You might have heard (or experienced it for yourself) that it's a bit windy in Wilmington today (although I'm not so sure shutting down the schools was warranted). Anyway, it got me thinking about some of the lyrics that included variants of the word wind, such as "Who knows where the cold winds blow?" and "The winds of Thor are blowing cold." And, of course, I thought to see how wind is treated in songs from Billboard's year-end Top Ten charts (1951-2015).

The search for wind, winds, and windy revealed 62 occurrences in 26 songs in the collection. One of the first things to note about the treatment of wind in the songs is how many different kinds of wind there are, as wind can be wayward and restless, as in "The Wayward Wind" (1956), wicked ("One of These Nights" 1975), warm ("The Ballad of Davy Crockett" 1955), and tender ("Because You Loved Me" 1996). There is also mention of the dreaded winter wind ("Heartless" 2009), a strong west wind (a-blowing) ("Don't Forbid Me" 1957), and, perhaps even, a hot night wind ("Call Me Maybe"). Wind is something people sometimes need protection from ("All for Love" 1994), like a "candle in the wind" ("Blaze of Glory" 1990; "Candle in the Wind 1997"), or they can choose to go against it ("Maniac" 1983) to attain their goals ("Ain't No Mountain High Enough" 1970). Or they can use it to help them soar ("Wind Beneath My Wings" 1989), not unlike "Superman, with the wind at his back" ("I Love the Way You Lie" 2010). 

"Wind whispers and moans" ("One of These Nights" 1975); mostly, however, "wind blows," as "Kyrie" (1986), "It Must Have Been Love" (1990), and "Maria, Maria" (2000) tell us. Wind can "sweep you off your feet" ("Drops of Jupiter" 2001), especially if you are on a "windy hill" ("Love Is a Many Splendored Thing" 1955), or you can simply be "in the wind" ("Ridin'" 2006), "drifting through the wind" ("Firework" 2011), "hair blowing in the wind" ("I'm Real" 2001), and learn to "laugh at the wind behind" you ("Touch Me in the Morning" 1973) while listening to "music so fine, borne on the wind" ("Night Fever" 1978).  Or perhaps you will find yourself "tripping down the streets of the city, smiling at everyone" ("Windy" 1967), and if you're lucky, you will discover yourself what it means for someone to kiss you "windy" ("Under the Bridge" 1992).

And, as a bonus, a few of my favorite tunes that mention wind but that were not in the Billboard Hot 100 for any year.