Hurricane (Leon Everette song)
"Hurricane" is a song co-written by Thom Schuyler, Keith Stegall, and Stewart Harris. Levon Helm recorded it for his 1980 album "American Son". It was later recorded by American country music singer Leon Everette. It was released in July 1981 as the lead single and title track from Everette's album "Hurricane". It is Everette's highest-charting single, peaking at No. 4 on the "Billboard" Hot Country Singles chart in September 1981. Band of Heathens, an American rock band, also charted a rendition of the song in 2018. Content. The song is about an  old man who lives in the famed New Orleans French Quarter. The man is unfazed when told that a hurricane was about to hit the city; even when "a man from Chicago" claims that the levees need to be raised, he claims that the levees will hold and the man will be "on his way to Illinois". Critical reception. Jerry Sharpe of "The Pittsburgh Press" wrote that the song "defeats the standard old formulas for successful country music lyrics — no love story, no sex, no booze, no tragedy." An uncredited review in "Billboard" said that "Everette's distinctive vocals are  the perfect vehicle for this tale of man's struggle against the elements." Dave Marsh was less favorable in "The New Rolling Stone Record Guide", calling Everette a "poor man's Johnny Lee" and said the song was "almost an interesting ballad". Cover versions. American rock band Band of Heathens charted a rendition of "Hurricane" in 2018, reaching number 18 on Hot Rock Songs. The title ""High Water and a Devil's Daughter"", which is from the seventh episode of the fourth season of The CW's famous television series ""The Originals"", was inspired by an excerpt from that song . Country artist and "American Idol" winner Laine Hardy covered “Hurricane” on the show when he was in the Top 14. He went on to cover the song again for his debut EP “In the Bayou.” Texas based band Shane Smith and the Saints released a version of "Hurricane" in 2021 on their album "Live From the Desert".