Long before weather became such an au courant a.k.a. “hot” topic, William Shakespeare was wielding it as a means to mirror the emotions of his characters and the general “mood” of certain plot points. While many writers (whether of the stage, screen or novel) after him have also been known to use the weather as a mirror for their characters’ emotions, it’s less common for musicians to do the same. Not just in their music, but in their music videos. Enter Kali Uchis with “Sunshine & Rain…” A weather-oriented ditty that serves as Uchis’ first single from her upcoming sixth album, Sincerely. And yes, it’s easy to see the connection between 2018’s “After the Storm” and this song. Not just in the weather-centric metaphors, but even in terms of espousing Uchis’ long-standing belief in karma.
Which is why “Sunshine & Rain…” opens with the line, “I do nothing in the dark ‘cause I believe in karma.” This was also alluded to in “After the Storm,” when Bootsy Collins opens the song with the lines, “Whatever goes around/Eventually comes back to you/So you gotta be careful, baby/And look both ways/Before you cross my mind.” In many regards, “Sunshine & Rain…” tells the story of what happens after, well, the storm. Which is, in general, more storminess with intermittent sunshine peppered in between. Hence, a music video concept that centers on being a weather girl (of different varieties). A.k.a. meteorologist (if they’re really qualified), which, yes, is a fine analogy for what it means to be a woman navigating a relationship with a hetero man.
Directed by Zach Apo Tsang, the video opens with the somewhat porn-y notes of the mid-tempo track, as we see Uchis walking around in what can be described as a Cher Horowitz/Elle Woods type of robe next to a bubble bath that’s surrounded by candles. The camera then cuts to the side of the bathtub where an animated cat (not unlike the one Tove Lo showed us for her Sunshine Kitty era) “purrs,” “Good morning sunshine” (this being a snippet of dialogue said by Uchis’ mother, taken from a home movie—after all, Ariana Grande isn’t the only one who knows how to use them in her visuals). From there, Uchis lolls about in the tub with more glee than Margot Robbie in The Big Short or Tony Montana (Al Pacino) in Scarface (and yes, his bathtub scene is also briefly punctuated by watching a weather report on TV).
She then turns on the Barbie pink television in front of the tub, tuning in to KUTV (as in: Kali Uchis TV) to catch a glimpse of another Uchis persona, Lead Anchor. Later, we’ll also see Weather Girl (sporting a beehive that could give Amy Winehouse a run for her money), Wendy Wave, Breezy Monroe (Uchis’ weather-oriented nod to the infamous subway grate scene from The Seven Year Itch) and Drizzle Lynn (get it? Drizzlin’?). Lead Anchor passes the air time to Weather Girl, who stands in front of a board that lists, what else, emotions (or rather, “phases of a relationship”) as weather forecasts. Listed in Spanish, there’s such “sentiments” as: corazón (heart), canela (cinnamon), sabrosa (tasty), serenata (serenade) and, of course, pasión (passion). That latter “condition” being something that Uchis never wants to lose, whether in matters of romance or art.
Thus, the lyrics, “Wish I didn’t let my emotions run the way they ran me/Gave you my heart to hold, will I end up empty-handed?/Riding through the storm brought me much-needed clarity.” Elsewhere, the word “epiphany” is used instead of “clarity,” with her realization being that, “Through sunshine and rain, as seasons change/We all need somebody that makes the Earth feel heavenly/Maybe I’ll be that somebody ‘cause you’re that someone to me” (or, as Aaliyah once said, “‘Cause I really need somebody/Tell me, are you that somebody?”). It’s easy to feel this hopeful at the outset of a relationship—but the real challenge arises in continuing to feel that way as the years go on. Which is why Weather Girl’s initial report is “Bright and Romantic,” with her fellow weather reporter, Wendy Wave, also reporting live from the beach with a “100% chance of a honeymoon phase” as a PDA-loving couple kisses behind her.
In between more scenes of Uchis “mucking about” in her bubble bath, Apo Tsang cuts to another shot of Lead Anchor with her feet up on the desk, drinking from a can of Olipop (blatantly zoomed in on in the same way that a bottle of eos “vanilla cashmere” body wash will be—product placement pays the bills, right?). Realizing she’s on air and has been “caught in the act” (of relaxing/talking on the phone), Lead Anchor quickly puts her feet back down and stares into the camera. Meanwhile, Drizzle Lynn isn’t having as fun of a time reporting on the weather from her side of things (“Warning: flash floods of tears expected”), broadcasting from the living room of a couple that’s in the middle of a fight as she wears a high-fashion take on the classic yellow raincoat and hat to try to block out as much of the storm as she can—literally and figuratively.
It’s during this scene that she begins to sing the poignant verse, “I’ve always been a hopeless romantic/No matter how many times it went and did me damage/At least I’m not scared to live, they’ll never understand it/At least we’re not like them, that’d be catastrophic/Like, what ever happened to the human race?/Did everyone’s brains get melted and deranged?/Bitches backwards to me/When was it that your lost your common sense?” Weather Girl then forecasts “Windy and Chaotic,” giving Breezy Monroe her opportunity to make an entrance, reporting live with, “Relationship turbulence: hold onto your hats!”
Uchis’ additional lyrical revelation, “Perfect as you are, you’re perfect to me, baby/Lovers never say goodbye, let’s stay in love forever” is also indicative of the “hopeless romantic” inside of her. The version of herself that breaks free by the end. At least in her Lead Anchor iteration. For it’s this persona of Uchis’ that tosses up her papers (“Friday after work meme”-style) and abandons the newsroom in favor of making a beeline toward the ocean (the one where Wendy Wave was probably reporting from), disrobing completely and letting herself feel the breeze and the mist on her bare skin. All the elements she can, really. Taking the good with the bad, the rain with the shine. Or, as she inverts the old saying, “Come shine or rain/It’s all the same, it’s all the same.” That is, if you find the right person willing to weather any storm with you.
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