11 Colorful Songs That Reference Devastating Disasters | Playlist 🎧

1. Tyler, the Creator, “Earfquake”

IGOR • Columbia • 2019

Disaster: Earthquake

Ah, we kick off with the first devastating disaster, an earthquake. According to Encyclopædia Britannica, an earthquake is “Any sudden shaking of the ground by the passage of seismic waves through Earth’s rocks.” The article goes on to say that “Earthquakes are caused by the sudden release of energy within some limited region of the rocks of the earth.” Of course, the science behind them is pretty doggone cool, but the deadly nature definitely isn’t cool in the least.  But this is no geology lesson – this is about songs that reference devastating disasters.  With that said…

“Earfquake” is an instant highlight from the incredibly ambitious Tyler, the Creator album, IGOR – No album of the year nomination, now that’s just wrong! The backdrop is ear-catching, and Tyler sings with pitch-shifted vocals.  On the memorable chorus, he gets a big-time, uncredited assist, courtesy of the soulful Charlie Wilson. Wilson, of course, has worked with Tyler previously on “Fucking Young” from Cherry Bomb (2015).

“‘Cause you make my earth quake
Oh, you make my earthquake
Riding around, you’re telling me something is bad
And it’s making my heart break…”

On the first verse, another surprising guest appearance occurs, Playboi Carti, who fits in perfectly and remains true to self. “Earfquake” ends up being among the crème de la crème of IGOR, not to mention one of the stellar songs released in 2019 por la general.  “Earfquake” was selected as the 13^th best song of 2019.

2. Beck, “Saw Lightning”

Hyperspace • Capitol • 2019

Disaster: Lightning

Of lightning, The National Severe Storms Laboratory states, “Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere between clouds, the air, or the ground… Lightning is one of the oldest observed natural phenomena on earth.” That’s quite enlightening, if I do say so myself – pun intended. Anyways, NSSL goes on to say that “the creation of lightening is a complicated process.” That’s not surprising – it’s science, right? What is less complicated to understand is if you are the unfortunate person that gets struck by lightning.  According to the National Weather Service, Between 1989 and 2018, “the U.S. has averaged 43 reported lightning fatalities.  Only about 10% who are struck by lightning are killed, leaving 90% with various degrees of disability.” That’s depressing…

 “I saw wind and rain / Saw mountains fall / Saw temples burn / And prison walls / I saw floods a-comin’ / Saw children run / Got no more shelter / No more sun.” Hmm, that’s some next-level stuff going down Beck! Very, very INTERESTING. Of course, the aforementioned lyrics appear on the first verse of the song “Saw Lightning.”

“Saw Lightning” is a record that only Pharrell Williams and Beck could construct, period. The standout from Hyperspace is a distinct blend of hip-hop, space funk, and alternative folk, or something like that.  The production incorporates guitars, synths, and those signature, hyper drums associated with ‘Skateboard P.’  As left of center as it is, it’s equally infectious and irresistible.  That includes the chorus, where Beck proclaims seeing lightning, and the aftermath: “It struck me down, struck me down / Struck me down to the ground.”  Even so, on the refrain, he’s a bit playful – tongue-in-cheek – regarding his sights:

“Hey, hey, hey, I saw lightning
Ho-ho-ho, I saw lightning
He-he-he, I saw lightning
Ha-ha-ha.”

Beck may be having fun here but getting struck by lightning is NO laughing matter.

3. Lucky Daye, “Floods”

Painted • Keep Cool / RCA • 2019

Disaster: Flood

According to National Geographic, “A flood occurs when water inundates land that’s normally dry, which can happen in a multitude of ways.” Yep, floods can be absolutely devastating, or using slang, floods can be, a total bitch.  Even going back to Biblical days, the effects of a flood are exemplify disaster (“Who built the ark / Noah, Noah!”). Anyways,  The Weather Channel superbly details the dangers of flash flooding.  NSSL characterizes “Flash floods… [as] the most dangerous kind of floods because they combine the destructive power of a flood with incredible speed and unpredictability.”  With all this scholarly background, let’s explore the music, shall we?

“Can’t hit me when you rain so loud / Flood away…” “Floods” is one of the longest songs off of Painted, the Grammy-nominated urban contemporary album by Lucky Daye.  From the start, “Floods” is intense.  It’s set in a minor key, features lush production work, including dramatic strings and rhythmic, moody keyboards.  Vocally, Daye delivers a nuanced, expressive performance, showing off the gorgeous nature of his instrument.  He also has moments where he intentionally sings less clearly, emphasizing vibe with mumbled, less decipherable sounds.  Ultimately, it’s all part of the ‘flooded’ script you might say.

Lyrically, as expected, Lucky Daye references ‘natural happenings’ throughout.  This goes beyond flooding, though it is mentioned on the first and second verses. On the chorus, Daye sings:

“You make the seasons change with no fair warning
How you make seasons change without saying something
All these reasons out here lead you to running
Don’t leave me out in the cold, without my warm thang.”

Interesting – “warm thang” in particular.  Seasons also get the nod once more on the third verse, with the clever lyric, “Why you got me fallin’ just to spring up in the summer?” Fair question, right? Seems to me, Lucky Daye doesn’t want’ to be left “out in the cold.” She’s totally messing with him…

4. Mereba, “Heatwave”

Ft. 6LACK

The Jungle is the Only Way Out • Interscope • 2019

Disaster: Heat wave

Sometimes – oft times – R&B is, um, a less ‘advertised’ genre.  This didn’t use to be the case, when R&B had more of a mainstream following.  But, in the 2010s especially, many artists who had once had sizable success experienced setbacks.  Why spend so much time talking about R&B in a broad sense? Well, perhaps the ‘coolness’ of the genre is a reason why an artist like Mereba receives little attention when releasing an album – The Jungle is the Only Way Out – on a major label mind you (Interscope).  Regardless of a lack of buzz, Mereba certainly heats things up on this disastrous list with “Heatwave,” featuring Grammy-nominated urban artist, 6LACK.

Every disaster needs a minor key, right? Right! “Heatwave,” which Mereba co-produces with Sam Hoffman, features a dark backdrop.  This is perfect fuel for the fire, and the fire definitely seems to be socially conscious.  Here, Mereba and 6LACK both make relevant statements about black persecution.  Mereba sings, on the first verse, “You better run, run, run like a demon chasin’ you,” before asserting on the chorus, “Long summer, it’s gon’ be a heatwave / …Hot Summer, our winter’s like summer /… In our winter, they killin’ niggas.” As for 6LACK, on the second verse, he makes it clear:

“Okay, I ain’t tryna die on this beautiful day
I couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing your beautiful face
… Cause they beat a nigga blue for loving that he black
My advice is, run like Obama ‘for they catch you like Osama…”

So, NO, “Heatwave” has nothing to do with “A period of unusually hot weather that typically lasts two or more days… with temperatures outside the historical averages” (per SciJinks),  but, socially, this is one of the ‘hottest’ records not enough folks have heard.

5. Luke Combs, “Hurricane”

This One’s for You • River House Artists, LLC / Sony Entertainment • 2017

Disaster: Hurricane

Ah, the hurricane, “a type of storm called a tropical cyclone, which forms over subtropical waters,” per National Ocean Service. It’s no secret that there have been a number of truly devastating, deadly hurricanes throughout history.  Hurricane Katrina was incredibly bad – there’s just no other way to put it.  That said, in addition to Hurricane Katrina, USA Today lists four other deadly hurricanes and their respective dates:  The Chenière Caminada Hurricane (1893), The Great Galveston Storm (1900), The Okeechobee Hurricane (1928), and Hurricane Maria (2017).

“Got talked into going out
With hopes you were staying in
I was feeling like myself for the first time
In a long time
‘Til I bumped into some of your friends
Over there talkin’ to mine.”

Country singer/songwriter Luke Combs is experiencing a “rotating low-pressure weather system that has organized thunderstorms but no fronts”, if you want to get all technical about it. Okay, he’s being a bit dramatic, but heartbreak can be devastating, and Combs is trying his damndest to convey it.

On “Hurricane,” the pain of thinking about an ex-girlfriend and all of the respective memories are rekindled all over again, despite Combs’ best efforts to move on.

“Then you rolled in with your hair in the wind
Baby, without warning
I was doing alright but just your sight
Had my heart stormin’
The moon went hidin’, stars quit shinin’
Rain was drivin’, thunder n’ lightning
You wrecked my whole world when you came
And hit me like a hurricane
You hit me like a hurricane.”

Later, on the bridge, he goes on to say that she hit him like a “Category 5.” “Hurricane” previously appeared on the playlist, 🎧13 Songs Somewhat Related to Weather.

6. Lea Michele, “Tornado”

Places • Columbia • 2017

Disaster: Tornado 

The word tornado has a negative connotation – period.  Why? Do I really need to answer that! It’s because tornadoes are incredibly frightening.  Again, the science is incredibly intriguing, but the aftermath – death, destruction, and a sense of hopelessness – totally sucks.  Need further proof? Check out the deadliest tornadoes (as of 2019), with the Tri-State Tornado (1925) leading the charge.  Yeah… let’s move on to the song, shall we?

“Lifting up, off the ground / Like a tornado, spin me ‘round…” Sigh, on the tornadic “Tornado” (Places, 2017), pop singer/actress Lea Michele shows poise, performing with subtlety on the verses. She begins to pick up steam on the pre-chorus, before totally letting loose on the chorus. The biggest moments of “Tornado” certainly showcase how dynamic she is as a vocalist.

“Don’t make no mistake
Whatever comes my way
Let ‘em know, I live for the tornado
Putting up a fight
I’m tearing up the sky
Let ‘em know, I live for the tornado.”

Much like Lea shows poise initially, “Tornado” does the same, percolating into a ‘full-blown storm’ as the song progresses. The second verse adds more instrumentation – strings and pummeling drums in particular. The bridge is quite powerful.  As expected of a bridge, it provides a total contrast to the verses and choruses.  Of course, the message is storm-centric:

“In the eye of the storm
If that’s soul that you’ve got
Give me more, give me more
Twist and turn, take me high
If that’s soul that you’ve got
Give me more, give me more.”

7. Sammie, “Tsunami”

Coming of Age • Star Camp Music / EMPIRE • 2017

Disaster: Tsunami

Ready for more science? Right on.  Consulting the National Ocean Service once more, “a tsunami is a series of waves caused by earthquakes or undersea volcanic eruptions.” Yep, that totally sounds bad.  The thing is, well, let’s just say in the hands of an R&B artist, a tsunami just doesn’t sound nearly as bad. In fact, it sounds pretty alluring…

“I go so hard and so damn long it’s like a relay / Not ‘bout how you start but how you finish, girl, when we play.” Safe to say, for Sammie, he’s not concerned about the devastating effects of a tsunami in the least on his song “Tsunami,” from his 2017 comeback album, Coming of Age.  Similar to another sexed-up, male urban contemporary artist (Miguel), he’s totally into “Waves”, if you catch my drift.

Specifically, he sings on the chorus:

“Shawty I love it when you ride my wave
Baby lose our manners; I need me a bad girl that’s gon misbehave
I love it when you ride, you sho know how to ride
Ooo girl, I love it when you ride my wave
…Baby I love it when you ride my wave, tsunami.”

The tsunami, from Sammie’s perspective, is literally all about sex.

8. Regina Spektor, “Tornadoland”

Remember Us to Life • Sire • 2016

Disaster: Tornado

Once again, we have a musical selection that references those horrid things known as tornadoes. “Wanna be louder than the storms around / You hear them through the windows and doors,” Regina Spektor sings on the chorus of “Tornadoland.” “Tornadoland” appears as the eighth track on the singer/songwriter’s 2016 album, Remember Us to Life.  The storm-centric chorus continues: “Everybody’s time has come / It’s everybody’s moment, except yours.”

What seems clear about “Tornadoland” is that Spektor isn’t referencing literal tornadoes themselves.  But there are metaphorical tornadoes:

“You try so hard
And every time you get it wrong
You get it right; you get it wrong
But you get it right
You get it right.”

Wow… that’s contradictory. All that said, there’s no further insight from the artist herself – she’s doesn’t like to talk about her songs, according to a 2016 interview with Vice.  Musically, beyond the lyrics and expressive vocals, “Tornadoland” is quite ‘active’ – descending, rhythmic piano, strings, impactful crescendos and hits… If nothing else, this is quite the colorful number.

9. Future, “Thought it Was a Drought”

DS2 • Epic • 2015

Disaster: Drought

Ready to be enlightened? You can thank Live Science for that! According to them, “There is more than one definition of drought.” Really? Citing drought expert and meteorologist David Miskus, the article goes on to say, “Drought is caused by not only lack of precipitation and high temperatures but by overuse and overpopulation.” Hmm, so we screw ourselves, is that the correct understanding? Maybe my slang/layman’s terminology is a wee bit oversimplified, but Live Science is definitely spot on about there being more than one definition of drought.  Just ask Future…

“I just fucked your bitch in some Gucci flip flops /I just had some bitches and I made ‘em lip lock /I just took a piss and I seen codeine coming out / We got purple Actavis, I thought it was a drought.” Sigh, with “Thought it Was a Drought,” Future gave the world a perfect song about lean, a combination of cough medicine, soft drinks, and hard, fruit-flavored candy.

As catchy as “Thought it Was a Drought” is, it’s incredibly irresponsible – understatement. That said, so is the parent album, DS2, which is built on excess, specifically drug excess. Also, worth noting is the fact that he also references Xanax on this unapologetic album opener?

10. Bring Me the Horizon, “Avalanche”

That’s the Spirit • Sony Music Entertainment • 2015

Disaster: Avalanche

Yes, Denver, Colorado has an NHL hockey franchise, Colorado Avalanche – pretty cool.  That said, an actual avalanche – “a rapid flow of snow down a hill or mountainside” according to National Snow & Ice Data Center – NOT COOL.  CAIC (Colorado Avalanche Information Center) maintains the database of avalanche deaths in the United States.  Data is important of course, but given the fact fatalities are involved, the data is definitely sad data.  That said, the song at hand is also sad…

“It’s like an avalanche, I feel myself go under / ‘Cause the weight of it’s like hands around my neck,” Bring Me the Horizon frontman Oli Sykes sings on the chorus of “Avalanche.” He continues on the gigantic chorus of the seventh track from That’s the Spirit (2015): “I never stood a chance, my heart was frozen over / An’ I feel like I am treadin’ on thin ice.”  Naturally, the lyrics of “Avalanche” are associated with the devastating disaster than can potentially kill you.  Throughout the record, Sykes is clearly in a bad place, evidenced by the ‘chronic’ nature of the lyrics.  “An no, it’s not a phase, ‘cause it happens all the times,” he sings on the first verse, while he’s seeking a cure – “an antidote” – on the second verse.

The thing is, why would Oli Sykes be looking for a ‘cure’ for an avalanche? That seems like the incorrect terminology. Well, that’s because he’s NOT talking about a literal avalanche – duh! Instead, he’s referencing his condition, ADHD.

“I need a cure for me, ‘cause a square doesn’t fit the circle
Give me a remedy, ‘cause my head wasn’t wired for this world.”

11. Cattle Decapitation, “The Geocide”

Death Atlas • Metal Blade • 2019

Disaster: Anthropocene / Geocide

There is one thing is for sure – death/extreme metal band Cattle Decapitation has a distinct, totally unforgettable name.  Maybe the best way to characterize the name is as disturbing. Regardless, Travis Ryan and company back up the name with an intriguing brand of music that certainly isn’t for the faint of heart.  A few of song titles that stand out from the collective: “Gestation of Smegma”, “Carnal Fecophelia Due to Prolonged Exposure to Methane”, and “Colonic Villus Biopsy Performed on the Gastro-Intestinally Incapable”. Following a four-year hiatus, the Cattle Decapitation returned turned-up on their ninth studio album, Death Atlas.

Death Atlas explores the Anthropocene, the most recent geological time period.  This particular period is one is highly influenced by humans. Cattle Decapitation certainly are pessimistic regarding it, evidenced by the lyrics, “Fuck the future / Fuck all mankind,” that appears on the brutally honest “The Geocide.” Essentially, because humans are so destructive and inconsiderate of everything, and we are firmly entrenched in the Anthropocene (“Anthrocene” in the hands of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds FYI), in this foretelling record, we’ve screwed ourselves over.

The music is incredibly chaotic and unsettling, certainly a fitting soundtrack for the destruction of earth (see how the future is suspect?).  The guitars are utterly infernal, while the drums pummel to the nth degree.  Adding to this most damned occurrence, Travis Ryan delivers thrilling, incredibly malicious vocals, not to mention the brutally honest, pessimistic lyricism.  The keyword is brutal, as exemplified by the chorus:

“The universe, it always finds a way to purge
The sustainably inappropriate numbers that once surged
Death always wins, his molten torch forever burns
And to the ashes and the ground we are returned
Life exists to infuriate, berate, and subjugate
The hapless mortals shit-birthed on a human-altered planet Earth.”

“The Geocide” has previously appeared on the playlist 🎧 51 Best Songs of 2019 and  🎧15 G Songs Selected with No Rhyme or Reason, as well as a track on the playlist I curate, Music to Atone to.