Butterflies danced on invisible strings Showing wings they borrowed from a rainbow And a blackbird on high sang a praise to the sky While a light aeroplane sprayed the fields With a silvery rain Furry backed bees with a tireless drone Never moan, they're happy to be working And a grasshopper green could be heard but not seen While a light aeroplane sprayed the fields With a silvery rain Fly away, Peter, fly away, Paul Before there's nothing left to fly at all Take to the sky, higher than high Before the silvery rain begins to fall Nothing moves now but the swaying ripe corn Not a dawn is greeted with a bird's song There's a feather or two from a bird that once flew Before a light aeroplane sprayed the fields With a silvery rain Fly away, Peter, fly away, Paul Before there's nothing left to fly at all Take to the sky, higher than high Before the silvery rain begins to fall Fly away, Peter, fly away, Paul Before there's nothing left to fly at all Take to the sky, higher than high Before the silvery rain begins to fall
....this is possibly Olivia's most SURREAL Video, and she RARELY gets credit for being one of the pioneers of MTV-stylized Music Videos; MTV was MONTHS old at the time of this release (It was from a TV Special....but ONJ knew she had the backup to create performance Videos, to sell her product....She TRULY 'walked', so Madonna can RUN....
I had that TV special on VHS and my sister and I played it endlessly, till my dad taped over it accidently one day and we were distraught for years! This was up there with my favourites on the show as well as "strangers touch", "landslide","recovery" and of course "physical"
Olivia just announced that she is releasing a 40th Anniversary of The Physical CD along with a DVD of the TV Special that aired on ABC back in 1981 & the "Physical Tour" in October.
Olivia's videos have taken a long time to be made available. I've been wanting them since I first watched her Physical video in '81. The entire album should have been made popular, but she wasn't the norm when it came to music. Beautiful woman, beautiful voice, beautiful heart. She cares.
1981 was a really great year. I think I watched this on HBO enthralled by her beauty and the beauty of her music. I think people forget how talented she is and much her music was a part of a generation. Love her.
This is probably the best song and video combo she ever did. People still look at me like I am lying when I say that she did a rock song on the dangers of pesticides. But this video is epic and freaky as shit! I love the dark side that Olivia showed in these videos.
Yes - the video really adds something to the song, doesn't it? The whole Physical video album was outstanding. This, Landslide, and Recovery were the weirdest (and best) videos. Stranger's Touch was good, too. Physical ended up being over-exposed, but it's still a great, funny video.
@@oceanbabin4567 She is still my favorite since the early 80's! My sister was a huge fan of hers too back then and she would play her records all the time. She has all her albums from the 1970's and 80's as well! There all at our moms house still!
I remember seeing the network TV debut of Olivia's Physical videos on a cold, snowy night February 1982. I was in the 4th grade and thought the music videos were awesome.
The TV special it was from was a huge hit in 1982, so many more people have heard it that just those who've seen it on RUclips. It wasn't a single, which is one reason it didn't get more exposure, although I'm pretty sure I saw it several times on UK TV in the early 80s. It's no more ludicrous than most early 80s videos, and it's a lot more imaginative than most of the pop videos we see today.
This is a treat. She is so diverse. One of my favorite albums of all time. My sis bought it but a 10 year old played the heck out of it on the turntable. Long time fan. Thanks for posting.
Everything's inspired by other things, knowlingly or unconsciously... I dreamt about that song last night and I needed to see the video from the TV special she had back then...
Dude thank you so much for sharing this! I had no idea there was a video (I was born in '81). This was always one of my favorite songs. She's such a committed artist.
Well done Pavel for puttin this up! Only real ONJ fans know what to look out for. What a treat for me to see this. Didnt know the original but I had it from a ONJ nite special x
Olivia just announced that she is releasing a 40th Anniversary of the "Physical CD along with the DVD of the 1981 Special that aired on ABC & the "Physical" concert. in October.
@@blachubear Yes! So exciting! Although I have a feeling we'll get the 'video album' rather than the Let's Get Physical TV special, which will mean all the videos, but probably not the 'linking' segments she filmed. But you never know. That would be really wonderful!
+Rabbitwith Fangs (Jayne Lamb) Did she ever comment on the video for Breathing being inspiration for this? Love that Kate may have inspired Olivia. I once did a dance performance of Breathing and did a recreating of the plastic uterus leading to a still birth (lyrical interprtation) I was told that it made people ill watching it. Love that.
I agree with you though the cool Bowie and Bush connections are funny to me because this song was one of my first memories of music obsession... in an earlier version by Cliff Richard!!
The song is a reworking of a Cliff Richard track & this video was not inspired by anything by Bush or Bowie at least according to the Brian Grant who directed it. Olivia did go on to work with David Mallet who directed Ashes To Ashes.
I guess you guys beat me too it. Hank Marvin wrote this song in 1971 and ONJ performed it in 1981. Ashes to ashes was 1980 as well. In the original posters defense, I think they are referring to the video and only the video though. I think that’s just the 80’s. The ethereal world mixed with rock. Classic 80’s. That’s like saying Kate Bush was influenced by Xanadu or the neverending story. I do see the similarities you are referring to though. ONJ was just one of a kind. A Queen that Bush and others could never get close to.
There's nothing anywhere to suggest that. This is the 2nd version of this song, Hank Marvin wrote/recorded it in 1971, Cliff Richards recorded it in 2007.
I LOVED this song. It was my fave on the "Physical" album. I didn't know there was a video for this. She looks like a crazed Tammy Wynette mixed with Jane Lynch in this clip.
the video is ludicrous but the message is extremely important. back in the 80's, who else in the world of pop was worrying about pesticides in their lyrics? Olivia is one of a kind and it's such a shame this song did not get the recognition it deserves. only 32.663 people have watched it so far no wonder the world is as bad as it is...
Beautiful song, great message from 1981 that has more meaning now in 2011 30 years later. Olivia was ahead of her time as far as videos go MTV would not debut for a few more years.
Amazing 😀 I saw Olivia perform this on her Physical Tour, but this is the very first time that I've seen her 'Silvery Rain' music video & what a great piece. I absolutely loved it 🤗 💛💛 xx
одна сторона кассеты BASF была с этим альбомом .....крутил часто ...сейчас нет ни кассеты той ни магнитолы .....есть воспоминания о студенческих годах под музыку Оливии!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Actually was written by legendary guitar player and also a friend of Olivia, Hank B Marvin of The Shadows fame. He wrote a huge number of songs and often people will know them when they hear them, but won't know who wrote it. If you want to hear Hank B. M. doing an instrumental version with both acoustic and electrical guitar - on the Hank Marvin Guitar Syndicate album - listen to the Master: watch?v=2F7pyW7jCG0
Ahhh the good music, I wish todays musicans would take lessions from these artists of the past and do music right instead of all the wierd stuff their doing. This was THE era of True good music take lessions and Learn, these are the God Fathers and mothers of Music for the Future...
I think many of her fans were a bit taken back by the image portrayed in these such videos and maybe why they weren't as successful. I was one. But listening now I find I like the songs much more. This one is pretty good!
I'm not sure who wrote the song but the fact that Olivia chose to perform it - right down to the intuitively David Bowie (aka "Ashes To Ashes") video is a salute to her forward thinking - because in the end the Silvery Rain (or lack thereof) will get us all...and the end is only a few years away, certainly within our lifetimes. All ecosystems are going to collapse around the end of the 2020s as the world's population doubles and redoubles exponentially until it's totally off the grid (think the doubling of the world;s population in a week - a day - an hour....). The cancer has to end some time, and the time is coming soon. Let's ignore the warning signs and keep letting the rich do business as usual because we don't give a damn about this world only the next one, the afterlife we've been religiously indoctrinated into since childhood....
i think one of the shadows wrote this in the 60s. Think his name was farrah and it may have been a shadows tune. Anyhow...cliff richard did a versio but Olivia nailed it with hers.
Hank Marvin of The Shadows wrote it. Cliff Richard (The singer who performed with the Shadows) released his version before ONJ. John Farrar who was a member of the Shadows produced and posted on most of ONJ's 'Physical' album inc this track.
This song really speaks to me. I am a victim of the chemicals used in the food and cleaning products. I have to eat a limited diet and I can't go inside most buildings because of fumes. I am stuck at home unless I can find a place outside where there aren't many people.
Although technically they were MORE successful. Physical (the album this song is from) was her biggest-selling solo album. The TV special these clips were first aired on was a huge hit, with 35% of the US viewing market when first broadcast, and the VHS release was a top-seller and won a Grammy.
Hank Marvin from The Shadows wrote the song and his group Marvin Welch and Farrer recorded it in 1971. Cliff Richard also recorded it in 1971 and performed it on his Live in Japan ‘72 album where Olivia does backing vocals. It’s a great song and deserves more attention. Personally I think Olivia’s version here is the best one.
Lol! Another innovative idea that I have found is gorging mass quantities of garlic and blowing kisses at vampires. It knocks them out of the sky like a sniper shot bug zapper
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I played this 45 over & over! (only us old farts no what a" 45" is....
45s, 33s, LP and EP! And then the 21st century revival of vinyl...
I will miss Olivia forever. :-( RIP sweet soul....
Rest in peace, Olivia. Keep shining there with your beautiful voice.
Probably one of the earliest environmental songs... And besides that the song and the clip are brilliant... Love Olivia...
Who knows, that "silvery rain" may have been partially responsible for her death...
Butterflies danced on invisible strings
Showing wings they borrowed from a rainbow
And a blackbird on high sang a praise to the sky
While a light aeroplane sprayed the fields
With a silvery rain
Furry backed bees with a tireless drone
Never moan, they're happy to be working
And a grasshopper green could be heard but not seen
While a light aeroplane sprayed the fields
With a silvery rain
Fly away, Peter, fly away, Paul
Before there's nothing left to fly at all
Take to the sky, higher than high
Before the silvery rain begins to fall
Nothing moves now but the swaying ripe corn
Not a dawn is greeted with a bird's song
There's a feather or two from a bird that once flew
Before a light aeroplane sprayed the fields
With a silvery rain
Fly away, Peter, fly away, Paul
Before there's nothing left to fly at all
Take to the sky, higher than high
Before the silvery rain begins to fall
Fly away, Peter, fly away, Paul
Before there's nothing left to fly at all
Take to the sky, higher than high
Before the silvery rain begins to fall
....this is possibly Olivia's most SURREAL Video, and she RARELY gets credit for being one of the pioneers of MTV-stylized Music Videos; MTV was MONTHS old at the time of this release (It was from a TV Special....but ONJ knew she had the backup to create performance Videos, to sell her product....She TRULY 'walked', so Madonna can RUN....
I had that TV special on VHS and my sister and I played it endlessly, till my dad taped over it accidently one day and we were distraught for years! This was up there with my favourites on the show as well as "strangers touch", "landslide","recovery" and of course "physical"
Olivia just announced that she is releasing a 40th Anniversary of The Physical CD along with a DVD of the TV Special that aired on ABC back in 1981 & the "Physical Tour" in October.
Olivia's videos have taken a long time to be made available. I've been wanting them since I first watched her Physical video in '81. The entire album should have been made popular, but she wasn't the norm when it came to music. Beautiful woman, beautiful voice, beautiful heart. She cares.
Just found out Olivia is releasing the 40th Anniversary Of Physical CD & DVD of the Physical Special that aired on ABC back in 1981 & the concert.
Fly away Peter fly away Paul before there’s nothing left to fly from! Here for Olivia yesterday, today, and forever...2018
Ze was fantastisch die vrouw!she was fantastic!and a very nice woman!
1981 was a really great year. I think I watched this on HBO enthralled by her beauty and the beauty of her music. I think people forget how talented she is and much her music was a part of a generation. Love her.
Actually this aired on regular network television on ABC back in 1981 because we didn't have cable in our neighborhood at the time.
추억은 방울방울, 정말 예뻤던 올리비아!
This is probably the best song and video combo she ever did. People still look at me like I am lying when I say that she did a rock song on the dangers of pesticides. But this video is epic and freaky as shit! I love the dark side that Olivia showed in these videos.
She was my favourite artist when I was a kid.
I thought it was about war.
Yes - the video really adds something to the song, doesn't it? The whole Physical video album was outstanding. This, Landslide, and Recovery were the weirdest (and best) videos. Stranger's Touch was good, too. Physical ended up being over-exposed, but it's still a great, funny video.
Video very much inspired by Kate Bush’s breath
@@oceanbabin4567 She is still my favorite since the early 80's! My sister was a huge fan of hers too back then and she would play her records all the time. She has all her albums from the 1970's and 80's as well! There all at our moms house still!
Why? For having an imagination? It's a lot better than most of the videos we see these days, and it was downright innovative for the early 80s.
Farewell to my teenage crush 😪
Yes I love this for over 40 years I don't give a damn I think it's a classic
I remember seeing the network TV debut of Olivia's Physical videos on a cold, snowy night February 1982. I was in the 4th grade and thought the music videos were awesome.
The TV special it was from was a huge hit in 1982, so many more people have heard it that just those who've seen it on RUclips. It wasn't a single, which is one reason it didn't get more exposure, although I'm pretty sure I saw it several times on UK TV in the early 80s. It's no more ludicrous than most early 80s videos, and it's a lot more imaginative than most of the pop videos we see today.
This is a treat. She is so diverse. One of my favorite albums of all time. My sis bought it but a 10 year old played the heck out of it on the turntable. Long time fan. Thanks for posting.
Everything's inspired by other things, knowlingly or unconsciously... I dreamt about that song last night and I needed to see the video from the TV special she had back then...
Love this so much, Cliff did this with Hank Martin, but this Version is Great, Olivia has her own touch which is Fantasic
Love this song! I fell in love with it when Olivia did an HBO special and performed it there.
Weird video. ;-) LOL! Well, it was the 80's!!
One of my favorites by her...
Dude thank you so much for sharing this! I had no idea there was a video (I was born in '81). This was always one of my favorite songs. She's such a committed artist.
love olivia and her songs 1 of the most amazing songs and video shes ever done
열정이 넘치는 가수로
기교있고 파워풀한
가창력은 최고입니다
좋은노래 영원합니다
Best song on the album. Love it.
Oh I believe you !! Soul Kiss is a FABULOUS album.
this song used to make me cry.
Why? When i was a kid,to me it was creepy! But i still loved it and watched it a lot. I am a loyal Olivia Fan for life!
YES!! Me too.
Well done Pavel for puttin this up! Only real ONJ fans know what to look out for. What a treat for me to see this. Didnt know the original but I had it from a ONJ nite special x
Silvery Rain was written by Hank Marvin and first recorded by Cliff Richard
There was a video for EVERY song on the Physical album - it's a terrific collection. They're all on Olivia's "Video Hits Gold DVD" now.
Olivia just announced that she is releasing a 40th Anniversary of the "Physical CD along with the DVD of the 1981 Special that aired on ABC & the "Physical" concert. in October.
@@blachubear Yes! So exciting! Although I have a feeling we'll get the 'video album' rather than the Let's Get Physical TV special, which will mean all the videos, but probably not the 'linking' segments she filmed. But you never know. That would be really wonderful!
All the Physical album videos are now available on the Video Hits Gold DVDs. So great to see them in top quality after all these years!
RIP and thank you for all your beautiful music
개인적으로올리비아뉴톤좋아합니다
Silverlyrain비를은비로표현멋지네요
its 30 years since i worried about this song and now it has come to pass.
Brillaint !!!!
I played this song a lot
Influenced by Bowie's 'Ashes To Ashes' and Kate Bush's 'Breathing'; this is a bit of a lost treasure.
+Rabbitwith Fangs (Jayne Lamb) Did she ever comment on the video for Breathing being inspiration for this? Love that Kate may have inspired Olivia. I once did a dance performance of Breathing and did a recreating of the plastic uterus leading to a still birth (lyrical interprtation) I was told that it made people ill watching it. Love that.
I agree with you though the cool Bowie and Bush connections are funny to me because this song was one of my first memories of music obsession... in an earlier version by Cliff Richard!!
The song is a reworking of a Cliff Richard track & this video was not inspired by anything by Bush or Bowie at least according to the Brian Grant who directed it. Olivia did go on to work with David Mallet who directed Ashes To Ashes.
I guess you guys beat me too it. Hank Marvin wrote this song in 1971 and ONJ performed it in 1981. Ashes to ashes was 1980 as well. In the original posters defense, I think they are referring to the video and only the video though. I think that’s just the 80’s. The ethereal world mixed with rock. Classic 80’s. That’s like saying Kate Bush was influenced by Xanadu or the neverending story. I do see the similarities you are referring to though. ONJ was just one of a kind. A Queen that Bush and others could never get close to.
There's nothing anywhere to suggest that. This is the 2nd version of this song, Hank Marvin wrote/recorded it in 1971, Cliff Richards recorded it in 2007.
I had it too!! Oh what I wouldn't do to have it again!!
Beautiful Livvy - you sang songs about the preciousness of life when I was still learning to be a woman not a girl....
Rest in peace Olivia xx
I LOVED this song. It was my fave on the "Physical" album. I didn't know there was a video for this. She looks like a crazed Tammy Wynette mixed with Jane Lynch in this clip.
Rock progressivo 💥👊👏👏
I'll have to buy that. I really like "the lovely Livvy" (as we used to call her).
Love the intro and the music throughout, great bass. One of the most unique and interesting solos I have ever heard at 2:37 - 3:11.
@gillfamilync
it's taken me a long time to find this song(20+yrs) and still amazingly brillant!
She was ahead of her time.
the video is ludicrous but the message is extremely important. back in the 80's, who else in the world of pop was worrying about pesticides in their lyrics? Olivia is one of a kind and it's such a shame this song did not get the recognition it deserves. only 32.663 people have watched it so far
no wonder the world is as bad as it is...
REALLY .... R.I.P. OLIVIA
One wonders if the "silvery rain" contributed to her death. RIP
Listening to this on 2022-08-08. Rest easy, Olivia.
Beautiful song, great message from 1981 that has more meaning now in 2011 30 years later. Olivia was ahead of her time as far as videos go MTV would not debut for a few more years.
Even more relevant in 2022. Reviewing just after her death. RIP.
@@RohenKapur I have not got much of the "Message" side - more of the orchestration - maybe in the Chorus?
@@adelaidedupont9017 Recent report out that rainwater is not safe to drink. We had fair warning in 1981 with Olivia.
Actually the release of this song and album paralleled at the time with debut of MTV.Both her Physical album and MTV debuted around October of 81.
Amazing 😀 I saw Olivia perform this on her
Physical Tour, but this is the very first time that I've seen her
'Silvery Rain' music video & what a great piece. I absolutely loved it 🤗 💛💛 xx
You are the one over all.... the best... thanks for being there again, I'll see you soon in Santiago, Chile.
one of my all time faves ....
Brilliant Video and Brilliant Song !!! Brilliant Olivia !!!
одна сторона кассеты BASF была с этим альбомом .....крутил часто ...сейчас нет ни кассеты той ни магнитолы .....есть воспоминания о студенческих годах под музыку Оливии!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've had exactly the same thought. Love this clip (and Breathing)....
beautiful voice and good video..............
No doubt, this one of my favorites videos.. very advanced way to make a clip for that time...
Actually was written by legendary guitar player and also a friend of Olivia, Hank B Marvin of The Shadows fame. He wrote a huge number of songs and often people will know them when they hear them, but won't know who wrote it.
If you want to hear Hank B. M. doing an instrumental version with both acoustic and electrical guitar - on the Hank Marvin Guitar Syndicate album - listen to the Master: watch?v=2F7pyW7jCG0
I never thought I would hear a song about the enviroment and psticides!!!???
Such a beautiful song...
Ahhh the good music, I wish todays musicans would take lessions from these artists of the past and do music right instead of all the wierd stuff their doing. This was THE era of True good music take lessions and Learn, these are the God Fathers and mothers of Music for the Future...
Love this video! Rest in peace!
this is brilliant
I loved this and still do.
I haven't heard this song in a long time. It's nice to hear in a long time
olivia's song silver rain....I wonder if she is well now.
She made videos for this album I remember seeing at the time
these are brilliant videos
I think many of her fans were a bit taken back by the image portrayed in these such videos and maybe why they weren't as successful. I was one. But listening now I find I like the songs much more. This one is pretty good!
Wow this songs very new wave!!
I'm not sure who wrote the song but the fact that Olivia chose to perform it - right down to the intuitively David Bowie (aka "Ashes To Ashes") video is a salute to her forward thinking - because in the end the Silvery Rain (or lack thereof) will get us all...and the end is only a few years away, certainly within our lifetimes.
All ecosystems are going to collapse around the end of the 2020s as the world's population doubles and redoubles exponentially until it's totally off the grid (think the doubling of the world;s population in a week - a day - an hour....).
The cancer has to end some time, and the time is coming soon. Let's ignore the warning signs and keep letting the rich do business as usual because we don't give a damn about this world only the next one, the afterlife we've been religiously indoctrinated into since childhood....
i think one of the shadows wrote this in the 60s. Think his name was farrah and it may have been a shadows tune. Anyhow...cliff richard did a versio but Olivia nailed it with hers.
Hank Marvin of The Shadows wrote it. Cliff Richard (The singer who performed with the Shadows) released his version before ONJ. John Farrar who was a member of the Shadows produced and posted on most of ONJ's 'Physical' album inc this track.
lolololololol
It it's being so cheerful keeps you going.
Just take the jab and let Fauci's miracle potion save you...
Very cool music video!!!
Very beatiful song...
Radical for the time. But considering we are now in 2010 thank God we never ended up in her world.
I love Olivia ❤️❤️❤️
This song really speaks to me. I am a victim of the chemicals used in the food and cleaning products. I have to eat a limited diet and I can't go inside most buildings because of fumes. I am stuck at home unless I can find a place outside where there aren't many people.
Olivia cared a lot for the environment.
I an so sorry to hear that.
This video reminds me a great deal of Kate Bush's video for her song "Breathing."
One of my all time favorites…
An actual video. Great Olivia
Her music will lived on
Although technically they were MORE successful. Physical (the album this song is from) was her biggest-selling solo album. The TV special these clips were first aired on was a huge hit, with 35% of the US viewing market when first broadcast, and the VHS release was a top-seller and won a Grammy.
The genius of Brian Grant.
R.I.P. OLIVIA N. JOHN ....
Lovely song by lovely Olivia ❤❤❤
Hank Marvin from The Shadows wrote the song and his group Marvin Welch and Farrer recorded it in 1971. Cliff Richard also recorded it in 1971 and performed it on his Live in Japan ‘72 album where Olivia does backing vocals. It’s a great song and deserves more attention. Personally I think Olivia’s version here is the best one.
RIP lovely lady.
Silver rain is great for vampire slaying
Lol! Another innovative idea that I have found is gorging mass quantities of garlic and blowing kisses at vampires. It knocks them out of the sky like a sniper shot bug zapper
An amazing song.
Love this song!!!
I especially like the way she tosses her head around 3 times towards the end.
get well dear
Rest in peace... 🙏 😭
@Orca40 Silvery Rain is about polution, nuclear attacks, and chemical warfare.
Not even close, but nice try.
👏👏👏👏👏💥
Versão mais Rock progressivo 💥👏
great
Such sad news today 💔
Her and Karen Carpenter…… emphatically YES!!
ahead of the time talking about pollution and more
First album by a solo artist. A Blondie album a couple of years earlier did the same thing.
omg, THIS VIDEO IS SO-----------
Livvy, R.I.P.
i remember my music teacher showing us this song in 2nd grade i still think about it