Is it raining in Phoenix? Here are 10 songs for calling down the thunder

We here in Phoenix simply love the weather. And not just the fact that we get, on average, like 300 days of annual sunshine. No, I mean rain — we track it like it's the Grateful Dead on their '68 world tour. Rightfully so, of course: when you live in a desert, you sometimes need the rain to come in and make it all new. So, when we recently broke a mind-boggling 159-day rainless streak (one day short of tying the record!), it felt like a big deal.

Only, we've seemingly caught the rain bug since the streak collapsed, and it sure would be swell for even more of the stuff. Luckily, that's in the forecast from National Weather Service Phoenix, with light showers likely for Wednesday and Thursday and another, separate system offering more rain by Friday. If we can't break any more records, may as well enjoy a little rain-kissed Valentine's Day action, right?

However, inclement weather is never a certainty until your boots are already soaked, and so we need something of a guarantee. Why not, then, rely on the power of song? Assembled here is a playlist that, at its best, might very well summon the clouds. At its worst, though, these tunes still make for the perfect rainy soundtrack.

Now, come on down, Mr. Rain. We're ready for cats and dogs and whatever else drops from the sky.

The Beta Band, ‘Dry the Rain’

Admittedly, starting a list like this feels a little cheap and gimmicky. (Even as the song's instead demanding the rain's timely and orderly departure from the surrounding area.) Still, we dare you not to hear this song and think of a flash storm in some big city environment. The sharp tinge of soaking wet concrete; the way wind rattles off old brick; and even the excitement of seeing everyone fleeing back inside. This is the soundtrack to some random, extra soaked Tuesday in February or March, and why city living is sometimes unbeatable. Forget drying out; let it pour all day.

Leonard Cohen, ‘You Want It Darker’

No one person has the ability to actually call forth the rain. Now, if someone actually could achieve just such a genuinely magic feat, it'd clearly be the legendary Leonard Cohen. Here, his signature raspy croon achieves a new level we can only describe as "smooth jazz demon" as his voice feels like a proper force of nature. Add in that vaguely haunted-sounding electric piano, and this track could very well crack open the sky in an instance and let the biggest drops ever ruin or add to your day. Don't mess with Cohen, lord of darkened skies and even darker intentions.

Alice Deejay, ‘Better Off Alone’

If you've heard this proper '90s dance classic, you may better associate it with falling in love in some glitzy Belgian nightclub. However, there's a kind of understated depth to this track's oozing ode to longing, and you can't tell us it's a surprisingly great entry for "Soundtrack to an afternoon spent staring into a gentle falling rain." Maybe you're thinking about that one night spent in Vienna. Or, you're hoping it's raining wherever "they" happen to be at in the moment. Either way, it's this big slice of moody grooves perfect for your rainy day "in my feelings" session.

K. Flay, ‘Less Than Zero’

Here is another solid instance where the right sound or instrumentation can do wonders to influence a mood and maybe draw down some actual clouds. In the case of this K. Flay standout, though, it's the sort of rain you live through and not rely on for dancing and/or solemn window-gazing. You know, a soundtrack for buying groceries or going to the bank in, the kind of menial errands that make up everyday life even during a rainstorm. The weather doesn't really make them better or worse, per say, but at least there's something cinematic enough to make a mundane day feel 15 percent less tedious. Call it a "true rain song" and enjoy it for just that.

Mario Judah, ‘I Miss the Rage’

There's already been a lot of talk already about the connection between rain and longing. However, rain can also garner feelings of angst, anger and even downright rage. Imagine, if you can, listening to this forgotten slice of Soundcloud rap-era from Mario Judah. It's a solid downpour, and you're just fuming about some old love, classroom bully and/or other great personal vexation. Now, don't you somehow feel overjoyed, as if there was something cathartic about the rain and playing around with these memories/feelings? Gee, you sure are welcome for that one.

Nina Simone, ‘I Put A Spell on You’

Maybe you can't call the rain down with a song. Or, even make a few drops of water seem altogether fantastical. Still, if just such feats are possible, you've got to have the right frame of mind, and that means Nina Simone music. No other singer on the planet could start emoting into that mic and make you think you're a true magician quite like Simone. This song strips away so many layers, and what you're inevitably left with is a properly inflated sense of your own skill, power and general glory. If you can change the world, it's ‘cause this classic makes us all feel like supernatural badasses.

The Dandy Warhols, ‘Get Off’

I don't believe in manifestation or vibrations or any of that stuff. And if you do, please do so with your whole being. That said, I do believe certain sounds are linked to certain ideas or events. In the case of The Dandy Warhols' 2000 classic, I've spent the last 25-ish years imagining an entire rain-soaked nightclub dancing with each new listen. Is that due to that not-so-vague song title, or the acoustic guitar that sounds like its own drizzle? Sure, all of that seems likely. Regardless, this ditty makes me want to roll around in a mild spring storm pronto.

Cage, ‘I Never Knew You’

A lot of the imagery I've toyed around with so far in this list is of a very romanticized rain day. However, if you know our weird, dumb relationship with rain, it's way less sustained, refreshing and/or meaningful in any long-term sort of way. This song, then, is basically what a rain day in Phoenix might genuinely feel like: moody, but a little underwhelming; evocative, but slightly stunted; and affirmational in its depressive qualities, but not too much to really mean a damn. In short, it's the song tailor-made for when it rains for, like, 75 seconds a time.

Everclear, ‘Santa Monica’

It feels like this Everclear standout checks a lot of the same boxes as some of the other tunes on this list. It's got a certain morose sound, as if it was written under a bridge during a monsoon storm. It plays around with the dichotomy of the sunny and the downtrodden, and that's always a recipe for getting rained on. And it even has the right level of catharsis involved to make it perfect for stomping around some puddles. Everclear are a pair of giant brown boots getting drenched from a summer rain, and you simply can't convince me otherwise.

Collective Soul, ‘December’

As frontman Ed Roland tells it, Collective Soul's 1995 single is basically about "being used." The band were grappling with a new manager in the wake of their other big hit song ("Shine"), and they were dealing with deteriorating relationships and ideas of loyalty. What's that have to do with the rain? Just that said emotional context adds to the song's drama, and how it's like a confrontation with things and forces bigger than ourselves. Sort of like trying to will the rain in a dessert when you know how this story routinely unfolds. Oh, and that chorus remains eternally catchy.