Throughout history, musical artists have released countless songs about weather, rain and storms. There's just something tangible about singing about a storm that's connected to a memory of young love or using a storm as a metaphor for events happening in one's life. Songs about rain and storms have been prevalent throughout all genres of music, including rock, folk, soul, and of course, country.
Songs of other genres that come to mind include REO Speedwagon's "Ridin' The Storm Out," Neil Young's "Like A Hurricane" (Part 1 & 2), Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall," Scorpions' "Rock You Like A Hurricane," Led Zeppelin's "Fool In The Rain," The Doors' "Riders on the Storm," Eurythmics' "Here Comes The Rain Again," Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Who'll Stop The Rain," and Gene Kelly's classic "Singin' In the Rain." However, there are also plenty of country tunes that fit the bill. Here are 10 of the best songs you can put on your country rainy day or stormy weather playlist.
1. "Perfect Storm," Brad Paisley
In this 2014 single, guitar virtuoso Brad Paisley uses a storm to describe all the things he loves about his significant other. With sweeping production that almost gives off the feeling of a storm arriving in the distance, Paisley praises all the traits of his "complicated" lover with clever metaphors, including how she's "sunshine mixed with a little hurricane." The "Perfect Storm" metaphor Paisley uses in the song is meant to describe how his partner may not be perfect, but she is the perfect mix of everything he loves. "I never meant to fall like this, she don't just rain she pours / That girl right there's the perfect storm," he sings in the chorus.
2. "The Thunder Rolls," Garth Brooks
It's hard to think about songs written about storms without mentioning the haunting Garth Brooks classic, "The Thunder Rolls." In this eerie tune that actually features sound effects of thunder crashing, Brooks tells the story of a woman who finds out about her husband's infidelity when he arrives homes late on a particularly dark and stormy evening. The visual of the storm going on outside while the woman is reeling from this news serves as the perfect symbol for the undoing of their relationship. "The thunder rolls and the lightning strikes / Another love grow cold on a sleepless night / As the storm blows on, out of control / Deep in her heart, the thunder rolls," he sings in the chorus.
3. "Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)," Gary Allan
Just like The Carpenters said in their 1971 song, "Rainy Days And Mondays," rain is often related to sadness. But, rain can be a positive thing too. In his 2013 song, "Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain)" Gary Allan uses the visual of rain and a storm to encourage people. The tune, which features moody country guitar elements, finds Allan reassuring people who are "standing in the middle of the thunder and lightning," or going through a hard time, that the storm will eventually run out of rain and their hard times will fade. The song, while still heartfelt in nature, was a very positive release for Allan, as he was especially adept at delivering soul-baring heartbreak songs.
4. "Blown Away," Carrie Underwood
The storm reference in Carrie Underwood's 2012 hit, "Blown Away," is not hard to find, as she tells a literal story about a tornado that served some revenge. In a storytelling song reminiscent of tunes that often graced radio airwaves in previous country music eras, Underwood sings of a girl living through a troubled upbringing with an alcoholic father. When a tornado comes barreling towards her home, she tries to wake her father to go to the storm shelter, but he's passed out from drinking. So, she takes her life into her own hands and goes to the shelter without him, leaving him, their home and all the painful memories associated with him to be "Blown Away" by the storm. The song leaves the listener with the question Underwood addresses in the bridge of the song: was the girl in the story simply "seeking shelter" or was she seeking "sweet revenge?"
5. "Hurricane," Luke Combs
In 2016, then-new singer/songwriter Luke Combs burst onto the country scene with "Hurricane," the song that would become his first of many hits. In this lively tune, Combs sings of running into his ex-love while out on the town and compares the painful experience to being hit by a hurricane. The song's entire chorus features references to the storm he felt upon seeing his ex. "The moon went hidin', the stars quit shinin', rain was drivin', thunder, lightnin' / You wrecked my whole world when you came and hit me like a hurricane," he sings. These lyrics are paired with swelling electric guitar instrumentals, which only illuminates the picture Combs is painting.
6. "Storm Warning," Hunter Hayes
Hunter Hayes took the storm theme head on in his 2013 song, "Storm Warning," which, like Combs' "Hurricane," uses a storm to describe a woman. While "Hurricane" described the feeling of seeing an ex, in "Storm Warming," Hayes describes seeing a woman he's currently falling for. In the tune, Hayes is quite overwhelmed by the interest he has for the girl, and notes, "Every Hurricane gets its name from a girl like this." The song is upbeat and lively and features references to storms peppered throughout the cleverly written track.
7. "Tornado," Little Big Town
Many of the songs about storms on this list have a dramatic flair, and Little Big Town's "Tornado" is no different. With the backdrop of acoustic guitars and a whistling that sounds eerily like the beginnings of a storm, the group's Karen Fairchild sings from the perspective of a woman scorned whose anger turns into a tornado. In the chorus, the tornado's wrath is unveiled, as Fairchild sings, "I'm gonna lift this house, spin it all around, toss it in the air and put it in the ground, make sure you're never found." This powerful image is supported by the harmonious vocals of the rest of the quartet along with dramatic percussion.
8. "When It Rains," Eli Young Band
In their 2007 song, "When It Rains," the Texas-based Eli Young Band illustrate a stormy day with "skies of black and blue," which personifies the way the singer is feeling after a heartbreak. He describes the way he feels as storms "brewing deep inside," and the hook of the song concludes that he'd rather it be rainy outside, so he can stay hidden in his grief. "When it rains, I don't mind being lonely, I cry right along with the sky," he sings. "When it rains, I don't pretend to be happy, I don't even have to try." This song is another example of using as storm as a metaphor for how one is feeling.
9. "Raining On Sunday," Keith Urban
In contrast to "When It Rains" and other songs on this list that use storms as a medium for heartbreak, Keith Urban sings about the positives of a rainy Sunday under the covers in "Raining on Sunday." In the tune, the singer hopes that Sunday is a rainy day that turns into a rainy night, so it gives him and his significant other an excuse to stay inside all day. He doesn't just want it to rain, though — he's looking for a full out storm. "I pray that it's raining on Sunday, storming like crazy, we'll hide under the covers all afternoon," sings Urban.
10. "Georgia Rain," Trisha Yearwood
The last song on this list is one that employs a great deal of nostalgia when talking about a storm. In "Georgia Rain," Trisha Yearwood looks back on a memory of young love, remembering all the details of a day when a storm rolled in and the couple took refuge in a Ford truck. In the second verse, it is revealed that Yearwood came back to her hometown in Georgia, and while years have gone by and they've both moved on, the memories of the "Georgia Rain" still remain. "That old dirt road's paved over now, nothin' here's the same, except for the Georgia Rains," she sings.
READ MORE: 20 Country Songs About Rain
