Perry's Pen

Environment Canada issued a Severe Wind Alert for a large part of Ontario because of: “Strong southwesterly and northwesterly wind gusts of 70 to 90 km/h.” (For my American amigos reading this, that’s about 9 mph.)

My friends’ daughter is decidedly NOT a fan of the wind, so I asked Gemini for a list of songs about the wind to take her mind off it.

Gemini failed to include Windy by The Association in it’s list, so i’m starting to side with the AI haters: AI is all a big scam and the bubble is gonna burst any second now.

On the other hand, Mr. Gemini reminded me of Nina Simone’s version of Wild is the Wind, so the bubble can live another day. For now.

SPOILER ALERT: YouTube Playlist of Songs About the Wind created by Gemini available here.

Here are some songs about the wind!

The Philosophical Classics

These songs use the wind to explore deep questions about life, mortality, and society.

Songs about the wind often use it as a metaphor for change, the passage of time, or the intangible nature of human emotions. Depending on what you’re looking for, here are some of the most iconic and meaningful tracks categorized by their “vibe.”

• “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan (1963): Perhaps the most famous “wind” song. It poses a series of rhetorical questions about peace and freedom, concluding that the answers are as elusive as the wind itself.
• “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas (1977): A haunting acoustic meditation on the fleeting nature of human existence. The message is simple: everything we build eventually blows away.
• “Wind of Change” by Scorpions (1991): An iconic power ballad that became the unofficial anthem for the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Atmospheric & Romantic

These tracks use the wind to set a specific mood, often one of longing or intense passion.

• “The Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix (1967): Written after an argument with his girlfriend, this bluesy rock song uses the wind to reflect a sense of personal loneliness and quiet reflection.
• “Wild Is the Wind” by Nina Simone (1966) / David Bowie (1976): A deeply emotional song where the wind represents the wild, unpredictable force of love. Both versions are legendary for their vocal intensity.
• “Summer Wind” by Frank Sinatra (1965): A nostalgic classic that tells the story of a lost summer romance, with the wind serving as the narrator of the passing seasons.
• “Windy” by The Association (1967): A sunshine-pop classic that personifies the wind as a whimsical, free-spirited woman “tripping down the streets of the city.”

BONUS: The Simpsons – Martin’s Pool Breaks, then Martin breaks into Summer Wind.

Pop & Soft Rock Hits

If you’re looking for high-energy or radio-friendly tracks, these are the staples.

• “Ride Like the Wind” by Christopher Cross (1980): A fast-paced yacht rock anthem about a man on the run, trying to reach the border before he’s caught.
  BONUS: Rick Moranis as Michael McDonald on SCTV singing Ride Like the Wind.
• “Candle in the Wind” by Elton John (1973/1997): Originally written for Marilyn Monroe, it uses the “candle in the wind” metaphor to describe a life that burned brightly but was extinguished too soon.
• “Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler (1988): A powerhouse ballad about gratitude and the unsung heroes who support others from the shadows.

Modern & Seasonal Picks

More recent hits or songs that capture a specific time of year.

• “Wind Up Missin’ You” by Tucker Wetmore (2024): A recent country hit that uses the idea of “winding up” somewhere to describe falling into a relationship.
• “Winter Winds” by Mumford & Sons (2009): A high-energy folk-rock song that captures the brisk, changing feeling of the winter season and shifting perspectives.
• “Weren’t for the Wind” by Ella Langley (2025): A contemporary country track that reflects on how external forces—like the wind—can be the only thing keeping a person moving.

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CanCon wind songs!

Canada’s vast landscapes—from the howling prairies to the Atlantic gales—have made “the wind” a constant muse for our independent and alternative artists. While legends like Ian Tyson and Neil Young popularized the theme with “Four Strong Winds,” the independent scene today offers some haunting and beautiful variations on the concept.

Canada’s independent music scene has a long history of using the wind as a central theme, capturing everything from the biting cold of the north to the restless energy of the prairies.

Here are five songs about the wind by independent (or fiercely independent-leaning) Canadian artists, now with links to listen:

1. “East Wind” – Caley Watts

Caley Watts is a Cree singer-songwriter from the Saddle Lake Cree Nation. This track is a masterclass in atmospheric folk-soul. It starts as a quiet, introspective piece and builds into a powerful storm of electric guitar, using the “East Wind” as a striking metaphor for emotional upheaval and personal change.

2. “That Wind” – Jade Turner

Hailing from Manitoba, Jade Turner is a celebrated Indigenous country-folk artist. In this track, she captures the essence of the Canadian Prairies, where the wind is a constant, almost sentient presence. It’s a song about listening to your roots and finding the strength to move forward when the “wind calls out your name.”

3. “Wind Blows” – Yukon Blonde

Originally from Kelowna, BC, Yukon Blonde represents the more “indie-rock” side of this list. This song captures a restless, West Coast energy. While it features their signature psych-pop harmonies, the lyrics deal with the isolation and the sound of the wind rattling against a window during a storm.

4. “Cold Wind” – Arcade Fire

Before they were headlining arenas, Arcade Fire released this haunting track for the Six Feet Under soundtrack. It perfectly encapsulates the “Montreal Sound” of the early 2000s—it’s sparse, eerie, and echoes the biting, whistling chill of a Canadian winter wind blowing through an empty street.

5. “I Am the Wind” – Stompin’ Tom Connors

Stompin’ Tom was the quintessential independent artist, famously avoiding major labels and corporate influence to tell Canadian stories his own way. This is one of his most poetic songs; rather than his usual upbeat anthems, this is a beautiful personification of the wind as it travels from the Rockies to the Maritimes.

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One last breath of fresh air: