Top 100 Lists


TOP 100 WEATHER SONGS
OF THE '50S AND '60S

  1. The Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant - 1956
  2. Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In - The 5th Dimension - 1969
  3. Just Walking in the Rain - Johnnie Ray - 1956
  4. Windy - The Association - 1967
  5. Sunshine Superman - Donovan - 1966
  6. Raindrops - Dee Clark - 1961
  7. Sunny - Bobby Hebb - 1966
  8. The Rain, the Park and Other Things - The Cowsills - 1967
  9. Rhythm of the Rain - The Cascades - 1963
  10. Blowin' in the Wind - Peter, Paul and Mary - 1963
  11. We'll Sing in the Sunshine - Gale Garnett - 1964
  12. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 - Bob Dylan - 1966
  13. Sunshine of Your Love - Cream - 1968
  14. Heat Wave - Martha and the Vandellas - 1963
  15. I Wish it Would Rain - The Temptations - 1968
  16. Stormy - Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost - 1968
  17. Crying in the Rain - The Everly Brothers - 1962
  18. You Are My Sunshine - Ray Charles - 1962
  19. Soft Summer Breeze - Eddie Heywood - 1956
  20. Don't Let the Rain Come Down (Crooked Little Man) -
    The Serendipity Singers - 1964
  21. California Sun - The Rivieras - 1964
  22. The Breeze and I - Caterina Valente - 1955
  23. Cast Your Fate to the Wind - Sounds Orchestral - 1965
  24. Baby the Rain Must Fall - Glenn Yarbrough - 1965
  25. Blowin' in the Wind - Stevie Wonder - 1966
  26. Rain on the Roof - The Lovin' Spoonful - 1966
  27. Tell It to the Rain - The 4 Seasons - 1967
  28. Rain Rain Go Away - Bobby Vinton - 1962
  29. Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows - Lesley Gore - 1965
  30. Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks - 1966
  31. Summer Rain - Johnny Rivers - 1967
  32. Cast Your Fate to the Wind - Vince Guaraldi Trio - 1963
  33. The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore) - The Walker
    Brothers
    - 1966
  34. Let the Four Winds Blow - Fats Domino - 1961
  35. A Garden in the Rain - The Four Aces - 1952
  36. The Day the Rains Came - Jane Morgan - 1958
  37. Rhapsody in the Rain - Lou Christie - 1966
  38. With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair - Pat Boone - 1959
  39. Wild is the Wind - Johnny Mathis - 1957
  40. Walking in the Rain - The Ronettes - 1964
  41. Big Cold Wind - Pat Boone - 1961
  42. Don't Go Out Into the Rain (You're Going to Melt) -
    Herman's Hermits
    - 1967
  43. Sunshine Girl - The Parade - 1967
  44. It Might as Well Rain Until September - Carole King - 1962
  45. September in the Rain - Dinah Washington - 1961
  46. It Keeps Rainin' - Fats Domino - 1961
  47. Catch the Wind - Donovan - 1965
  48. Let the Four Winds Blow - Roy Brown - 1957
  49. Rain - The Beatles - 1966
  50. Summer Wind - Frank Sinatra - 1966
  51. The Wayward Wind - Tex Ritter - 1956
  52. The Rains Came - Sir Douglas Quintet - 1966
  53. Raining in My Heart - Peppermint Harris - 1950
  54. Watermelon Weather - Perry Como and Eddie Fisher - 1952
  55. The Day the Rains Came - Raymond Lefevre - 1958
  56. What Have They Done to the Rain - The Searchers - 1965
  57. The Clouds - The Spacemen - 1959
  58. Rain, Rain, Rain - Frankie Laine and The Four Lads - 1954
  59. Rainin' in My Heart - Slim Harpo - 1961
  60. Soft Summer Breeze - The Diamonds - 1956
  61. In the Heat of the Night - Ray Charles - 1967
  62. Stormy Monday Blues - Bobby Bland - 1962
  63. Walkin' in the Sunshine - Roger Miller - 1967
  64. Come to the Sunshine - Harpers Bizarre - 1967
  65. Don't Let the Rain Fall Down on Me - The Critters - 1967
  66. Good Day Sunshine - The Beatles - 1966
  67. Buy For Me the Rain - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - 1967
  68. I Live For the Sun - The Sunrays - 1965
  69. Spring Rain - Pat Boone - 1960
  70. You Don't Have to Walk in the Rain - The Turtles - 1969
  71. Lonely Winds - The Drifters - 1960
  72. Four Strong Winds - Bobby Bare - 1964
  73. Cast Your Fate to the Wind - Shelby Flint - 1966
  74. Rhythm of the Rain - Gary Lewis and the Playboys - 1969
  75. Cloudy Summer Afternoon (Rain Drops) - Barry
    McGuire
    - 1966
  76. Evening Rain - Earl Grant - 1959
  77. Maybe the Rain Will Fall - The Cascades - 1969
  78. The Blizzard - Jim Reeves - 1961
  79. Ridin' the Wind - The Tornadoes - 1963
  80. The Sun is Shining - Jimmy Reed - 1957
  81. Drummin' Up a Storm - Sandy Nelson - 1962
  82. Sunshine Games - The Music Explosion - 1967
  83. Remember the Rain - Bob Lind - 1966
  84. Snow Flake - Jim Reeves - 1966
  85. Bring a Little Sunshine - Vic Dana - 1965
  86. It's Cold Outside - The Choir - 1967
  87. Constant Rain (Chove Chuva) - Sergio Mendes and
    Brasil '66
    - 1967
  88. The Rains Came - Big Sambo - 1962
  89. The Long Hot Summer - Jimmie Rodgers - 1958
  90. Rain - Jose Feliciano - 1969
  91. Here Comes the Rain, Baby - Eddy Arnold - 1968
  92. Bring Me Sunshine - Willie Nelson - 1969
  93. Top Forty, News, Weather and Sports - Mark Dinning - 1961
  94. Windy - Paul Gayten - 1958
  95. Come Rain or Come Shine - Ray Charles - 1960
  96. A Little Rain Must Fall - The Epic Splendor - 1968
  97. Raining in My Heart - Buddy Holly - 1959
  98. California Sun - Joe Jones - 1961
  99. Early Morning Rain - Peter, Paul and Mary - 1965
  100. Fog Cutter - The Frantics - 1959

Any song with a type of weather in the title is "fair" game for this list, even if the subject matter isn't climate-related. There are considerably more weather-referencing hits in the 1960s; 78 recordings from that decade made the cut versus 22 from the 1950s. 1966 was the peak year for the trend with 16 hits on the list; 1967 is close behind with 14. Rankings are based on the popularity of each song during the period of 1950 through 1969.

Rain leads the way as the most successful topic with 46 songs on the list; sun is next with 21, then wind with 19. Also represented: storms, breezes, heat, cold, clouds, snow, fog, a blizzard and two song title references to weather in general. Several songs appear twice but only one, "Cast Your Fate to the Wind," is on the list three times. Eight artists appear more than once: Ray Charles and Pat Boone each have three songs on the list, followed by Donovan, The Cascades, Peter, Paul and Mary, Fats Domino, The Beatles and Jim Reeves with two apiece. In addition, two artists just happen to have a weather condition in their names: Gale Garnett (at #11) and The Tornadoes (at #79)!




MORE TOP 100 LISTS!

The Wayward Wind Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In Hall of Fame Raindrops The Rain, the Park and Other Things Rhythm of the Rain Rhythm of the Rain