"Come Rain or Come Shine" is a popular song and jazz standard with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was written for the Broadway musical St. Louis Woman, which opened on March 30, 1946 and closed after 113 performances. The song became a modest hit during the run of the show: Margaret Whiting with Paul Weston and His Orchestra reached number 17 on the pop charts. The original recording, by Ruby Hill and Harold Nicholas, was made in April 1946 for the cast album St. Louis Woman, Original Broadway Cast. It is one of Arlen's meteorological songs, alongside "Stormy Weather", "Ill Wind" and "Over the Rainbow".
The melody opens with a long run of one repeated note, sung thirteen times, over a rich and opulent harmony. Critics say the thin melody and rich harmony suit introspective improvisers, and the song is a major jazz standard. Notable recordings include those by Sarah Vaughan (1950), Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (1958), Bill Evans (1959), Frank Sinatra (1961) and Stan Getz (1982).
