: Sinatra, Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass’s guitar version. Learn more about the composer on Jimmy Van Heusen’s Wikipedia page, and find more ballads on Minedit.