The Quiet Storm

How a Late-Night Radio Program Shaped My Love for Love Songs

It’s 2003, and I’m sitting in the backseat of my parents’ Red Toyota Camry with my younger sister as my dad merges onto the interstate. We are driving home from a family dinner, likely at a chain restaurant. It’s over an hour after sunset, and the sky is dark. As we drive towards our house, a familiar sultry male voice floats over the speakers and says, “The Quiet Storm WROU FM.” I lived in variations of that scene until I moved away for college.

The Quiet Storm is a music subgenre that spans R&B, soul, jazz, neo-soul, and pop. To this day, many R&B stations reserve their late-night programming for The Quiet Storm. The radio program gained its name from Smokey Robinson’s 1975 album, A Quiet Storm. The Quiet Storm was created by Melvin Lindsey, a Howard University student, in 1976. The music is predominantly composed of Black artists, such as Anita Baker, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder, to name a few. The radio program plays hours of slow, romantic songs from the 1960s to the 2000s, with a mix of songs from the present day that fit the genre.

Picture 10-year-old me, listening to “Is It a Crime” by Sade while pensively staring out the car window. I am still emotional when she sings:

“My love is wider than Victoria Lake
Taller than the Empire State
It dives, it jumps
I can't give you more than that; surely you want me back.”

I was mindlessly scrolling TikTok last February, and a creator named Lovie posted a video titled “Black Love Songs for Black History Month: Quiet Storm.” She shared the history of The Quiet Storm and played Anita Baker’s hit song “Sweet Love.” I stitched her video and shared my Quiet Storm playlist of over 200 songs. The video went viral; almost 4,000 people have saved my Spotify playlist. I was bullied into putting it on Apple Music, too. The comment section sparked so much joy. One of my favorites was, “Not me thinking I knew all about love at 12 years old listening to The Quiet Storm at 11:00 at night!” This was extremely me-coded. I barely even spoke to boys but felt these songs in my soul.

At the risk of sounding 65, they don’t make music like that anymore. Brent Fiyaz, one of our most popular present-day R&B artists, sings, “I got too many hoes, but they ain’t you,” in his song “Rehab (Winter in Paris).” Admittedly, he has hits. But I hate it here.

The Quiet Storm still influences my music taste. It’s the reason I love Amy Winehouse, The Sacred Souls, and Snoh Aalegra. It’s also why I recognize many of the samples used in music today. The Quiet Storm is also why I get annoyed when someone with a voice like Ariana Grande sings, “thank u, next,” but I’m not a total hater; I love “pov.” Real R&B girls know it’s also why Journals is my favorite Justin Bieber album and why there is a big Sade poster in my bedroom. I don't want it if the pop music doesn’t have a little soul!

My Sade poster in all her glory

It’s why I spend my money to see people like Anita Baker and Earth, Wind & Fire in concert. If Sade ever tours again, you know I’m there.

Even though the musical landscape has changed, The Quiet Storm continues to serenade new generations with its legacy. It has forever made me a girl who loves a love song. If this is your first time hearing about this music, I’m jealous and welcome to the team. My playlist is a beautiful place to start, if I say so myself.

For my Spotify people, see the playlist below, and for my Apple Music friends, click here.

I hope it makes you love a love song as much as I do 💚

xx Shelbi