The song has emotional ties to Louisiana, having been written and sung by people born in that state, being released on a New Orleans–based record label and enduring in the Deep South as a regional classic.
[1] Although most of her 1961–63 Minit recordings were written and produced by Toussaint, only one of these, "Two Winters Long", made the national charts.
[5] The opening falsetto harmonies captured the drip-drop of rain and tears by using a late 1950s doo-wop singing style.
That it became a regional favorite is summed up by one journalist who noted that "Maybe it's because although it speaks to a universal sentimental human experience - romantic heartbreak - it does so with dignity, rather than pour on the sap.
[6] The film's actors Roberto Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi, whose characters fall in love in the movie, danced to the song.