Water/weather songs...

July 7, 2010 11:08 AM

Help me find songs about water and weather!

I love water and bad weather. Please help me find more songs which have to do with water (oceans, rivers, waterfalls, rain, floods)...right now, my iTunes finds only 'Flood' by Jars of Clay and 'Rain' by Cowboy Bebop. Also looking for songs to do with weather...bad weather, not walking-on-sunshine songs...wind, storms, sleet etc etc etc.

posted by lemonade to media & arts (37 answers total)

Storm Warning from the awesome 90s hip-hop duo Latyrx. It will take more than a few listens to hear it all, but it's an amazing song.
posted by gnutron at 11:11 AM on July 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

Dixie Storms by Lone Justice is one of my favorites.
posted by thebrokedown at 11:13 AM on July 7, 2010

Every time you go outside, i hope it rains
posted by patheral at 11:15 AM on July 7, 2010

When The Levee Breaks -- Led Zeppelin (Originally Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie).
I also highly recommend you check out Thrice's album The Alchemy Index.
The water disc is probably my favorite of the four. Check out Open Water. It fits your bill perfectly.
posted by makethemost at 11:19 AM on July 7, 2010

There are sooo many rain songs.

"Rain" - The Beatles
"Rain" - Madonna
"Purple Rain" - Prince
"November Rain" - Guns 'n' Roses
"Raining in my Heart" - Buddy Holly
"Rain Your Love Down" - Stevie Wonder
"Blame it on the Rain" - Milli Vanilli
"Who'll Stop The Rain" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Singin' in the Rain"

And, of course, "Stormy Weather."
posted by Jaltcoh at 11:28 AM on July 7, 2010

James - Sometimes
posted by ivey at 11:29 AM on July 7, 2010

Forgot:

"I'm Only Happy When it Rains" - Garbage
posted by Jaltcoh at 11:31 AM on July 7, 2010

LAMB: Til the Clouds Clear.
Gnarls Barkley: Storm Coming
Tool: Aenima
posted by bfranklin at 11:32 AM on July 7, 2010

"Nice Weather for Ducks" by Lemon Jelly.
posted by Mwongozi at 11:33 AM on July 7, 2010

10,000 Maniacs, "Like the Weather"
posted by NemesisVex at 11:37 AM on July 7, 2010

More of a story than a song but Peter Kagan and the Wind is a really great story about some terrible weather. Part 1, Part 2. I also like Dreadful Wind and Rain by Garcia Grisman and Cold Rain and Snow by The Dead. The Benders have a song called Banjo in the Rain. Jack Guthrie - The Clouds Rained Trouble Down.
posted by jessamyn at 11:37 AM on July 7, 2010

"Thunderstorms and Neon Signs" -- Wayne Hancock

"Look at the Rain" -- Meat Puppets

"South Central Rain" -- REM

"Storm in my House" -- Minutemen
posted by BitterOldPunk at 11:43 AM on July 7, 2010

REM - I'll Take the Rain
posted by Metroid Baby at 11:50 AM on July 7, 2010

It's Raining Men by The Weather Girls.

Please, don't hate me. :)
posted by BrianJ at 11:52 AM on July 7, 2010

Seconding Sometimes by James. No better stormy weather song...
posted by jdroth at 11:52 AM on July 7, 2010

Grateful Dead -- Looks Like Rain

Awesome song.
posted by Perplexity at 11:56 AM on July 7, 2010

Songs for Hurricane Season
posted by SuperSquirrel at 11:59 AM on July 7, 2010

Kris Delmhorst has some great songs about the weather:
Weatherman
Hurricane
Weathervane
Mean Old Wind

"Rain" by the Clarks.

self-link: "Rainstorm," a song I wrote and recorded with the obscure band I used to be in.
posted by bassjump at 12:02 PM on July 7, 2010

Missy Elliott - Da Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)
posted by ellieBOA at 12:06 PM on July 7, 2010

High Water Everywhere - Charley Patton
Louisiana 1927 - Randy Newman
Backwater Blues - Bessie Smith
Shallow Water, Oh Mama - Golden Eagles
Stormy Weather - Standard
posted by timeistight at 12:35 PM on July 7, 2010

Black Water, by the Doobie Brothers
posted by DrGirlfriend at 12:55 PM on July 7, 2010

Thunder All The Time-- The Bellrays
Lightning Crashes-- Live

(I find it funny to stick these two next to each other on playlists.)
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:22 PM on July 7, 2010

An offbeat one-

Lie Down - The Handsome Family, In the Air

Tuesday at dawn Michael's glasses washed ashore with a styrofoam box and two broken oars.
He'd been digging for clams in the muddy swamp weeds when he heard the salt water whisper to him,
"Lie down, lie down in the dark rolling sea. When you get to the bottom we'll kiss you to sleep."
Michael threw his glasses in the cold green water. Hermit crabs ran as he dove down under. One of his shoes bobbed on the waves. Seagulls circled until it finally sank

For instrumentals, Between Tides by Roger Eno is about the best rainy day music I've come across.
posted by elendil71 at 1:40 PM on July 7, 2010

Bob Dylan hosted a music show on XM a couple years back, and for each episode, he selected a bunch of songs that fit a particular theme. The very first episode was about weather/storms. Here's the tracklist from that episode.

Blow Wind Blow — Muddy Waters (1953)
You Are My Sunshine — Jimmie Davis (1940)
California Sun — Joe Jones (1961)
I Don’t Care if the Sun Don’t Shine — Dean Martin with Paul Weston & His Dixieland Eight (1950)
Just Walkin' in the Rain — The Prisonaires (1953)
After the Clouds Roll Away — The Consolers (1961)
The Wind Cries Mary — The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)
Come Rain or Come Shine — Judy Garland (1963)
It’s Raining — Irma Thomas (1962)
Didn’t It Rain — Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1947)
Rainin' in My Heart — Slim Harpo (1961)
Jamaica Hurricane — Lord Beginner (1950)
Let the Four Winds Blow — Fats Domino (1961)
Stormy Weather — The Spaniels (1957)
A Place in the Sun (Italian Version) — Stevie Wonder (1966)
Summer Wind — Frank Sinatra (1966)
Uncloudy Day — The Staple Singers (1957)
Keep on the Sunny Side — The Carter Family (1928)

If you're looking for the full episode, torrents exist. Or if you'd prefer to go legit, Amazon.de has them (search "bob dylan radio radio").
posted by danthony at 1:45 PM on July 7, 2010

I am Kloot's Storm Warning.
posted by robotot at 1:46 PM on July 7, 2010

Why Does It Always Rain On Me - Travis
The Rain - Oran "Juice" Jones
Rainy Days and Mondays - The Carpenters
posted by SisterHavana at 1:55 PM on July 7, 2010

Hawksley Workman - You, Me, and the Weather.
posted by emyd at 2:07 PM on July 7, 2010

three songs, and three albums, in that order:


Archers Of Loaf - Chumming The Ocean
Echo & The Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
Toadies - Waterfall

Dirty Three - Ocean Songs
A Beautiful Machine - Home is bookended by ocean noises. free, shoegazy goodness.
The Drones - Wait Long By The River And The Bodies Of Your Enemies Will Float By is such a phenomenal album I can't help but mention it...

posted by namewithoutwords at 2:59 PM on July 7, 2010

"Can't Stand the Rain" - The Rescues
posted by Rhaomi at 3:16 PM on July 7, 2010

The Blizzard - Jim Reeves (not quite water, but definitely a bad weather song)
Nautical Disaster - The Tragically Hip
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot
Plainsong - The Cure
posted by emeiji at 3:20 PM on July 7, 2010

Here Comes the Rain Again
posted by patheral at 4:50 PM on July 7, 2010

Van Morrison, "And It Stoned Me"

Amy Speace, "Storm Warning" and "Something More Than Rain"

The Duhks, "Out of the Rain" and "Mighty Storm"

Joni Mitchell, "Rainy Night House"

Guster, "Rainy Day"

Dispatch, "Water Stop"
posted by bassjump at 6:09 PM on July 7, 2010

"It's Raining Today"/Scott Walker
"Rain"/Melody Gardot
posted by pxe2000 at 6:16 PM on July 7, 2010

I guess nobody mentioned this one because it's so obvious, but...

Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head by BJ Thomas
posted by misozaki at 7:05 PM on July 7, 2010

I Can't Stand The Rain: Ann Peebles
posted by Mister Bijou at 3:10 AM on July 8, 2010 [1 favorite]

Wow! I had...no idea there were so many water songs out there--thanks all!
posted by lemonade at 7:45 PM on July 8, 2010

Just had another pop up on my iPod: Laura Cantrell's cover of "Rain Boy" is available as a free download from her site.
posted by ivey at 8:23 PM on July 18, 2010