Winter is traditionally a difficult time for many; a blend of seasonal depression and treacherous weather. A couple weeks ago, the famous groundhog by the name of Punxsutawney Phil continued the North American tradition of predicting the end of winter. Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter, and while we might object to the cold, we still get to enjoy moody winter music for a while.
Here are 15 songs that encapsulate winter. Some of them are sad, some are comforting, and some are nostalgic. Embrace the stereotypically sad season but don’t despair, spring is almost here!
Bright Eyes: “Train Under Water”
The album “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning” has a consistent theme of coldness in New York City. “Train Under Water” describes the struggle of wanting to be with someone but knowing you are not in the place to do so. It is emotional and relatable, reassuring that the narrator cares, “well don’t stay mad, just let some time pass,” but ends with an overarching emotion of sadness because the pair cannot be together.
Helvetia: “The Acrobats”
“The Acrobats” is a song title track off Helvetia’s second album. The vocals strain and contain passion, with the instruments building over the course of the song. At the end there is a brief moment of calmness and then it continues to build intensity with the volume of the drums, slowly fading out once more. The ending lyric, “but you know it won’t be easy,” hits hard and feels like something that encompasses winter.
Blur: “Good Song”
“Good Song,” from Blur’s 2003 “Think Tank” album, is an extremely sad song, which is rare for Blur, but is necessary to the rest of their discography. The bittersweet melody evokes coping and closure and the lyrics go hand in hand with it, “I could be lying on an atom bomb, I’ll take care cause I know you’ll be there.” They explain the loss of love and figuring out how to confront it, but settling with moving on, and being okay with parting ways.
Sonic Youth: “The Diamond Sea”
“The Diamond Sea,” from “Washing Machine” Sonic Youth’s 1995 album, explains the relationship between your self image and your true self. The connection between the two is a constant struggle most people inhabit when deciding what matters and what does not. The song plays with the concept of not allowing self image to control your life, more specifically your relationships. “Your mirror’s gonna crack when he breaks it,” Sonic Youth sings.
Sparklehorse: “Comfort Me”
During the winter, comfort is hard to come by. On Sparklehorse’s album, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Comfort Me” feels like a plea for companionship and the reassurance of another’s presence. The desire to have someone to depend on, “won’t you come to comfort me?” repeated throughout the track, only grows more intense in the winter, making “Comfort Me” a relatable song.
Duster: “Gold Dust”
This song is a fully instrumental track, to its core is just the band jamming, does not seem to take itself too seriously. Duster has always been a band that felt very wintery and eerily comforting due to their slowcore-esque genre consistency. “Gold Dust,” is not a complicated track but feels raw and real, conveying an assortment of emotions without any type of lyrics.
Vince Guaraldi Trio: “Skating”
The classic film “A Charlie Brown Christmas” plays in family rooms around America every year. The song “Skating” off the Charlie Brown soundtrack is a little less Christmas propaganda-y and instead celebrates a non religious joyful winter activity. It is a sweet and upbeat instrumental done to highlight the cheer of the holidays.
Norah Jones: “December”
Filled with the joy of the holidays and the excitement of spending time with loved ones, December is for some the happiest month of the season. “December,” describes that joy and puts an optimistic spin on the outlook of the winter month. “Back with the snow, even sun?” feels like an acknowledgement of the coldness December brings but reminds us that there is sun shining through the cold.
Belle and Sebastian: “The Fox In The Snow”
“The Fox In The Snow,” describes the loneliness of winter through the story of four characters: the fox, the girl, the boy on the bike, and the kid in the snow. The first three are all lost in the midst of the snow, going about their tasks aimlessly. Whereas, the kid in the snow is not wandering but instead playing in the snow.
Alex Turner: “Hiding tonight”
This track is from the soundtrack of “Submarine.” In a bittersweet solo project from Alex Turner, the lead singer of the Arctic Monkeys, “Hiding tonight” is an echoey and stripped down acoustic tune. The song itself describes the constant struggle of procrastination. It begins with “hiding today” transitioning into “hiding tonight,” and is filled with promises of being better tomorrow. It becomes clear that it must be a never ending cycle, yet he asks his love interest to join him in hiding together.
The Microphones: “I Want to Be Cold”
“I Want to Be Cold” is a loud and uncomfortable noise track off The Microphones’ album “The Glow Pt. 2.” This song in particular describes the life of lead singer Phil Elverum’s desire to feel uncomfortable, “to be cold” and being consumed fully by his depression, “it’s raining on me, I don’t want it to stop, I don’t want to breathe anymore.”
Purple Mountains: “Snow is Falling in Manhattan”
This album was released in the midst of summer, yet the entire collection has a winter theme. “Snow is Falling in Manhattan,” in particular, is much more peaceful than the rest of the album which is filled with themes of death. It describes the quietness and appreciation for the sheets of snow that fill the city every year.
Silver Jews: “Albemarle Station”
“Albemarle Station,” has consistent themes of abandonment and coldness. “Bad roads, bad snow, bad bridges” describes the winter weather and its unpleasantness. Lead singer David Berman’s lyrics have always pondered with the idea of death and depression, and “Albemarle Station” does not stray from that.
Clinic: “Distortions”
This song describes the constant struggle of wanting to understand yourself inside and out, “free of distortions.” We change so much as the years go by, making it even more difficult to understand who we truly are. “Distortions” explores the need to know ourselves at our core. “I want to know my body,” lead singer Adrian Blackburn sings.
Elliott Smith: “Pitseleh”
Elliott Smith is known for his discography of emotionally conflicting tracks, ones that exert the deepest emotions you were not even aware of having. “Pitseleh,” describes a relationship that feels perfect, but the relationship will not last. Instead of falling in love with the person, this song details how Smith falls in love with a made-up version of his partner.
Winter often gets a bad reputation for its lack of daylight and frigid temperatures, but the last month of winter is finally upon us. Seasonal Affective Disorder is coming to an end this year and our hypothalamus will begin to produce serotonin again. Winter is not all bad though; it brings an excuse to curl up in bed for as long as you need to. Lay in bed and listen to this winter playlist to stay warm and stay cozy.