Most of Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words employ a texture where the right hand carries the melody over an accompaniment figure played by the left hand, and are written in ternary form. Furthermore, the insertion of preludes, interludes, and postludes in the pieces suggests that the Songs Without Words were inspired by lieder.

Op. 53, No. 2 is one of the pieces from the fourth collection of Songs Without Words, published in 1841. The title 'Floating Clouds' (浮雲) was not given by Mendelssohn himself. The entire piece progresses through a combination of disparate rhythms: eighth notes and triplets in the right hand. From measure 21, a contrasting section emerges with the melodic line appearing in both ascending and descending directions, leading to the recapitulation from measure 49, forming a ternary structure.