FIRST TIME HEARING The Cowsills - The Rain, The Park & Other Things REACTION 

John, I remember this song too, I was 13.....

It's not just an understanding John, it's a fact! The Cowsill family was actually ask to do the show but the producers said that their mom would not "play" the mother so they said NO!

@@leroywilliams6380 hugs

@@ogr7771 Wow, cool facts.

Things you learn every day. And it was a good theme song.

@@danalyntuthill1538 Yes it was. Upbeat and catchy.

"Bubblegum pop" to me was more groups like the 1910 Fruitgum Company ("Simon Says"), The Ohio Express ("Yummy Yummy Yummy") and the Archies ("Sugar Sugar"), where the songs were really aimed at pre-teens. I would say the psychedelic aspect here has more to do with the lyrics (the flower girl references the whole "flower power" hippie thing, and the singer doesn't know if she's real or not), but the arrangement does create a slightly surreal effect with the organ and the harp. The lush vocal harmonies are similar to the type of thing groups like the Association, the Turtles and Strawberry Alarm Clock (remember them?!) were doing around the same time. The Beach Boys were apparently big fans of the Cowsills' singing. This came out in fall of '67 and was sort of a musical last gasp for the Summer Of Love. In terms of subject matter it's actually not that far off from the milieu of the show "Hair", but much less provocative and challenging in nature.

Ssdly, they felt the mom was not pretty enough.

With a much sadder, darker storyline and outcome.