Unexpected musical partnerships that rocked the charts
It comes as no surprise to any attentive music lover that many artists have written songs about rain, storms, hurricanes, and other weather events. While some of these songs are indeed about the weather, others use the weather as a metaphor for things such as feelings.
In this gallery, we bring you some of the best songs about storms and hurricanes, real and metaphorical. Click on and check them out.
The German rockers got everyone to sing out loud: "Here I am / Rock you like a hurricane!"
Released in 1973, Gary Richrath wrote this song about a time when the band was caught in a blizzard in Boulder, Colorado, and got stuck at a bar.
This iconic song by Aussie rockers AC/DC gets everyone with their fists in the air shouting "thunder!"
Front man Gary Lightbody wrote this song after he was caught in a storm in Glasgow, Scotland. "I was pretty terrified – 150-mile-an-hour winds, trees falling down," he said.
"Let me face / The sound and fury / Let me face / Hurricanes," sings Dido.
"Thunder, feel the thunder / Lightning and the thunder." Sounds like a storm to us!
A hurricane surely brings big waves, right? So why not ride them? "I feel like goin' surfing in a hurricane / The waves were hard, the seas were high / Wicked thunderbolts flashed in my eyes," sings Buffett.
This track from the band's 1971 album 'L.A. Woman' is a classic. The song begins with the sound of pouring rain and thunder.
We can listen to Enya's angelic voice singing about storms in Africa in this 1988 tune. The lyrics go: "Storms have come! / Rains wash the earth away / Dark skies fall down / Into another day / Rains have now come / From storms in Africa."
Released in 1977, this Neil Young tune is about a love interest of his. "You are like a hurricane," he sings.
The lyrics to one of CCR's most famous songs go: "I hear hurricanes a-blowing / I know the end is comin' soon / I fear rivers over flowin'."
The country group uses the weather as an analogy for feelings. "Thought you'll change the weather / Start a little storm, make a little rain / But I'm gonna do one better / Have the sun until you pray / I'm a tornado / Looking for a soul to take."
"Oh, what are we going to do / I never did a thing to you / Time peaceful as a hurricane eye," sings Paul Simon.
Hailing from England, the heavy metal band is no stranger to bad weather. "Not very long before the storm reaches here / Off in the distance the lightning is flashing again / Feel something strong as the power draws near," sings Bruce Dickinson.
Yet another song that uses the weather as an metaphor for feelings. "I'm in the grip of a hurricane / I'm going to blow myself away," sings Florence Welch.
This track can be found on the singer's 1986 album 'True Colors.' "I'm like a rockin' ship / On your rollin' sea / You know crash lightnin' / Never frightens me, nah."
The Piano Man sings about "a storm front coming" and points out that there is "white water running and the pressure is low."
Stevie Nicks mentions how tempestuous she is in her relationship. "I have always been a storm," she sings.
Have you ever gone on vacation only to find out a hurricane is on the way? Chris de Burgh apparently has. "Standing in the foyer of the Grand Hotel / Suitcase in his hand looking for a bill / There's a hurricane coming and everyone's trying to get away."
The indie rock band sings about a game called
"Crying Lightning" and how someone likes "to aggravate the ice-cream man on rainy afternoons."
'Hurricane' was the first single released by the country music artist, and it's yet another song that uses the weather as an analogy for feelings. "Rain was driving, thunder, lightning / You wrecked my whole world when you came / And hit me like a hurricane."
Bono sings about the weather as a metaphor for a relationship between two lovers. He goes: "Sure hope the weather will break soon / The air is heavy, heavy as a truck / We need the rain to wash away our bad luck."
This song features on Etta James' classic 1960 album 'At Last!' It paints a pretty gloomy picture of a relationship, using the weather as a metaphor. "Gloom and misery everywhere / Stormy weather, stormy weather / And I just can get my poor self together."
The alternative rockers keep repeating that "it is time for stormy weather / For stormy weather / It is time."
Mumford & Sons sing about that glorious time when things get better again. "And after the storm / I run and run as the rains come [...] And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears."
This blues number, also known as simply 'Stormy Monday,' paints a pretty grim picture of some days of the week. "They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday's just as bad / Wednesday's worse, and Thursday's also sad." Things do get a bit better by Friday and throughout the weekend though.
This R&B tune touches on how humans are destroying Earth. The lyrics go: "Stop killing your planet / It's crime / Can you see the rain? / And thunder / It's a hurricane (hurricane)."
"The wind is up, and the sky is falling / The thunder cracks, and the sea is rolling." It does sound like something you'd want to run away from!
This is a protest song about how boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned. Given the title, it's worth a mention on this list!
Sources: (Musical Mum) (Zing Instruments) (Spinditty) (Music Grotto) (MidderMusic) (The Telegraph)
See also: Are these the most influential protest songs ever recorded?
Tempestuous tracks about storms and hurricanes
Spectacular stormy songs
MUSIC Playlist
It comes as no surprise to any attentive music lover that many artists have written songs about rain, storms, hurricanes, and other weather events. While some of these songs are indeed about the weather, others use the weather as a metaphor for things such as feelings.
In this gallery, we bring you some of the best songs about storms and hurricanes, real and metaphorical. Click on and check them out.