Stormy Weather

Hi there!  It's storm season here in the middle of the U.S.  And it is storming right now.  Actually it's let up a bit from earlier, but there is still some impressive lightning.  I saw one earlier that seemed to be just outside my house, and a second later nearly lost my hearing from the incredibly loud thunder clap!  Then a large water bird flew up out of someone's back yard...

Anyway, this kind of weather brings to mind songs about inclement weather.  Sometimes the song is literal, but it is usally some sort of metaphor for something else.

There is Ridin' the Storm Out by REO Speedwagon, Riders on the Storm by The Doors, and a piece by Vivaldi called Storm (it evokes the tension and ponderousness of a large storm coming in).  Vivaldi was known for his virtuosic violin music, and this piece is a good display of this (as well as his Four Seasons suite, well worth a listen, BTW).  Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was from the Baroque era (like Bach and Handel) and was known as the Red Priest for his red hair.  Nice to know that people having been giving each other funny nicknames even back during those "courtly" days.

Another nice storm song is from a film from 1943 called "Stormy Weather".  The song is of the same name and is performed by the divine Lena Horne.  She sings it with such passion that you feel like she's really sitting out in the rain, without an umbrella, telling her man how distraught she is without him.  Pretty much like nearly every John Cusack movie (have you ever noticed how he spends quite a few movies out in the rain?)

Don't forget your umbrella!