"Black Tornado" is a track from singer-songwriter Chris Staples' sixth solo album American Soft (2014), and a great example of his capacity for subdued-yet-elegant poetic minimalism. Paste's Carey Hodges has praised Staples' songs for being "full of rich narratives and hushed hooks that confirm the old adage that less is more" and for "exud[ing] an earnest quality that triggers all of the warm and fuzzies". KSSU's Djames notes that "Black Tornado" is the "popiest sounding track of the album", and "combines an intoxicating ukulele with rhythmic claps, staccato guitar solos, and bass synth accompaniment for a light song that is impossible not to dance to".
The acoustic arrangements of "Black Tornado" are certainly pleasant, amiable and cheerful - but the lyrical subject matter suggests that the sonic atmosphere could potentially be subverted: 'Clear blue sky's and no chance of rain/ No dark thoughts haunting my brain/ Not a single reason to complain, no'.
It's perfectly possible to enjoy the song without thinking too much about what the 'black tornado' in the song's chorus really means:
'Black tornado roll up the sky like oriental rugs
Black tornado hit hard and fast like the expensive drugs
Black tornado roll up the sky like oriental rugs
Black tornado hit hard and fast'
Djames has pointed out that American Soft appears to be a sonic embodiment of nostalgia, presenting an attitude towards the past that is both "somber yet hopeful". Staples' 'black tornado' could refer to a painful emotional episode from the past - possibly an episode of depression, a break up, a mid-life crisis, or another kind of trying life circumstance. The opening verses suggest that the 'black tornado' may allude to a particular person, or an event (the song doesn't really clarify the matter):
'When ever you come to town
You got me shakin in my boots
Before you even touch down
You know you got my respect
I know you don't need it
Your picture's in the paper
I didn't read it'
The present is now made up of 'clear blue skies' and Staples' lyrical persona is now 'making drinks on the patio' - a present moment made all the more precious by the distant memory of surviving a prior ordeal caused by the titular 'black tornado'. With its simple foundations, delicate and precise instrumentation, and poetic lyrics, "Black Tornado" manages to be an 'easy listening' track with a surprising level of emotional depth and complexity.
