Harris is truly an innovator. For over 30 years, Emmylou has flowed effortlessly between genres achieving popularity in pop, folk, country and now alternative. The common bridge is an exquisite vocal style and a gift for discovering the heart of a song.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama on April 2, 1947, the daughter of Walter and Eugenia Harris grew up near Washington, D.C. As a college student in the late 60s, she sang with a local folk duo and eventually moved to Greenwich Village. She played the clubs on the local folk scene occasionally sharing the stage with Jerry Jeff Walker and David Bromberg.
Discovered in 1971 by Chris Hillman, Hillman brought Gram Parsons to hear her sing in a small club in the Washington D.C. area. In 1972, she answered the call from Gram to join him in Los Angeles to work on his first solo album, "GP." According to Songfacts, Parsons tragic early death in 1973 left Harris at an emotional and musical crossroads. Her earliest signature song, Boulder To Birmingham was written shortly after Gram's death, and it showed the depth of her shock and pain at losing her friend and mentor.
After the loss of Gram, Emmylou went back to the D.C. area and formed a country band, playing with them until her 1975 major label debut, Pieces of the Sky, when she formed the first version of the legendary Hot Band. Over the years the Hot Band included world class players such as Albert Lee, Rodney Crowell and Hank DeVito.
Emmylou has been called by Billboard Magazine a "truly venturesome, genre-transcending pathfinder." Throughout her career, she has been admired for her talent as an artist and song connoisseur, but it was with her 2000 album, Red Dirt Girl, for which Ms. Harris was awarded her tenth (out of eleven total to date) Grammy, that she revealed she is also a gifted songwriter. Continuing the trend with her September 2003 album, Stumble Into Grace, Emmylou wrote ten of the album's eleven tracks. Though Emmylou is the most admired and influential woman in contemporary country music, her scope extends far beyond it. She has recorded with such diverse artists as Ryan Adams, Beck, Elvis Costello, Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, Tammy Wynette, Neil Young, The Chieftains, Lyle Lovett, Roy Orbison, The Band, Willie Nelson and George Jones.
She sings with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt on the incomparable albums Trio and Trio II, making all three artists living American legends.
A longtime social activist, Harris has lent her voice to many causes. She is active in cultural preservation issues, notably the Country Music Foundation and the Grand Ole Opry. As an animal rights activist and the owner of several dogs and cats, Emmylou also supports PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and the Humane Society. Since 1997 she has been the most visible spokesperson for the Campaign for a Landmine Free World, drawing public attention and notable musical artists to the cause.
Stormy Weather
Emmylou Harris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In moments when you're so far away
In the night when I reach out to hold you
You just turn away, why do you turn away
Oh, I love you so when you're smilin'
But your smile has faded overnight
Will we stay like this for a lifetime
Why do we always have stormy weather
Why do we have it so rough
Is it so hard just to stay close together
Why can't we ever have love
Oh, I knew from the first time I saw you
I just had to make you mine
Felt so sad when you told me
About your troubled life, all about your troubled life
So here we are just a few years further
Still tryin' to make it work
I've a feelin' what we really need right now, girl
Is just a little love, oh baby, just a little love
Why should we always have stormy weather
Why should we have it so rough
It's not so hard just to stay close together
Why can't we only have love
Emmylou Harris’s song Stormy Weather talks about the struggles in a relationship, particularly when one partner feels like a stranger even in the moments when they are physically together. The lyrics depict the frustration experienced when one partner tries to reach out to the other, only to be met with rejection or indifference. Despite the love that the singer feels, there is a sense of hopelessness as they question whether they will be able to get things right in their relationship.
The song seems to suggest that the couple has been together for some time, but they are still struggling to make things work. The line, “So here we are just a few years further, still tryin’ to make it work,” reveals that they have been struggling for some time. The frustration with the stormy weather in the relationship is a metaphor for the turbulent emotions they are experiencing. The singer wonders why it is so hard to stay close together and why they can’t just have love without all the struggles they are facing.
Overall, Stormy Weather is a poignant song that captures the complicated emotions of a struggling relationship. It highlights the importance of communication, understanding, and love to make a relationship work.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes you can be like a stranger
There are certain moments when you become unrecognizable to me
In moments when you're so far away
During these times, it seems like you are miles away from me
In the night when I reach out to hold you
When I attempt to show affection towards you in the evening
You just turn away, why do you turn away
You respond by rejecting my gestures, and I cannot understand why
Oh, I love you so when you're smilin'
It brings me so much joy to see you happy and content
But your smile has faded overnight
Recently, it appears that you have lost your sense of happiness
Will we stay like this for a lifetime
Do we have the potential to continue living our lives like this forever?
Gettin' nothin' right, gettin' nothin' right
It feels like we cannot seem to have any positive developments or signs of progress in our relationship
Why do we always have stormy weather
Our relationship seems to always be in turmoil and conflict
Why do we have it so rough
Why does our relationship always seem to be in a state of hardship?
Is it so hard just to stay close together
Is it difficult to maintain close emotional and physical connections with each other?
Why can't we ever have love
Why can we not establish and maintain a more loving relationship?
Oh, I knew from the first time I saw you
I was immediately drawn to you from the moment we first met
I just had to make you mine
It was essential for me to pursue a relationship with you
Felt so sad when you told me
Experiencing disappointment and grief when you confided in me
About your troubled life, all about your troubled life
Learning the details of the hardships and struggles you have faced in your life
So here we are just a few years further
Reflecting on how our relationship has progressed over the past few years
Still tryin' to make it work
Despite the challenges, we are still working to maintain our relationship
I've a feelin' what we really need right now, girl
I have a strong sense that we require more love and affection at this moment
Is just a little love, oh baby, just a little love
All we need right now is just a little bit of love to help us through this difficult time
Why should we always have stormy weather
Questioning why our relationship always seems to involve conflict and difficulty
Why should we have it so rough
Why do we need to experience so much adversity and hardship?
It's not so hard just to stay close together
It should not be a difficult task for us to remain emotionally and physically connected with each other
Why can't we only have love
Why can our relationship not be focused solely on feelings of love and affection?
Lyrics © S.A. MUSIC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind