[18 images][news][links][12 vids] 비 Yourself Open Thread for 8/1 — 9/30/2019. Rain2 overload!
There has been a large influx of new Clouds and new Rain fans, and Rain has mentioned working on new music. So, now is a great time to go all the way back and get folks up to speed on his albums, from 1998 to 2017!
My third installment of this series celebrates the time when 21-year-old 비 began using his name in English for the first time — Rain — and dropped his second album in October 2003, Rain2 (a.k.a. How To Avoid The Sun). He had SO much going on in addition to new music — his first leading role in a TV drama, a best new actor award, a most popular TV actor award, tons of live performances, game shows, interviews, CFs, promos and shoots — and handled it all with charm and grace. ^@@^
DID YOU KNOW? If not for this album, Rain’s first martial arts role would not have been Ninja Assassin. It would have been Fighter of Wind. But, the scheduling conflicts were too great to overcome. You can read about it in my previous post HERE!
SCROLL DOWN ↓ this post to learn more and see my compilation of images, songs, MVs, track lists, TV spots, and TV appearances (credited as tagged). Please enjoy! ^@@^
» You can visit the previous Open Thread and re-visit Rain’s first album n001 HERE. By the way — have you 10th Cloud sisters left a message for Rain on his officially sanctioned fan club on Naver today?
ANNOUNCEMENT: We noticed many pictures on our homepages weren’t loading anymore… As it turns out, our web host has moved to a new platform and we need to do the same (follow them). Co-founder Terri is working hard behind the scenes to rebuild our site and move it to the new web location. Please don’t worry — our blog is not affected and our new site will be up and running smoothly soon. PLEASE PARDON OUR MESS OVER THERE! 🙂
REMINDER: Rain’s new MBC TV drama, Welcome 2 Life [웰컴2라이프] premiered on Korean TV on August 5, and can be viewed in North America with English subs and in crystal clarity on Kocowa and Viki (we’re watching on Kocowa!). Please see my previous post HERE for more details. Please support him and enjoy the show!
» Cloud USA disclaimer. READ it. We’re 10th Cloud term members now, but the same still applies.
(CLICK IMAGE ABOVE ↑ ↑ to visit Rain’s Official Channel on V-Live / 32 Replays)
RAIN SUPPORT/OFFICIAL LINKS
R.A.I.N. Company’s new address effective 8/22/17
B326, 32-14, Seoulsup 2-gil
Seongdong-gu, Seoul, Korea
04769 (Galleria Forét)
Tel: +82 2 546 4379 | Fax: +82 2 546 4375
E-mail: info@raincompany.co.kr
CLICK on image to go to the new site!
Image credit: rainvietnam_rvn @ Instagram, 8/22/2017.
R.A.I.N. Company Blog on Naver
Rain’s Twitter
Rain’s Weibo
Rain’s Instagram
Rain_비&정지훈 Official Facebook
R.A.I.N. Company Website
Rain’s official YouTube
Rain’s Google+
Rain’s official Fan Community in Korea (site RETIRING)
Rain’s official Fan Community in Japan
R.A.I.N. Company Twitter
The Korean Cloud’s Twitter
R.A.I.N. Company Official Instagram
Snail Mail: Send everything to R.A.I.N Company address above. ↑↑
° ° °
This Month’s Features are: All about Rain’s second album Rain2: How To Avoid The Sun, released in October 2003, and about other things happening in that year. When, around 2006, I discovered the song “Escaping The Sun” and the MV, I could not go a day without listening to it. And that was back when we connected to the internet by the infamous dial-up, ugh. Lord, when dial-up was down, I would have conniption fits! ^_^
SPECIAL POSTS by staff writer Michele:
» Inkigayo Chronicles: A Rain Retrospective – How To Avoid The Sun (11/9/2003)
» Inkigayo Chronicles: A Rain Retrospective – How To Avoid The Sun #2 (11/23/2003)
» Inkigayo Chronicles: A Rain Retrospective – How To Avoid The Sun #3 (11/30/2003)
» Inkigayo Chronicles: A Rain Retrospective – Do You Like That I’m Famous Now (12/28/2003)
» Inkigayo Chronicles: A Rain Retrospective – You Already Knew & How To Avoid The Sun (01/11/2004)
LISTEN to the album track list, watch MVs and fan videos, and READ the songs’ English lyrics HERE in co-founder Terri’s Rain Discography on our Cloud USA homepages. CLICK on the song titles. Enjoy! ^@@^
Official MV, “Escaping the Sun.” Rain’s first release from Rain2. ^@@^ (Source: RAIN’s Official Channel.)
Clip. “Escaping the Sun” live on Music Camp. When the jacket comes off during his dance break, the number of votes go UP ↑ ↑ ↑ bwahaha! ^@@^ (Source credit: MBCkpop.)
Clip, making of “Escaping the Sun.” As televised on Japanese TV. When things go haywire, he makes the funniest expressions, LOL. ^@@^ (Courtesy of aichan0625.)
Clip. One of my favorite TV hosts, comedian JaeSuk, made an “Escaping the Sun” parody that cracked everyone and Rain up LOL! Rain is included in the parody, in pink. 🙂 ^@@^ (courtesy of ko860313.)
Official MV, “You Already Knew.” The second track on the album and one of the most gorgeous songs to come out of Rain’s mouth. JYP Entertainment used footage from the making of Rain2, live performances, and Rain’s 2003 KBS TV drama Sangdoo! Let’s Go To School! (his first lead acting role) to make it, and just re-uploaded the MV to their YouTube two months ago. Hurray!!! ^@@^ (Source credit: jypentertainment.)
Fan made. A rare listen and look at the Sangdoo! Let’s Go To School! OST. The songs (none by Rain) are insanely beautiful and haunting, as he is in the visual footage. Wow! Re-visiting the songs has always been surprisingly comforting to me, seeing as the TV drama itself scarred me for life (a long story!). ^@@^ (Source credit: Kay Muse.)
Clip. Because we all love seeing Rain have fun, here is a fan made outtake reel from Sangdoo! Let’s Go To School! filming. hehe~ ^@@^ (courtesy of jongshome.)
Fanmade. “You Already Knew” set to footage from Rain’s stint on reality competition show Fort Boyard. One of my favs from back in the day. What the heck? So dangerous! Look at that precious baby face, tho! ^@@^ (Credit and edit: MiuseNaBi.)
Clip. Another of my favorite comedians, Kang HoDong, hosted this 2003 episode of Match Made in Heaven, where the object of the game was to successfully imitate the young studs, of which Rain was one. Absolutely hilarious, LMAO!! I see you over there, HwangBo, looking at Rain like he’s prime steak, LOL! I see you, girl! ^@@^ (Source credit: MBCentertainment.)
Fan made. In addition to the two songs we’ve already covered, I absolutely recommend “The Empty Space” and this one, “Even You.” “Even You” is the 6th track on Rain2 (2003), and this footage is from a Six To Five photo shoot in 2009. The combination of his voice and these visuals get me in my feels EVERY TIME. @_@ (Credit and edit: MiuseNaBi.)
Clip compilation. Competitive Rain on a 2003 game show, looking like a BOSS. Which he is. After that first event, he was NOT playing around anymore, no sir! 🙂 ^@@^ (Courtesy of Rainrunway629.)
Rain is Eternal. Where clouds stay gathered, rain will always come. It is inevitable.
— Stephe ^@@^
Album images: Stephe @ CloudUSA.
Cloud USA 
Dans la vidéo avec les jeux , c’est drôle de voir que c’est Tae Jin Ah qui lui remet la médaille , et qu’il se retrouve beaucoup plus tard pour chanter ensemble La Song . Thanks for sharing
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Well Stephe, I have just finished watching Welcome 2 Life. So tell me which thread should I go to to “pow wow” about Rain’s latest drama? SMILES……
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You did? Wow, sis! 🙂 I’m putting up a new What We’re Watching thread tonight, so we all can dish about everything we’re watching and Welcome 2 Life. It’s time to ponderosa!👍🏽📺
Stephe ^@@^
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Sorry about the delay, dongsaeng ❤ ^@@^
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No worries Unni!
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Hi, Stephe. I’d like to pick your brain. I have a video that I saved way back when youtube would let you save videos and it is a behind the scenes/ making of a video. I’m curious if there was an official video and if so, which song released. The description of the video is that Rain is at an old rundown building dancing with only two guys, one on each side. He’s wearing a white bandanna under a white NY baseball cap and he has injured his neck but he keeps pushing himself to finish filming. Can you either provide me with a link (if you have it) or give me the name if the song do I can search for the finished video?
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Hi, Beez. 🙂
That sounds like the Road For Rain DVD documentary that followed Rain on a working/dancing/modeling trip in Cuba and Southern California. And that particular scene was just a dance break particularly for the DVD and not officially released anywhere else. The song sounded to me like the remix to a Ciara/Missy Elliott song and was not an official released song either. The whole thing was just for the DVD as far as I know.
I wish that section had been released as a dance video or something because that dance break is epic! OMG, the way he danced in it, woahhhhh ❤
Unfortunately, the only way to see it (if you don’t have the DVD) is in the YouTube video you have, that someone uploaded from the actual Road For Rain DVD.
Sorry for the late reply! ^^
Stephe ^@@^
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Awwww. i’m disappointed. I knew that you would know though. His dancing always stood out back then but that’s one of those really stand out performances which, the fact that he was struggling and in pain, makes it all the more amazing.
I think it’s the type of performance where any one who sees it has to stop and acknowledge they’re seeing something great. Kind of like even though I hate football and know nothing about it or the rules, but the first time I saw Barry Bonds running and avoiding players, I had to pause flipping through channels and watch in amazement. Same thing with Dr. J and Michael Jordan for me even though I’m not a huge basketball. I believe this performance of Rain’s is like that.
I try to describe to my son how Rain’s dancing is not like Justin Timberlake’s or BTS’ or the other boy bands out there. His dancing is organic. Even if, yes, someone may have choreographed and taught him some performances, those other guys look like this type of dancing isn’t natural to them and they had to have someone watching them do it over and over for hours to get the moves down. I know Rain would practice endlessly to perfect his performance but not because the moves were foreign to him. Am I making sense? Even his background dancers – they seem like professionally trained in, perhaps, classical dance who then apply that to hip hop. And i think that that’s why, despite his backup dancers being trained dancers, the audiences eyes are still riveted on Rain. You can tell the dancing just comes naturally to him and then he adds dedication to perfecting it into that. (I also often say – you could take him to a house party and know he can dance that way too – not overly choreographed, but just normal house party dancing. lol. I bet if guys like Timberlake or Kpop idols went to one of “our” houseparties, they would embarrass their date by using the only moves they’ve got – those “staged” choreographed moves. haha!
Anyway, thanks for the additional info and pics showing where and why this performance came from.
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You are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT about his dancing. It is organic and uniquely his. It’s often been imitated but never duplicated, and everyone acknowledges that. 🙂
I finally realized WHY there was a difference between him and other dancers during his Legend of Rainism tour, the first night, during “Because of You.” He used every joint in his body, which meant he was still moving in between moves when no one else was. So cool. I’ve only seen one other KPop idol who does that.
Yes, you made perfect sense!
You’re welcome. 🙂
Stephe ^@@^
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I really didn’t remember anything about Fighter in the Wind other than the fact that I wasn’t impressed with it but I did rewatch it today (using fast forward) and I must say “THANK GOODNESS RAIN DIDN’T TAKE ON THE ROLE!” The horrible WIGS they put on the main actor. If y’all only knew how much i hate bad wigs. They can distract me from an otherwise good show and performance. And the only part I dislike in Ninja Assassin is the backflash part where he’s on the roof (after killing the big dude in the bathroom) and he defies his “father” – I hate that scene because of the wig. And I think Rain was giving a powerful performance there, but I can’t just enjoy what he’s doing because i can’t get my mind off the wig. So if he had played fighter In the wind, I would’ve hated seeing him in these TERRIBLE wigs.
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Not to belabor the point, but look at this example of one of the wigs:
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AvE2-hpAQD16gZR0tMtF1JjcYxBYBg?e=a647eg
Oh, no. I’m glad they didn’t get a chance to do my baby like this! Might’ve set his acting career back for years!
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Oh those kisses!! He has most incredible lips. He makes every role his own and I think some are the better for it. I have to share this little incident with you concerning “Hold to avoid the sun” . At the Vancouver fan meet they were playing some his song before it started and when that song came on I was singing along in Korean. The little Japanese lady next to me asked if I spoke Korean, I said no but I love the song so much. She then wanted to know if I understood it. When I said I did and then I did the rap part in Korean for her. She nearly fainted. 🙂 🙂
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Ahahaha!! Awesome story! I am so glad that you got to go and experience that wonderful fan meet. 🙌🏽
Stephe ^@@^
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This blog always has the best Rain vids. I enjoyed seeing the Fighter in the Wind video (although i’m not sure if I saw it on the page or had followed one of the links on this page). lol
His kiss scene in Welcome2Life still has that sizzzzzzle. I don’t know but I was thinking he might hold back (which he did compared to his pre-married days when I’d have to pause to fan & regroup while hitting rewind but boy still has “it”). Don’t get me wrong, I understand and I’m glad he is respectful of his status now but with very little effort he can still ignite that flame!
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That’s why he and Tae Hee make such a good match. They’re in the same position, have kissed their share of co-stars in a leading role, look at it as a job, and have no need to be insecure about it because they get it. Brilliant.
Yes, boy, he can still sizzle. And I expected him too, haha^^
Thanks for the compliment. I do my best!
Stephe ^@@^
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I didn’t know Rain was up for the role in Fighter in the Wind! But i’m so glad it worked out that he didn’t get that role. I was bored with that movie even though i really like the actor that starred in it. Then again, who knows what Rain would have done to make me like it better.
I loved all of Rain’s roles (except That Which Shall Not Be Named) but especially when I think of Come Back, Ahjusshi – there’s really nothing there on paper but he brought his charisma and timing and made that hilarious. Too bad the writers had no real ending that could’ve satisfied audiences.
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