"Stormy Weather" is a 1933
torch song
A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affect ...
written by
Harold Arlen and
Ted Koehler
Ted L. Koehler (July 14, 1894 – January 17, 1973) was an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.
Life and career
Koehler was born in 1894 in Washington, D.C.
He started out as a photo-engraver, but w ...
.
Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her no ...
first sang it at
The Cotton Club night club in
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...
in 1933 and recorded it that year, and in the same year it was sung in London by
Elisabeth Welch
Elisabeth Margaret Welch (February 27, 1904July 15, 2003) was an American singer, actress, and entertainer, whose career spanned seven decades. Her best-known songs were " Stormy Weather", " Love for Sale" and "Far Away in Shanty Town". She was ...
and recorded by
Frances Langford
Julia Frances Newbern-Langford (April 4, 1913 – July 11, 2005) was an American singer and actress who was popular during the Golden Age of Radio and made film and television appearances for over two decades.
She was known as the "GI Nightinga ...
. Also in 1933, for the first time the entire floor revue from Harlem's
Cotton Club
The Cotton Club was a New York City nightclub from 1923 to 1940. It was located on 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue (1923–1936), then briefly in the midtown Theater District (1936–1940).Elizabeth Winter"Cotton Club of Harlem (1923- )" Blac ...
went on tour, playing theatres in principal cities. The revue was originally called ''The Cotton Club Parade of 1933'' but for the road tour it was changed to ''Stormy Weather Revue''; it contained the song "Stormy Weather", which was sung by
Adelaide Hall.
In September 1933, the group
Comedian Harmonists
The Comedian Harmonists were an internationally famous, all-male German close harmony ensemble that performed between 1928 and 1934 as one of the most successful musical groups in Europe before World War II. The group consisted of Harry Fromm ...
released their German cover version, titled "''Ohne Dich''" ("Without You") with lyrics that are quite different. The song has since been performed by
Frank Sinatra,
Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
,
Etta James,
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...
,
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...
,
Clodagh Rodgers
Clodagh Rodgers (born 5 March 1947) is a retired singer and actress from Northern Ireland, best known for her hit singles including " Come Back and Shake Me", "Goodnight Midnight", and "Jack in the Box".
Career
Rodgers was born in Warrenpoin ...
,
Reigning Sound
Reigning Sound was an American rock and roll band originally based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States
As of 2019, along with fronting Reigning Sound, Cartwright also reformed his past band Greg Oblivian and the Tip Tops. In 2020, he also refor ...
,
Lena Horne,
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...
,
The Spaniels
The Spaniels were an American R&B and doo-wop group, best known for the hit "Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite".
They have been called the first successful Midwestern R&B group. Some historians of vocal groups consider Pookie Hudson to be the first ...
and others.
Leo Reisman
Leo F. Reisman (October 11, 1897 – December 18, 1961) was an American violinist and bandleader in the 1920s and 1930s. Born and reared in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, he was of Jewish ancestry; from German immigrants who immigrated to th ...
's orchestra version had the biggest hit on records (with Arlen himself as vocalist), although
Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her no ...
' recorded version also sold well. "Stormy Weather" was performed by Horne in the 1943 film ''
Stormy Weather'', a big, all-star show for
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
soldiers.
The song tells of disappointment, as the lyrics, "Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky", show someone pining for her man to return. The weather is a metaphor for the feelings of the singer: "stormy weather since my man and I ain't together, keeps raining all the time".
The original handwritten lyrics, along with a painting by Ted Koehler, were featured on the US version of ''
Antiques Roadshow
''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people ( ...
'' on January 24, 2011, where they were appraised for between $50,000 and $100,000. The lyrics show a number of crossings out and corrections.
Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her no ...
' recording of the song in 1933 was inducted in the
Grammy Hall of Fame
The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...
in 2003, and the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
added it to the
National Recording Registry
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservati ...
in 2004. Also in 2004, Horne's version finished at number 30 on
AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American movies.
According to the Acoustic Music organization, the version by
The Five Sharps (1952) "is one of the rarest of all R&B records. Only three 78rpm and no 45rpm copies are known to exist".
Recordings
*
Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her no ...
– 1933
*
Bert Ambrose
Benjamin Baruch Ambrose (11 September 1896 – 11 June 1971), known professionally as Ambrose or Bert Ambrose, was an English bandleader and violinist. Ambrose became the leader of a highly acclaimed British dance band, ''Bert Ambrose & His Or ...
and his Orchestra – 1933
*
Duke Ellington – 1933
and another version with singer
Ivie Anderson
Ivie Anderson (sometimes Ivy) (January 16, 1904 – December 28, 1949) was an American jazz singer. Anderson was a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra for more than a decade.
Personal life
Anderson was born on January 16, 1904, in Gilroy, ...
in 1940. He also performed a vocal version with Ivy (aka Ivie) Anderson in the 1933 Paramount short film ''Bundle of Blues''.
*Harold Arlen – 1933
*
Lena Horne recorded the song in 1941 for RCA Victor. In 1943, she recorded another version for the movie ''Stormy Weather''. She recorded the song at least five times throughout her career, including for the 1957 album ''
Stormy Weather''. Her original 1941 version of the song was inducted into the
Grammy Hall of Fame
The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...
in 2000.
*
Adelaide Hall - 1937
*
Connee Boswell
Constance Foore "Connie" Boswell (December 3, 1907 – October 11, 1976) was an American vocalist born in Kansas City but raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. With sisters Martha and Helvetia "Vet", she performed in the 1920s and 1930s as the trio ...
– 1941 Connee was one of the successful Boswell Sisters close harmony trio, along with her sisters Martha and Vet (Helvetia)
*
Connee Boswell
Constance Foore "Connie" Boswell (December 3, 1907 – October 11, 1976) was an American vocalist born in Kansas City but raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. With sisters Martha and Helvetia "Vet", she performed in the 1920s and 1930s as the trio ...
– ''
Swing Parade of 1946'' (1946)
*
The Five Sharps – 1952
*
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...
with
Lester Young
Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist.
Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most ...
and
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
– ''Broadcast Performances Vol. 2'' (1955)
*
The Spaniels
The Spaniels were an American R&B and doo-wop group, best known for the hit "Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite".
They have been called the first successful Midwestern R&B group. Some historians of vocal groups consider Pookie Hudson to be the first ...
recorded in 1958 on Vee-Jay Records #290
*
Red Garland Trio - ''
All Kinds of Weather'' (1959), familiar to listeners of
American Public Media
American Public Media (APM) is an American company that produces and distributes public radio programs in the United States, the second largest company of its type after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and o ...
's
Marketplace
A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...
radio program, which plays Garland's version as background accompaniment whenever news of a decline in the
Dow Jones Industrial Average
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), Dow Jones, or simply the Dow (), is a stock market index of 30 prominent companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States.
The DJIA is one of the oldest and most commonly followed equity inde ...
is reported
*
Frank Sinatra – ''
No One Cares'' (1959)
*
Roy Hamilton
Roy Hamilton (April 16, 1929 – July 20, 1969) was an American singer. By combining semi-classical technique with traditional black gospel feeling, he brought soul to Great American Songbook singing.
Hamilton's greatest commercial success ca ...
– ''Have Blues Must Travel'' (1959)
*
Etta James – ''
At Last!'' (1960)
*
Charles Mingus with
Eric Dolphy –
''Mingus!'' (1960)
*
Billy Eckstine – ''
Once More with Feeling'' (1960)
*
Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
– ''London Sessions'' and the Grammy Award-winning album ''
Judy at Carnegie Hall
''Judy at Carnegie Hall'' is a double-LP (re-released decades later as an extended, two-disc CD) live recording of a concert by Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall in New York, with backing orchestra led by Mort Lindsey. This concert appearance, on the ...
''
*
George Benson
George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist.
A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, play ...
– ''
It's Uptown
''It's Uptown'' is the second studio album by jazz/soul guitarist George Benson.
Background
George Benson's second album and the first of two to be produced by John Hammond. Recorded after his move to CBS.
Track listing
2007 remastered CD / B ...
'' (1966)
*
Ringo Starr recorded the song in 1969 for his solo
debut album, but it was not included on the finished album.
*
Mary Lou Williams
Mary Lou Williams (born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs; May 8, 1910 – May 28, 1981) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. She wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements and recorded more than one hundred records (in 78, 45, an ...
– ''Live at the Keystone Korner'' (1977)
*
Elisabeth Welch
Elisabeth Margaret Welch (February 27, 1904July 15, 2003) was an American singer, actress, and entertainer, whose career spanned seven decades. Her best-known songs were " Stormy Weather", " Love for Sale" and "Far Away in Shanty Town". She was ...
– "From
Derek Jarman
Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman (31 January 1942 – 19 February 1994) was an English artist, film maker, costume designer, stage designer, writer, gardener and gay rights activist.
Biography
Jarman was born at the Royal Victoria Nursing Home ...
's ''The Tempest'' - Elisabeth Welch sings Stormy Weather" (1980)
*
Viola Wills – covered the song in 1982, it peaked at number four on the dance charts.
*
Carmel on ''The Drum is Everything'' (1984)
*
Tackhead
Tackhead (styled TACK>>HEAD, sometimes known as Fats Comet) is an industrial hip-hop group that was most active during the 1980s and early 1990s, and briefly reformed in 2004 for a tour. Their music occupies the territory where funk, dub, in ...
- ''
Power Inc. Volume 1'' (1985-1987)
*
Woody Shaw
Woody Herman Shaw Jr. (December 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, arranger, band leader, and educator. Shaw is widely known as one of the most important and influential jazz trumpet ...
with
Steve Turre – ''
Imagination'' (1987)
*
Saundra Santiago
Saundra Santiago (born April 13, 1957) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Det. Gina Calabrese in the NBC original crime drama series ''Miami Vice'' (1984–1990). She also played Carmen Santos on the CBS soap opera ''Guidin ...
- In the season finale of
Miami Vice's third season (episode name ''Heroes of the Revolution'', 1987)
*
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey Lynne (born 30 December 1947) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder of the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970. As a songwriter, he has cont ...
– ''
Armchair Theatre
''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968.
The Canad ...
'' (1990)
*
Paloma San Basilio
Paloma Cecilia San Basilio Martínez (born November 22, 1950), known as Paloma San Basilio (), is a Spanish singer, songwriter, producer and actress. She was awarded with a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to Latin musi ...
– ''Placido, Paloma - Por Fin Juntos!'' (1991)
*
Phil Collins - On his 4 discs boxset
Plays Well With Others with
Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...
on vocals, accompanied by a big band, live at the
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...
. (1999)
*
Joni Mitchell –
''Both Sides Now'' (2000)
*
Reigning Sound
Reigning Sound was an American rock and roll band originally based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States
As of 2019, along with fronting Reigning Sound, Cartwright also reformed his past band Greg Oblivian and the Tip Tops. In 2020, he also refor ...
- ''
Time Bomb High School'' (2002)
*
Sylvia Brooks – ''Restless'' (2012)
*
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
– ''
Triplicate
Triplicate typically refers to a document created three times simultaneously, as with carbonless copy paper.
Triplicate may also refer to:
*Del Norte Triplicate, a newspaper in Crescent City, California
*Triplicate (horse), a race horse owned by ...
'' (2017)
References
Further reading
*The chapter "Stormy Weather" in the book ''Stardust Melodies: The Biography of Twelve of America's Most Popular Songs'' by
Will Friedwald
Will Friedwald (born September 16,
1961) is an American author and music critic. He has written for newspapers that include the ''Wall Street Journal'', ''New York Times'', ''Village Voice'', '' Newsday'', '' New York Observer'', and ''New Yor ...
(New York: Pantheon Books, 2002).
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stormy Weather
Songs about weather
Songs about heartache
Songs about loneliness
Torch songs
1933 songs
1985 singles
Etta James songs
Fats Comet songs
Judy Garland songs
Lena Horne songs
Pop standards
Ringo Starr songs
Shirley Bassey songs
Comedian Harmonists songs
Song recordings produced by Jeff Lynne
Songs with lyrics by Ted Koehler
Songs with music by Harold Arlen
United States National Recording Registry recordings
Bluebird Records singles
Ethel Waters songs