Hurricane (Leon Everette song)

"Hurricane" is a song co-written by Thom Schuyler, Keith Stegall, and Stewart Harris. Levon Helm recorded it for his 1980 album American Son. It was later recorded by American country music 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 chart in September 1981. Band of Heathens, an American rock band, also charted a rendition of the song in 2018.

"Hurricane"
Single by Leon Everette
from the album Hurricane
B-side"Make Me Stop Loving Her"[1]
ReleasedJuly 13, 1981
GenreUrban cowboy
Length3:22
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Thom Schuyler
Keith Stegall
Stewart Harris[2]
Producer(s)Ronnie Dean
Leon Everette
Leon Everette singles chronology
"If I Keep on Going Crazy"
(1981)		 "Hurricane"
(1981)		 "Midnight Rodeo"
(1981)

Content

The song is about an old man who lives in the famed New Orleans French Quarter. 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".[3]

Critical reception

Jerry Sharpe of The Pittsburgh Press wrote that the song "defeats the standard old formulas for successful country music lyrics — no love story, no sex, no booze, no tragedy."[3] 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."[4] 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".[5]

Chart performance
Chart (1981) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] 4
Canadian RPM Country Tracks[7] 3

Cover versions

American rock band Band of Heathens charted a rendition of "Hurricane" in 2018, reaching number 18 on Hot Rock Songs.[8]

Country artist and American Idol winner Laine Hardy covered “Hurricane” on the show when he was in the Top 14. He went on to cover the song again for his debut EP “In the Bayou.”

References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  2. "Search results". Broadcast Music Incorporated. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  3. Sharpe, Jerry (31 January 1982). "'Hurricane' Storming Country Scene". The Pittsburgh Press. pp. J–6. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  4. "Top Single Picks". Billboard: 64. July 11, 1981.
  5. Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John (1983). The new Rolling stone record guide. Random House/Rolling Stone Press. p. 167. ISBN 0-394-72107-1.
  6. "Leon Everette Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  7. "RPM Country Tracks for November 7, 1981". RPM. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  8. "Chart position for "Hurricane"". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
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