To Rain on a Person’s Parade

I don’t know about where you live, but in my part of the world, we haven’t had much rain lately and could certainly use some. With rain generally being a common occurrence in Britain, it’s not surprising that there are quite a few idioms in the English language featuring the word. Today’s is one of them. “To rain on a person’s parade” means “to spoil someone’s enjoyment of something, especially a personal achievement or special occasion”.

But where did this wonderful phrase come from? Although I mentioned Britain earlier, today’s idiom actually originates from the other side of the pond. In 1964, a new musical named Funny Girl, written by Jule Styne (score) and Bob Merrill (lyrics), made its debut on Broadway, starring a young Barbara Streisand. One of the best-known songs from the musical is “Don’t Rain on My Parade”, which appears in the first act and is then reprised at the end of the second.

In the song, Streisand’s character declares that she’s going to live her life as she wants and that nobody should dare squash her joy and enthusiasm for doing so. Unsurprisingly, the phrase “rain on my parade” appears several times during the song, and it was then popularised after the 1968 movie version of the musical, also starting Streisand, was released.

So there you have it. I hope you have a wonderful day, and whatever you’re doing, please don’t let anyone rain on your parade.