Stormy Weather (song)
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"Stormy Weather" is a 1933
In September 1933, the group Comedian Harmonists released their German cover version, titled "Ohne Dich" ("Without You") with lyrics that are quite different.[2] The song has since been performed by Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald,[3] Dinah Washington, Clodagh Rodgers, Reigning Sound, Lena Horne, Billie Holiday, The Spaniels and others. Leo Reisman's orchestra version had the biggest hit on records (with Arlen himself as vocalist), although Ethel Waters' recorded version also sold well.[4] "Stormy Weather" was performed by Horne in the 1943 film Stormy Weather, a big, all-star show for World War II soldiers.[5]
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.[original research?] The weather is a metaphor for the feelings of the singer:[original research?] "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
According to the Acoustic Music organization, the version by the Five Sharps (1952)[7] "is one of the rarest of all R&B records. Only three 78rpm and no 45rpm copies are known to exist".[8]
Notable recordings
- Ethel Waters – 1933[9]
- Duke Ellington – 1933[9] and another version with singer Ivie Anderson in 1940.[10] He also performed a vocal version with Ivy (aka Ivie) Anderson in the 1933 Paramount short film Bundle of Blues.[11]
- Harold Arlen – 1933[9]
- Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000.[12]
- Billie Holiday with Lester Young and Count Basie – Broadcast Performances Vol. 2 (1955)[9]
- Red Garland Trio - All Kinds of Weather (1959), familiar to listeners of American Public Media's Marketplace radio program, which plays Garland's version as background accompaniment whenever news of a decline in the Dow Jones Industrial Average is reported[13]
- Frank Sinatra – No One Cares (1959)[9]
- Charles Mingus with Eric Dolphy – Mingus! (1960)[9]
- Billy Eckstine – Once More with Feeling (1960)[9]
- Judy Garland – London Sessions[14] and the Grammy Award-winning album Judy at Carnegie Hall[15][16]
- Mary Lou Williams – Live at the Keystone Korner (1977)[9]
- Viola Wills – covered the song in 1982, peaking at #4 on the Billboard dance charts.[17]
- Woody Shaw with Steve Turre – Imagination (1987)[9]
References
- ^ "Adelaide Hall with Cotton Club revue", article in The Afro-American, September 23, 1933, p. 18.
- ^ "Detailed information on "Ohne Dich"". 45worlds.com.
- ^ https://www.discogs.com/master/538559-Ella-Fitzgerald-Ella-Fitzgerald-Sings-The-Harold-Arlen-Song-Book
- ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ Selections from the Katherine Dunham Collection. "Stormy Weather". Library of Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ ""Stormy Weather" Working Lyrics & Koehler Painting | Antiques Roadshow". PBS. 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Five Sharps - Stormy Weather (RARE) (1952)". YouTube. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ "Timeline of Musical Styles & Guitar History". Acousticmusic.org. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4.
- ^ "Ellington Titles". Depanorama.net. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
- ISBN 87-88043-34-7.
- ^ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame". Grammy.org. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Marketplace.org. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
- ^ "The London Sessions". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-02-13.
- ^ "Rufus Wainwright at Carnegie Hall: More Rainbows Than Stormy Weather". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2018-02-13.
- ^ "A Lot to Learn from 'Judy at Carnegie Hall'". Npr.org. Retrieved 2018-02-13.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974–2003. Record Research. p. 281.
Further reading
- The chapter "Stormy Weather" in the book Stardust Melodies: The Biography of Twelve of America's Most Popular Songs by Will Friedwald (New York: Pantheon Books, 2002).