55 Songs About Storms
Ray has been an online music writer for over four years. Having sung in multiple competitions as a youth, he has a passion for the art.
There's nothing better than a good playlist of songs about storms to get you through the emotional changes in weather patterns. This ranked list includes famous storms songs like "Riders on the Storm" by The Doors and "Call It Stormy Monday" by T. Bone Walker. Listed here are the best songs about storms and storm songs with the word "storm" in their name regardless of genre. If your favorite songs about a storm and hurricane are not listed, you can add them to the list.
1. “Riders on the Storm”
Artist: The Doors
Album: LA Woman
Year Released: 1971
Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Jazz Rock, Art Rock, Gothic Rock Music
Facts About "Riders on the Storm"
- "Riders on the Storm" is one of the best rock songs about storms ever written.
- The Doors' song "Riders on the Storm" is a classic by American rock band The Doors.
- The song was written by Stan Jones and popularized by Vaughn Monroe. "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend" was the inspiration for the song.
- "Riders on the Storm" remains a top choice on rock radio playlists because it is frequently listed among The Doors' most significant works.
2. “Ridin' the Storm Out”
Artist: REO Speedwagon
Album: REO Speedwagon
Year Released: 1973
Genre: Blues Rock, Hard Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Facts About "Ridin' the Storm Out"
- The guitarist of the band, Gary Richrath, wrote this song about storms.
- Cronin sang the vocals on the studio version of "Ridin' the Storm Out" on a compilation titled "Box Set Series" in 2014.
- The song describes the band being stranded in a snowstorm after performing at a bar named Tulagi's (now closed) in Boulder, Colorado.
3. "Stormy"
Artist: Classic IV
Read More From Spinditty
Album: Mamas and Papas/Soul Train
Year Released: 1968
Genre: R&B, Blue-Eyed Soul, Pop Music
Facts About "Stormy"
- "Stormy" is a hit song by the Classics IV that appeared on their LPLP Mamas and Papas/Soul Train in 1968.
- With the previous release of "Spooky" and soon afterward the release of "Traces," this single became one of the band's most iconic songs.
- In 1978, it peaked at #32 in the US and #19 on the Easy Listening chart after appearing on Santana's Inner Secrets album, making it one of the best storm songs.
- For his song "Save Room," John Legend sampled Gabor Szabo's song version.
- "Stormy" has a bluesy, melancholy feel that works much better than any song about weather metaphors.
4. "Stormy Weather"
Artist: Etta James, originally by Ethel Waters
Album: At Last!
Year Released: 1933
Genre: Torch Music, R&B Music, Soul Music
Facts About "Stormy Weather"
- Etta James released the song on her debut studio album, At Last!, in 1960.
- "Stormy Weather" is one of the most notable R&B songs about storms in history covered by various artists worldwide.
- Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler wrote "Stormy Weather" in 1933.
- During the post-apocalyptic drama Snowpiercer's second season, Etta James' "Stormy Weather" featured episode two, "Smolder to Life."
5. “Shelter From the Storm”
Artist: Bob Dylan
Album: Blood on the Tracks
Year Released: 1975
Genre: Folk Rock Music
Facts About "Shelter From the Storm"
- Dylan recorded "Shelter from the Storm" on September 17, 1974, and released it on his 15th studio album, Blood on the Tracks, in 1975.
- The lyrics of this song express the sadness that comes from not knowing what you have until it's gone.
- Every line of every verse is repeated three times: "Come in, I said, I'll shelter you from the storm," culminating in the redemptive refrain.
- Dylan took the title of this folk-rock song about the storm from Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Who'll Stop The Rain?," "I went down Virginia, seekin' shelter from the storm..."
- According to Shelton, the song is about a "search for salvation through love," according to Shelton.
6. “Electrical Storm”
Artist: U2
Album: The Best of 1990-2000
Year Released: 2002
Genre: Rock Music
Facts About "Electrical Storm"
- Irish rock band U2 recorded the storm's music titled "Electrical Storm."
- "Electrical Storm" is one of the stormy songs written by the band's lead vocalist Bono.
- Relationships are like electrical storms, according to Bono. It is a story of a couple who feels connection pressure as if a storm is brewing outside.
7. "Call It Stormy Monday"
Artist: T. Bone Walker
Album: Black & White
Year Released: 1947
Genre: Blues Music
Facts About "Call It Stormy Monday"
- "Call It Stormy Monday" is one of the best blues songs about storms depicting what it's like on a stormy Monday.
- The blues electric guitar pioneer T-Bone Walker wrote and recorded "Call It Stormy Monday."
- It is about a guy who gets tormented as he prays for his girlfriend to return.
- The Allman Brothers Band recorded this song in 1971, and it has since become a Blues classic.
- Throughout the song, the lyrics chronicle the feelings of lost love, starting from Monday: "They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday's just as bad."
8. "After the Storm"
Artist: Mumford & Sons
Album: Sigh No More
Year Released: 2009
Genre: Alternative/Indie and Rock Music
Facts About "After the Storm"
- "After the Storm" is one of the most notable rock songs about storms with Christian-based lyrics and interpretations.
- Mumford & Sons wrote the track from the album Sigh No More entirely in the studio instead of their live performances.
- "After the Storm" is a hopeful song, hoping that things will improve. It is the story of a man who is terrified of what's ahead and behind.
- This song is about overcoming hardship, being kind to oneself, and trusting love.
- Songs like this speak of spiritual truths, especially the suffering and trials we face during our short time here on earth.
9. "Storm Front"
Artist: Billy Joel
Album: Storm Front
Year Released: 1989
Genre: Rock Music, New Wave Music
Facts About "Storm Front"
- Billy Joel's "Storm Front" is his eleventh studio album, released on October 17, 1989.
- It is one of the
- "Storm Front" is the 6th song from the album written by Billy under Side Two of the tracklisting.
- "Storm Front" is an excellent storms song as it got nominated for the Best Pop Vocal Performance Male in the 1991 Grammy Awards.
10. "Stormy Weather"
Artist: The Pixies
Album: Bossanova
Year Released: 1990
Genre: Alternative/Indie Music
Facts About "Stormy Weather"
- The song "Stormy Weather" sounds like rain and spectacular cloud formations.
- Others say that "Stormy Weather" means terrible times.
- It is one of the songs about storms with very few lyrical contents wherein the lyrics are just "It is time for stormy weather" in repeat.
11. "Stormbringer"
Artist: Deep Purple
Album: Deep Purple
Year Released: 1974
Genre: Hard Rock, Funk Rock, Blues Rock, Soul, Funk Music
Facts About "Stormbringer"
- In an interview with New Musical Express in 1974, David Coverdale, the new third vocalist of Deep Purple (in their new Mark III lineup), described the song's lyrics as "a surrealistic tale about a mythical creature called Stormbringer, who causes a lot of trouble."
- In the same manner, like the rest of the album, they recorded the title track in Munich, co-written with Ritchie Blackmore, the album's lead guitarist.
- In the 1960s and 1970s, many novels and comics by Moorcock and others featuring a magical sword called the Stormbringer were wildly popular. It is the name of the second novel Elric of Melniboné, by Michael Moorcock.
12. "Storms"
Artist: Fleetwood Mac
Album: Tusk
Year Released: 1979
Genre: Rock Music
Facts About "Storms"
- It's the kind of song that's different and relatable for anyone who listens to it. We can be all cool and "calm" on the outside, but deep down, we have a "storm" that sometimes takes over.
13. "The Storm"
Artist: Jim Steinman
Album: Bad for Good
Year Released: 1981
Genre: Rock Music
Facts About "The Storm"
- Steinman is an American composer, lyricist, and record producer known for several hit songs like "The Storm."
- "The Storm" appears on Original Sin in an edited version as "The Opening of the Box."
- Meat Loaf's rendition of "Seize the Night" has it as the musical intro in Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose.
- Steinman wrote numerous songs inspired by Peter Pan and lost boys who never grew up, including "Bad for Good."
- The lyrics in "Bad for Good" reflect this as "You know I'm gonna be like this forever: I'm never gonna be what I ought to be."
14. "Calm Inside the Storm"
Artist: Cyndi Lauper
Album: True Colors
Year Released: 1986
Genre: Dance/Electronic, Pop, and Rock Music
Facts About "Calm Inside the Storm"
- Music critics say "Calm Inside the Storm" is a song about a woman who wants her lover to love her again, not just sexually, but for who she is.
- Others have said it is about a guy who likes a girl but only considers him a friend.
- The storm song is a song of hope and love.
15. "Dancing in the Storm"
Artist: Boom Crash Opera
Album: These Here Are Crazy Times
Year Released: 1989
Genre: Pop Rock Music
Facts About "Dancing in the Storm"
- Boom Crash Opera released "Dancing in the Storm" as the fourth single from their second studio album in March 1990.
- "Dancing in the Storm" reached #51 as part of Triple M's 2018 'Ozzest 100', the 100' most Australian' songs of all time.
- It is one of the few songs about storms used in the Australian movie The Big Steal.
- During the Liberal Party's state election campaign launch in November 2002, Robert Doyle, the opposition leader of Victoria, used "Dancing in the Storm" as his theme.
16. "Running From the Storm"
Artist: Gary Moore
Album: After the War
Year Released: 1989
Genre: Metal Music, Rock Music
Facts About "Running From the Storm"
- It is a song about storms with repetitive lyrics saying "Running From the Storm."
- It contains lyrics like "The sky is black, and the wind is howling. The lightning strikes and the sea is raging."
- "Running From the Storm" is one of the most highly-rated hard rock and blues-rock songs about storms under Virgin Records.
17. "Storm"
Artist: Down N' Outz
Album: My ReGeneration
Year Released: 2010
Genre: Rock Music
Facts About "Storm"
- The authors/songwriters of "Storm" music are Morgan Fisher, Overend Watts, and Ray Majors.
- "Storm" is one of the best rock songs about storms, first released by Mott in 1976.
- Def Leppard's Joe Elliott founded and fronts the project, backed by The Quireboys, Wayward Sons, and Raw Glory members.
More Songs About Storms and Hurricanes
Songs about Storms | Artist(s) |
---|---|
18. “American Storm” | Bob Seger |
19. “Stormy Monday Blues” | Manfred Mann |
20.“Stormy Weather” | Grace Knight |
21. "Thunder and Lightning" | Chi Coltrane |
22. "Down Under" | Men At Work |
23. "Storm" | Lifehouse |
24. "Storm Warning" | Hunter Hayes |
25. "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" | Gordon Lightfoot |
26. "Storm" | Django Django |
27. "A Storm Is Coming" | Howard Shore |
28. "Caught In The Storm" | Goo Goo Dolls |
29. "Storms in Africa" | Enya |
30. "Electrical Storm" | U2 |
31. "Spirit of a Storm" | Kenny Chesney |
32. "Flood" | Jars of Clay |
33. "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night" | Five Iron Frenzy |
34. "One Long Winter" | The Beat Villains |
35. "Stormy Monday" | Eric Clapton |
36. “Thunder Road” | Bruce Springsteen |
37. “Lightning Strikes Twice” | Iron Maiden |
38. “The Thunder Rolls” | Brooks Jefferson |
39. “She’s Thunderstorms” | Arctic Monkeys |
40. “Paranoid” | Black Sabbath |
41. “Stormy Weather” | Billie Holiday |
42. “Calm Before the Storm” | Darude |
43. “Stormy Sky" | The Kinks |
44. “Raging Storm” | Cyndi Lauper |
45. “The Lightning Strike” | Snow Patrol |
46. “Tokyo Storm Warning” | Elvis Costello and the Attractions |
47. “Storm Clouds” | Rick Wakeman |
48. “The Lightning Storm” | Flogging Molly |
49. “Storm 3000” | Leftfield |
50. “Zulu Laduma” | Ladysmith Black Mambazo |
51. “Under a Stormy Sky” | Daniel Lanois |
52. “Stormy Clouds” | The Verve |
53. ‘Weather Storm” | Craig Armstrong |
54. “Storm in a Teacup” | Red Hot Chili Peppers |
55. “Storm” | Lynyrd Skynyrd |
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2022 Ray