Since we move to our new house there have not been many stormy days or nights, but I thought it might be interesting to investigate music and song prompted by storms in nature and the sturm and drang (storm and stress) of life.
“Stormy Weather” is a 1933 torch song written by Arlen and Koehler. Ethel Waters first sang it at The Cotton Club night club in Harlem in 1933 and recorded it that year, and in the same year it was sung in London by Elisabeth Welch and recorded by Frances Langford. Also 1933, for the first time in history the entire floor revue from Harlem’s Cotton Club went on tour, playing theatres in principal cities. The revue was originally called The Cotton Club Parade of 1933 but for the road tour it was changed to the Stormy Weather Revue and as the name implies, the show contained the hit song “Stormy Weather” which was sung by Adelaide Hall.
“Storms” is a track composed by Stevie Nicks from ‘Tusk’ the twelfth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, which was released as a double album in October 1979. It is considered more experimental than their previous albums: partly a consequence of Lindsay Buckingham’s sparser songwriting arrangements and the influence of post punk. The production costs were estimated to be over $1 million (equivalent to $3.57 million in 2020), making it the most expensive rock album recorded to that date.
“Storms in Africa” is a song by the Irish singer, songwriter and musician Enya recorded for her second studio album Watermark (1988). A rearranged version with English lyrics called “Storms in Africa (Part II)” was included in some later pressings of Watermark, and released as a single in June, 1989 that reached number 41 in the UK. The song was included on the soundtrack for the film Green Card (1990). For a time, the Australian airline Ansett Airlines used the song as its theme.
“Ready for the Storm” is a track from ‘Craigie Dhu’ (1981) the sixth studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer Dougie MacLean . Described by AllMusic as “one of Scotland’s premier singer-songwriters”, MacLean has performed both under his own name, and as part of multiple folk bands, since the mid 1970s. His most famous pieces include “Caledonia”, which is often dubbed Scotland’s “unofficial national anthem”; and “The Gael”, which became the main theme to the 1992 film The Last of the Mohicans. This version was recorded at the first Transatlantic Sessions 1995/6.
“Calm Before the Storm” is the title track off the eponymously named debut studio album by Finnish DJ and record producer Darude. It was released in September 2000 by 16 Inch Records. The album sold 800,000 copies worldwide and earned Darude three Finnish Grammy Awards. It also peaked on a number of charts, including number one on the Finland’s Offical List for albums.
“After the Storm” is the final track on ‘Sigh No More’ the debut studio album by Mumford & Sons. It was released in October 2009 in the UK, and in February 2010 in the United States and Canada. The album entered the UK Album Chart at No. 11 and peaked at No. 2 in February 2011, in its 72nd week on the chart and following its Album of the Year win at the Brit Awards. In early 2011, the album peaked at No. 2 on the Bilboard in the US.
