Weather shifts nearly as much and as often as our emotions change. Songs that feature weather tend to use the meteorological event as a symbol for something else.
For instance, drizzles and clouds can symbolize sadness or despair. Bright summer days or sunny weather often signify love and affection in relationships. Toss in a hurricane and a tornado, and you have a list of 13 of the best songs about the weather.
So whether the weather has you in a happy, sad, mad, or gloomy mood, we have the song for you. Read more to find out.
1. “Here Comes The Sun” By The Beatles
Let’s begin our list with a number from The Beatles. “Here Comes the Sun” was an instant hit when released on their 1969 hit album Abbey Road.
Band member George Harrison was credited for writing the song at his good pal Eric Clapton’s home. He was meditating on the dark place The Beatles were in at the time as both a band and friends.
The band was stumbling to keep the good vibes and happy moments going during that time. The song was a reaction to the missing feeling.
“Here Comes the Sun” was (and still is) loved by fans and music critics, peaking at #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Rock Songs.
Related: Check our post here for more songs about the sunshine.
2. “It’s Raining Men” By The Weather Girls
Hallelujah, “It’s Raining Men,” by The Weather Girls, made our list of songs about weather. This catchy song was part of the girls’ 1979 album Two Tons O’ Fun.
The song features a blend of music styles from the 70s, such as disco, R&B, soul, and electronic dance music. Just rightfully so, because a woman cannot help dancing to the song that talks about how it will rain men from the sky.
In other words, the girls will be meeting a large number of men. The singer is determined to “go out” and soak in the experience. It is hard not to put away the umbrella and do the hustle as “It’s Raining Men” plays.
3. “November Rain” By Guns N’ Roses
By the time the lead vocalist Axl Rose of the band Guns N’ Roses released “November Rain” in 1992, the band was already hugely successful. This tune continues their long line of hit songs. The ballad lasts nearly nine minutes but has gone on for nearly twenty in live shows.
“November Rain” features exquisite piano playing and guitar solos adding just the right emotion. Add some violins and a heavenly choir, and you will have an exceptional masterpiece in “November Rain.”
This ballad carries sad lyrics revolving around a waning love. At the start of the song, we find the couple feeling restrained. The hard truth follows as the singer laments, “Nothin’ lasts forever.”
4. “Walking On Sunshine” By Katrina And The Waves
It is hard not to smile when you hear the song” Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves. Famous for its lively, upbeat, and feel-good vibes, this one-hit wonder has continued to spread joy and happiness since its release in the 1980s.
“Walking on Sunshine” reflects how one feels when deep in love. It feels like everything is good. And because her lover always makes her day, she wants him around. Not just on the weekend or a day or two. But permanently.
So the next time you hear this song, be sure to pull out your sunglasses, add a little pep to your step, and brighten your day.
5. “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” By Burt Bacharach
Written for the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” by Burt Bacharach is uplifting and full of life’s sunnier side.
The song mentions “raindrops” as the kind of weather. The lyrics depict somebody who feels blue but remains optimistic. He does so by “talkin’ to the sun,” who is “sleepin’ on the job.” He then crushes his problems by recognizing that happiness will soon be there in his life.
The song made an impression on listeners. It spent seven weeks atop the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. It even won an Oscar for Best Original Song.
6. “Singing In The Rain” By Gene Kelly
Our list will be incomplete without the fabulous Mr. Gene Kelly‘s “Singing in the Rain.” Taken from the 1952 American musical comedy of the same name, the song and Kelly’s singing and dancing performance can only be defined as iconic, particularly since Kelly had a 103-degree temperature while filming.
While rain is usually a metaphor for sadness, the singer’s happiness just shines through. It could be because he’s “ready for love.” Consequently, he’s ready to face the “stormy clouds.”
Words are not enough for him to describe his feelings. He pours his emotions out by singing and dancing in the rain.
7. “Riders On The Storm” By The Doors
Our next song with “storm” in the title as a form of weather is “Riders on the Storm.” This is one of the most famous songs of The Doors, reaching #14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
“Riders on the Storm” is all over the place in that it features jazz and rock, and even a touch of goth in its vocals and music style. Frontman Jim Morrison’s echo effect in the song when he whispers the lyrics and the synthesizer that creates the rain sound is genuinely mesmerizing and creepy.
You can say that the song is autobiographical. Here, the rider in the storm is Morrison. The phrase “killer on the road” references his screenplay based on a hitchhiker on a killing spree. Unfortunately, this song was the last that Morrison recorded before his death.
8. “Rock You Like A Hurricane” By Scorpions
Not only does the band the Scorpions embody the term “glam rock” with their huge feathered hair and extra tight pants. They also make our list with their song “Rock You Like a Hurricane.”
The popular song reached #25 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and was on MTV nearly anytime you flipped to the channel.
This definitive 80s rock anthem is about as skittish about innuendos as the band was about loose clothes. But at its core, it talks about attitude and craziness. It’s about someone who’s crazy and madly in love and who runs the show.
9. “The Rain Song” By Led Zeppelin
Initially titled “Slush,” “The Rain Song” is a ballad over seven minutes in length. This is not atypical for the legendary rock band Led Zeppelin. The song features a delicate orchestral performance and the elegant vocal stylings of singer Robert Plant.
Jimmy Page admitted that he wrote “The Rain Song” in reaction to another songwriter on our list, George Harrison. The latter grumbled that Led Zepplin did not have the talent to write a ballad.
“The Rain Song” proved him wrong. The ballad finds the singer addressing his love interest, telling her she is his sunlight in his dark world.
10. “Tornado” By Little Big Town
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. That’s what you’ll get from “Tornado” by Little Big Town. The song embodies the concept of a little bit of country and a little bit of rock and roll.
In the song, the singer, a scorned woman, compares herself to a tornado that destroys everything in her path. The lyrics do not specify what her lover did, just that it is a selfish thing.
But she’s going to cause chaos in the house she shares with him. She’ll leave it “spinning all around,” after which she says, “I’m coming after you.”
11. “The Thunder Rolls” By Garth Brooks
Released in 1991 from the smash success album No Fences, “The Thunder Rolls” by Garth Brooks was his sixth #1 hit on the country music charts. From our list, it’s one of only two songs with “weather” in the lyrics.
The song has an ominous vibe to it, intensified by the sounds of thunder. From the lyrics, we find a man on his way home at three in the morning. It starts to rain as the thunder rolls in.
Meanwhile, his wife anxiously waits for him at home. There’s an indication that she knows what’s going on but is still “prayin’ that it’s the weather that’s kept him out all night.” But of course, her intuition is correct when she smells another woman’s perfume on him.
The song has an extra verse that Brooks would add during live performances. It continues the story, where the wife retrieves a pistol. She tells herself it will be the last time “she’ll wonder where he’s been.”
12. “Heat Wave” By Martha And The Vandellas
In 1963, the popular Motown group Martha and the Vandellas released their hit song “Heat Wave.” It was an instant sensation. The song rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B chart and burned the #1 spot for four weeks.
The song has all the flair expected from a Motown band, including a gospel rhythm, jazz notes, and doo-wop vocals.
The lyrics find the singer getting confused by the emotions she feels whenever her love interest is around. Something inside her starts to burn, and she wonders whether the desire is what she feels for him. Whatever it is, she likens it to a heat wave burning in her heart.
13. “Sun Is Shining” By Bob Marley & The Wailers
Rounding out our list is “Sun Is Shining” by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley & the Wailers. When originally released, the song did not make as big of an impression as some of Marley’s other songs. But time passed, and it is now one of Marley’s most popular songs.
“Sun Is Shining” features a groovy blend of vocals, rhythm, acoustic guitar, percussion, and keyboards. This is a shining example of the quintessential Rastafarian Bob Marley sound.
Lyrics-wise, the singer appreciates the warm, sunny weather. It’s the kind of weather that makes you want to dance. The song also reflects what life is about: As always, “a new day is rising.”
Summing Up Our List Of Weather Songs
So there you have it, our list of songs that tackle different types of weather. It was a challenge picking the best ones.
Songwriters were able to use weather to represent different emotions in music. And these songs also represent how we, the listeners, feel based on the different seasons of our lives.
The good thing is you can find almost all kinds of weather in songs spanning genres. And with a variety of tunes, we included in the list, we’re pretty sure we’ve satisfied your craving for music.
