Last March, I lamented a long, wet Pacific northwest winter with a list of five rock songs about rain. Well, Winter is back in western Washington and, for a second year in a row, the La Niña variety is bringing vast amounts of blustery winds with it. It’s the kind of wind that knocks out the power for days at a time. It’s the kind of wind that howls at night, keeping you awake. We’re finally feeling the effects of global warming and it sucks. As much as I take public transit and recycle, there’s only so much I can do. I feel helpless. What to do when one feels helpless against the elements? Make a rock music list, that’s what! So, here are five rock songs about wind that will blow you away!

“Against the Wind”, Bob Seger (1980)

Genre: Soft Rock

This single of Seger’s eleventh album of the same name, “Against the Wind” sounds like the background music of someone returning home to their small town on a long Greyhound bus ride after chasing dreams that never came true. This is a great song for anybody who’s had a broken heart or for those that can’t control crappy weather.

This track really starts to make sense as time passes with its themes of growing older and longing for the simple times of youth. Seger describes the song as "about trying to move ahead, keeping your sanity and integrity at the same time." Is that not the definition of modern adulting? Some of us don’t manage to keep either. Sometimes the breeze of life becomes a tornado that wrecks the trailer park of your soul.

Okay, I need to get it together!

The song was recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami with Eagles producer Bill Szymczyk and even features backup vocals by Eagles singer Glenn Frey.

“Riding on the Wind”, Judas Priest (1982)

Genre: Heavy Metal

Now its time to stop running against the wind and show that wind who’s boss! “Riding on the Wind” was released on Judas Priest’s album called “Screaming for Vengeance”. Yeah, we just left soft rock territory for sure.

To put it plainly: This track ROCKS! It rocks in every sense of the word as it pertains to 80s heavy metal rock. It has blaring vocals, awesome electric guitar solos, and lots of silver studded black leather. Here’s an excerpt of the lyrics just in case you are not yet convinced of its rockness:

Thunderbolt from hell
Shatterin' aloud
Screamin', demons yell
Burstin' through the clouds

Incidentally, the album was recorded in Ibiza, Spain. It turns out, many British musical artists recorded in continental Europe because it was far more tax friendly.

“Ride the Wind”, Poison (1990)

Genre: Glam Metal

Oh, we’re not done showing that wind who its daddy is just yet. Poison’s “Ride the Wind” is in the top 5 when you think of middle-aged biker club theme songs, and rightfully so. This glam metal classic would prompt any modern warrior to saddle their iron horse of chrome and ride the wind down I-90. Not too far though. We have work tomorrow.

Poison had a tour with their album’s namesake, “Flesh and Blood”, and compiled footage (mostly of the Kelly Bundy fan variety) which they used for the song’s music video. It was a trend for glam rock bands in the late 80s and early 90s to utilize concert tour footage for their music videos. It was a bit conceited, true, but pretty cool, nonetheless.

One of the coolest facts about Poison is that, although having some long breaks, they never broke up and still tour today with the likes of Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe and Joan Jett. Check out their schedule and see if they’re coming to a stadium near you!

“Wind of Change”, Scorpions (1991)

Genre: Hard Rock

Now that we’re finished riding the wind, let’s get a bit more euphonious with the Scorpions’ “Wind of Change”. If there was a theme song for the final days of the Cold War, this would be it. The song was written by the band after a performance in the USSR in the late 80s where change was evident following reforms. The song would be released serendipitously in 1991 following the start of the Soviet Union collapse. The single sold 14 million copies and the Scorpions hold the record for having the bestselling single by a German artist to this day.

Recognizing that the collapse of their empire contributed greatly to the success of their track, the Scorpions gifted a gold record to Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev along with $70,000 in royalties from the song which was allocated to children’s hospitals. That’s a class act!

You can still rock with the Scorpions as they are active today! They’ll be playing at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas next year!

“Master the Wind”, Manowar (1992)

Genre: Heavy Metal

Imagine Jack Black starring in a sword and sorcery, heavy metal musical and you’ll get a good idea of what Manowar is all about. Although not reaching the huge commercial success of the other bands on this list, Manowar has a cult following of Heavy Metal purists nonetheless with their mantra: “death to false metal!”. Manowar’s music is known for its lyrics rooted in sword and sorcery, fantasy and mythology which is perfect when you want to rock out while playing Dungeons and Dragons. Their song “Master of the Wind” is exemplar of their style.

Living up to their Heavy Metal puritan roots, the band set a record for performing the loudest concert ever given in 1984. They’ve since broke their own record twice. Moreover, they also hold the record for the longest heavy metal concert after performing for five hours at a rock festival in Bulgaria.

Manowar is also still active today and even does a podcast! Check it out.

Before I end this article, I just want to say how much I hate Bette Midler’s song, “Wind Beneath My Wings”. Although I was writing up a list of rock songs about wind, Midler’s song was in my head the whole time. You see, if you were a schoolboy in 1989, for some reason, every teacher and school in America wanted to jam this song into your head. We had to sing it in music class. They played it during teacher retirement events. Teachers would even play it during “heads down” time. I’m not sure if teachers in 1989 thought that it would be inspiring to us or if they wanted to indoctrinate us to be Bette Midler fans, but they really screwed our heads up. Maybe they just really liked Beaches? In any case, if you were a schoolteacher in 1989… shame on you.

With that said, I hope you enjoyed this list of five rock songs about wind. If you want something a little brighter and hotter, check out Five Songs from the 80s about Heat and Five Songs About Sunshine from the 80s & 90s to Brighten Up Your Miserable Day. With that, I’ll leave you with this quote: