While stormy weather most obviously symbolises being stuck in a bleak situation, it can also metaphorise the environment we exist in, opening the floodgates for songs about emotional depth, torrenting despair, personal power and cleansing of the spirit.
We’ve collected some stand-out songs about stormy weather from a myriad of genres and eras, from tracks about sinking beneath the blues to songs about being in a clear-headed place, anticipating the inevitable storms on the distant horizon.
Songs About Stormy Weather
1. Billie Holiday – Stormy Weather
The jazz classic, Stormy Weather, originally composed in 1933, found prominence amongst the legends of pre-pop and rock, being covered by an array of icons such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Etta James.
Billie Holiday crafts her 1953 rendition with the melancholic essence of vintage jazz, her version as overtly mournful yet hypnotic as an undying autumnal storm;
“Life is bare, gloom and misery everywhere, stormy weather, just can’t get my poor self together, I’m weary all the time.”
This track depicts desiderium over a lost lover, the piece’s soft harmonic lethargy reflecting the narrator’s inability to pick-up and persist in her emotional recovery; “When he went away, the blues walked in and met me… All I do is pray, the Lord above will let me walk in the sun once more.”
2. MAGNUM – Stormy Weather
Magnum’s 1992 rock power ballad, Stormy Weather, conjures the agony of falling out of love and sinking into the floodwater of grief for the serenity once shared; “There’s a fog down on the beach, it rolls on forever, you get further out of reach, looks like we’re in for stormy weather.”
Crafted against an atmospheric 80s-style soundscape padded with synths and velvet distortions, Magnum paint their lyrics with mesmerising, natural scenery evoking the abyssal emotions of haunting despair and heartbreak;
“The church bell’s striking midnight and the lights have all gone down, the sea’s as dark as thunder, I feel like a wanted man on sacred ground, now the wind cries out, it’s taking you away but there’s nothing I can do.”
3. Tinashe – Stormy Weather
Tinashe’s 2019 R&B / pop single, Stormy Weather, refuses to take an overused, downcast perspective on the concept of bad weather, instead taking shape around the natural and realistic expectation that her happiness and contentment will eventually falter and change like all else on Earth;
“Speeding faster ‘cross the border, every moment getting older, hotter, colder, change the temperature, waiting for some stormy weather.”
Padded with pulsating synths streaked vibrantly with electronic elements mirroring the sound of tweeting birds, Stormy Weather is near-erratic, eccentric and unpredictable like the storms it awaits, however soft or relentless its changing harmonic movements may be.
This track hosts as much metaphor in its production as in its lyrics; Tinashe’s initially fresh and cleanly mixed vocals soon submerged artfully with an underwater effect to mirror the incoming storm of which she sings.
4. Pixies – Stormy Weather
This punk track by the Pixies embodies the ennui of rainy days, their track swarmed with stylistic levels of lethargy, as if trying to gain power or energy to persevere through the bleak weather.
This borderline-monotonous track verges upon apathy, being so drained of emotion and energy its lyrics revolve around a single, repeating phrase; “It is time, it is time, it is time for stormy weather.”
Much like stormy weather itself, this track is carried by its crushing, rebellious ambience rather than its lyrics, just as the storm is hailed for its atmospheres rather than issuing a spark of productivity.
5. Kings Of Leon – Stormy Weather
Kings of Leon’s 2021 indie rock / pop single, Stormy Weather, is grounded in a country inspired aura, inspiring atmospheres of vast, open skies ahead.
Woven with melody and hope inspiring the passing of the storms above you, this track encourages a lost partner to return from wherever they may be, bringing the blue heavens back with them; “Time away from here has never felt so long, find your souvenir and make your way back home.”
Interpreted literally, Stormy Weather is about aspiring to live in the moment, embracing every moment for what it is and finally becoming the person your ex was looking for; “Four in the morning, came and you left without warning, looking for a good time lover, a right now man.”
However, Kings of Leon hide a second meaning within their lyrics, their song personifying any depressive situation motivating you to welcome the return of happiness and attain better in the days ahead.
6. Wiley – Stormy Weather
Wiley’s 2006 grime track, Stormy Weather, composes its lyrical life-account against the titling lyric, “The weather won’t change, there will always be some stormy weather,” illustrating an artist’s rise to power, fame and fortune despite the torrential misery endured and obstacles surmounted along the way;
“That’s why I’m a grafter, the Tai Chi master, don’t know now, you will realise after, I’ve made my mark with permanent marker, I’ve made history like the Spanish Armada.”
As a track about finding the silver lining in every situation, Stormy Weather is embellished with the raw motivation to persevere through hardship and command your own world, weather, environment and lifestyle; “That’s why I’m still a fighter, the star in the sky that shines brighter, the east side rider.”
7. Echo & The Bunnymen – Stormy Weather
Echo & The Bunnymen’s 2005 indie rock single, Stormy Weather, makes the natural comparison between stormy weather and bad moods, focusing their lyrics around the question; “Is my stormy weather now gonna change?”
This track is rooted in the hope that sparking love with a new or ex-partner will clear all sense of despair from your horizon, parting the grey clouds to reveal the bewitchment of the skies, whilst uniquely highlighting the hazy, emotional ignorance encouraged by society;
“Can I be like everyone, pretending that there’s nothing wrong? Remember when we walked upon clouds that never rain? And I need it more than love, and I love it more than life, and I want those stars above to shine this night.”