Ethel Waters Stormy Weather

The song “Stormy Weather” is one the most remembered and loved songs of the early 1930. Written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler. Ethel Waters first sang it at The Cotton Club nightclub in Harlem in 1933 and recorded it that year. Later in 2003 the Ethel Waters's recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003. The song has since been performed by artists like, Etta James,and Clodagh Rodgers but the two most famous covers of Stormy Weather besides the original by Ethel Waters were the covers by Frank sinatra on his 1959 album, No One Cares. and Royal Crown Revue in 2005 on their album Passport To Australia().
When Ethel Waters recorded Stormy Weather she had just gone through a terrible break up and was feeling terrible this gave the song the raw emotion behind it to make it powerful and memorable (). The song stars like the average 1930’s song with jazz instruments but in a softer more soothing tone. The first thing to hit listener is the mellow beat of drum in the background giving the song a oddly relaxing feel to then bam! The song starts with the first set masterfully crafted lyrics with the first line stating “Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky,Stormy weather Since my man and I ain't together,Keeps rainin' all the time” (). These first few words set up the story, feeling and the smiley perfectly it tells the audience

The singer here is very good and molds this sad classic into a fun upbeat jazz tune. This is were the main problem of the cover comes in. The beat and singer are so happy it contrast with the lyrics it makes it so the person in the song does not care that the relationship. If that is what the cover was trying to convey it would not make scenes because if the person is happy to be out of the relationship why would there be stormy weather around him wouldn’t be sunning and bright