"Hurricane" is a song co-written by

Thom Schuyler Thomas James Schuyler (born June 10, 1952, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) is an American songwriter. Schuyler wrote songs recorded by more than 200 various artists including "16th Avenue" for Lacy J. Dalton, "Love Will Turn You Around" for Kenny Ro ...

, Keith Stegall, and Stewart Harris. Levon Helm recorded it for his 1980 album '' American Son''. It was later recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer Leon Everette. It was released in July 1981 as the lead single and title track from Everette's album ''Hurricane''. It is Everette's highest-charting single, peaking at No. 4 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...

chart in September 1981. Band of Heathens, an American rock band, also charted a rendition of the song in 2018.

Content

The song is about an old man who lives in the famed

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Sq ...

. The man is unfazed when told that a hurricane was about to hit the city; even when "a man from Chicago" claims that the levees need to be raised, he claims that the levees will hold and the man will be "on his way to Illinois".

Critical reception

Jerry Sharpe of ''

The Pittsburgh Press ''The Pittsburgh Press'' (formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'') was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1884 to 1992. At one time, the ''Press'' was the second larg ...

'' wrote that the song "defeats the standard old formulas for successful country music lyrics — no love story, no sex, no booze, no tragedy." An uncredited review in '' Billboard'' said that "Everette's distinctive vocals are the perfect vehicle for this tale of man's struggle against the elements." Dave Marsh was less favorable in ''The New Rolling Stone Record Guide'', calling Everette a "poor man's Johnny Lee" and said the song was "almost an interesting ballad".

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

American rock band Band of Heathens charted a rendition of "Hurricane" in 2018, reaching number 18 on

Hot Rock Songs Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (formerly known as Rock Songs and Hot Rock Songs) is a record chart published by '' Billboard'' magazine. From its debut on June 20, 2009, through October 13, 2012, the chart ranked the airplay of songs across alterna ...

. Neotraditional country trio The Castellows released a cover of "Hurricane" in November 2023.

References

{{authority control 1981 singles Leon Everette songs Songs written by Keith Stegall Songs written by Thom Schuyler Songs about New Orleans Songs written by Stewart Harris RCA Records Nashville singles 1980 songs