It’s Friday. In some parts of the country, it’s homecoming weekend. Sometimes, just a feel good song is needed to remind us life is good and good music is a reason why – like Soul For Real’s “Candy Rain.” 

The reasoning behind this installment of the CCU series actually happened last night. There’s this Friday’s up the street from my house. Every Thursday, they always have this promotion where drinks and appetizers are $3. Feel free to go ahead and judge me because I went to Fridays, but I’m not ever passing up a deal like that (especially on a night where the last thing I intended on doing was cooking).

To go along with the drink and food special, there’s a DJ who plays there, too. He’s decent at best and his transitions from song to song are atrocious at times, but keep in mind, we’re in Fridays, not Stadium. Anywho, he’s going through a nice string of old school songs when ultimately lands on “Candy Rain.”

Everyone begins singing in unison, a la a drunken choir practice. The bartenders are belting out tunes like their auditioning for Berry Gordy and Motown in the ’60s. The patrons standing are two-stepping. The vibe was festive, except for one guy. He drank his beer and kept a stone face the entire time. Perhaps the guy had a bad day at work, or perhaps he was furloughed and couldn’t go to work (very much possible living in the DC area).

Nevertheless, Soul For Real’s most memorable musical contribution drew the largest reaction of the night. It’s a song that’ll instantly take a person back to more innocent and carefree days when first crushes masqueraded themselves as first loves. You can’t help but sing the hook because at one point candy coated rain drops actually raindrops seemed fathomable in that special someone’s presence.

Given the past few weeks in DC from the Navy Yard shooting, to the government shutdown to the car chase fiasco near the White House and Capitol yesterday, the feeling everyone simply wanted to have a good time (and have cheap drinks in the process) was more than apparent.

On occasion, life is that simple. Who would’ve thought Fridays could be so deep?