Man, it sure was another windy day in Las Vegas yesterday. That got me thinking. Let’s see how many windy day songs we can come up with for our next gusty day in the valley.

Keep Your Hands On The Wheel

When I was driving to work yesterday, I really felt my vehicle getting pushed around by those gusty winds once I hit the freeway. I made sure to keep both of my hands on the wheel to avoid drifting into a nearby lane of traffic.

According to my Google.com search, the windiest period in Las Vegas lasts from March 13 through July 11. Wind speeds during these months average 8.1 miles per hour. Of course, yesterday, we were experiencing winds from 20-30 miles per hour, with gusts over 40 mph!

Las Vegans Are Used To Windy Days

If you have lived in the Las Vegas valley for any length of time, you’re used to windy days by now. Sure, we don’t get hurricane force winds around here, thank goodness. But, those high desert winds certainly kick up during spring time and early summer.

We all know we have to get any patio furniture or patio decorations brought indoors on windy days. If you don’t, that stuff ends up in the street or in a neighbor’s yard. The same can be said for trash pickup day. Those strong winds can drag your trash cans all the way down the street. Very annoying.

Why Is Las Vegas So Windy?

I found an article on FeelingVegas.com which explains why we get so many windy days here in Southern Nevada. Author Bryan Mullennix provides three main reasons:

• Our city’s proximity to the Spring Mountains
• Dry desert air combined with heat causes high winds
• Spring is always a windy time of year here

He gives a more in-depth explanation in his article, which you can enjoy by CLICKING HERE.

In the meantime, scroll down and enjoy 96.3 KKLZ’s “Windy Day Playlist!”

• "Dust In The Wind" - Kansas

  Per Wikipedia.org, this is the highest charting single of all time for the progressive rock band, Kansas. The single reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. Twenty-five years later, actor Will Ferrell performed this song in the 2003 comedy, Old School. “You’re my boy, Blue!” Enjoy the original.

• "Against The Wind" - Bob Seger And The Silver Bullet Band

  Here’s the title track from Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band’s 1980 album. According to Wikipedia.org, Seger gets help on backing vocals from his good buddy, Glenn Frey of the Eagles. This was one of the songs featured in the film Forrest Gump, when the title character was seen running and walking across the United States. You know, it’s true, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’ll get.”

• "Candle In The Wind" - Elton John

  Here’s a live version of one of Elton John’s most enduring songs. The original song was about actress Marilyn Monroe, who’s real name at birth was Norma Jeane Baker. Of course, Elton re-recorded an updated version of this song following the tragic death of Princess Diana. The original version from the 1973 album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was not released as a single here in the U.S.A. according to Wikipedia.org. However, the live version you see here was released as a single in 1987 and reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

• "Ride Like The Wind" - Christopher Cross

  Here’s the debut single from a little known recording artist from Texas who would end up sweeping all of the major Grammy Awards. Per Wikipedia.org, the self-titled debut album from Christopher Cross would go on to win the Grammys for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. Very impressive! For the song “Ride Like The Wind,” Cross recruited one of the most popular singers of the late 70s and early 80s to sing accompanying vocals, Michael McDonald.

  https://youtu.be/9i61BDGTNSM

• "She's Like The Wind" - Patrick Swayze (featuring Wendy Fraser)

  There have been quite a few actors and actresses who would test the waters on the pop charts during the 70s and 80s. John Travolta, Eddie Murphy, Jack Wagner, Don Johnson and Tracy Ullman just to name a few. In 1987, actor Patrick Swayze, star of the hit film Dirty Dancing, hit the Billboard charts with the ballad “She’s Like The Wind.” The single reached #3 on the Hot 100 and went to the top of the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. R.I.P. Patrick.

• "Wind Beneath My Wings" - Bette Midler

  According to Wikipedia.org, this song was composed in 1982 by songwriters Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley. It was recorded by many artists before it became an international hit for Bette Midler. Artists such as Sheen Easton, Lee Greenwood, Lou Rawls, and Gladys Knight & The Pips recorded versions of “Wind Beneath My Wings.” The “Divine Miss M” recorded the song for her 1988 film Beaches, in which she co-starred with Barbara Hershey. Midler’s version reached #1 and would win Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

• "Wind Of Change" - Scorpions

  With 14 million copies sold worldwide, this is one of the best-selling singles of all time. According to Wikipedia.org it is the best-selling single ever by a German recording artist. Scorpions lead singer Klaus Meine composed the song after he and his band visited the Soviet Union during the early 90s. It recounts his feelings after the fall of the Berlin Wall a few years earlier and the economic reforms instituted in the U.S.S.R. by Mikhail Gorbachev. As the tensions between the communist nation and its capitalist neighbors in Europe began to dissipate, this song would reach #1 all across the continent. It peaked at #4 in the U.S.A.

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