"I'm No Stranger to the Rain" is a song recorded by American country music artist Keith Whitley. It was released in January 1989 as the fifth and final single from his album Don't Close Your Eyes, and was the last single released during Whitley's lifetime. It peaked at number-one in both the United States and Canada. Joe Diffie covered the song on Whitley's 1995 tribute album. It was written by Sonny Curtis and Ron Hellard.
The song won Single of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards in 1989 after Whitley's death.
Critical reception
In 2014, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #139 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.2
Music video
A music video was filmed for this song, which was Whitley's last video of his career. It features Whitley and his band performing at the now closed Douglas Corner Cafe in Nashville.
Chart positions
| Chart (1989) | Peakposition |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)3 | 1 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)4 | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1989) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)5 | 9 |
| US Country Songs (Billboard)6 | 7 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)7 | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 382. /wiki/Joel_Whitburn ↩
"The 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 24, 2014. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-country-songs-1234986540/keith-whitley-im-no-stranger-to-the-rain-1235015142/ ↩
"Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 6336." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. May 1, 1989. Retrieved August 28, 2013. https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.6336&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.6336.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.6336 ↩
"Keith Whitley Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/artist/Keith-Whitley/chart-history/CSI ↩
"RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1989". RPM. December 23, 1989. Retrieved August 28, 2013. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.6640&type=1&interval=24 ↩
"Best of 1989: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1989. Retrieved August 28, 2013. http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1989/hot-country-songs ↩
"American single certifications – Keith Whitley – I'm No Stranger To The Rain". Recording Industry Association of America. https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Keith+Whitley&ti=I%27m+No+Stranger+To+The+Rain&format=Single&type=#search_section ↩