TOP 100 WEATHER SONGS
OF THE '50S AND '60S
- The Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant - 1956
- Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In - The 5th Dimension - 1969
- Just Walking in the Rain - Johnnie Ray - 1956
- Windy - The Association - 1967
- Sunshine Superman - Donovan - 1966
- Raindrops - Dee Clark - 1961
- Sunny - Bobby Hebb - 1966
- The Rain, the Park and Other Things - The Cowsills - 1967
- Rhythm of the Rain - The Cascades - 1963
- Blowin' in the Wind - Peter, Paul and Mary - 1963
- We'll Sing in the Sunshine - Gale Garnett - 1964
- Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 - Bob Dylan - 1966
- Sunshine of Your Love - Cream - 1968
- Heat Wave - Martha and the Vandellas - 1963
- I Wish it Would Rain - The Temptations - 1968
- Stormy - Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost - 1968
- Crying in the Rain - The Everly Brothers - 1962
- You Are My Sunshine - Ray Charles - 1962
- Soft Summer Breeze - Eddie Heywood - 1956
- Don't Let the Rain Come Down (Crooked Little Man) -
The Serendipity Singers - 1964 - California Sun - The Rivieras - 1964
- The Breeze and I - Caterina Valente - 1955
- Cast Your Fate to the Wind - Sounds Orchestral - 1965
- Baby the Rain Must Fall - Glenn Yarbrough - 1965
- Blowin' in the Wind - Stevie Wonder - 1966
- Rain on the Roof - The Lovin' Spoonful - 1966
- Tell It to the Rain - The 4 Seasons - 1967
- Rain Rain Go Away - Bobby Vinton - 1962
- Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows - Lesley Gore - 1965
- Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks - 1966
- Summer Rain - Johnny Rivers - 1967
- Cast Your Fate to the Wind - Vince Guaraldi Trio - 1963
- The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore) - The Walker
Brothers - 1966 - Let the Four Winds Blow - Fats Domino - 1961
- A Garden in the Rain - The Four Aces - 1952
- The Day the Rains Came - Jane Morgan - 1958
- Rhapsody in the Rain - Lou Christie - 1966
- With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair - Pat Boone - 1959
- Wild is the Wind - Johnny Mathis - 1957
- Walking in the Rain - The Ronettes - 1964
- Big Cold Wind - Pat Boone - 1961
- Don't Go Out Into the Rain (You're Going to Melt) -
Herman's Hermits - 1967 - Sunshine Girl - The Parade - 1967
- It Might as Well Rain Until September - Carole King - 1962
- September in the Rain - Dinah Washington - 1961
- It Keeps Rainin' - Fats Domino - 1961
- Catch the Wind - Donovan - 1965
- Let the Four Winds Blow - Roy Brown - 1957
- Rain - The Beatles - 1966
- Summer Wind - Frank Sinatra - 1966
- The Wayward Wind - Tex Ritter - 1956
- The Rains Came - Sir Douglas Quintet - 1966
- Raining in My Heart - Peppermint Harris - 1950
- Watermelon Weather - Perry Como and Eddie Fisher - 1952
- The Day the Rains Came - Raymond Lefevre - 1958
- What Have They Done to the Rain - The Searchers - 1965
- The Clouds - The Spacemen - 1959
- Rain, Rain, Rain - Frankie Laine and The Four Lads - 1954
- Rainin' in My Heart - Slim Harpo - 1961
- Soft Summer Breeze - The Diamonds - 1956
- In the Heat of the Night - Ray Charles - 1967
- Stormy Monday Blues - Bobby Bland - 1962
- Walkin' in the Sunshine - Roger Miller - 1967
- Come to the Sunshine - Harpers Bizarre - 1967
- Don't Let the Rain Fall Down on Me - The Critters - 1967
- Good Day Sunshine - The Beatles - 1966
- Buy For Me the Rain - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - 1967
- I Live For the Sun - The Sunrays - 1965
- Spring Rain - Pat Boone - 1960
- You Don't Have to Walk in the Rain - The Turtles - 1969
- Lonely Winds - The Drifters - 1960
- Four Strong Winds - Bobby Bare - 1964
- Cast Your Fate to the Wind - Shelby Flint - 1966
- Rhythm of the Rain - Gary Lewis and the Playboys - 1969
- Cloudy Summer Afternoon (Raindrops) - Barry McGuire - 1966
- Evening Rain - Earl Grant - 1959
- Maybe the Rain Will Fall - The Cascades - 1969
- The Blizzard - Jim Reeves - 1961
- Ridin' the Wind - The Tornadoes - 1963
- The Sun is Shining - Jimmy Reed - 1957
- Drummin' Up a Storm - Sandy Nelson - 1962
- Sunshine Games - The Music Explosion - 1967
- Remember the Rain - Bob Lind - 1966
- Snow Flake - Jim Reeves - 1966
- Bring a Little Sunshine - Vic Dana - 1965
- It's Cold Outside - The Choir - 1967
- Constant Rain - Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 - 1967
- The Rains Came - Big Sambo - 1962
- The Long Hot Summer - Jimmie Rodgers - 1958
- Rain - Jose Feliciano - 1969
- Here Comes the Rain, Baby - Eddy Arnold - 1968
- Bring Me Sunshine - Willie Nelson - 1969
- Top Forty, News, Weather and Sports - Mark Dinning - 1961
- Windy - Paul Gayten - 1958
- Come Rain or Come Shine - Ray Charles - 1960
- A Little Rain Must Fall - The Epic Splendor - 1968
- Raining in My Heart - Buddy Holly - 1959
- California Sun - Joe Jones - 1961
- Early Morning Rain - Peter, Paul and Mary - 1965
- 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)!