Looking out of the window as the Beast from the East meets Storm Emma and brings with it the snow and ice here is ten songs all about winter, snow and being cold!
Snowblind – Black Sabbath
Despite it’s references to icicles within brains, snowflakes glisten(ing) in the trees and winter’s ice this song is actually all about cocaine and the prodigious amounts the band were getting through at the time of it being written and recorded on their seminal album vol.4.
Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin
Another song not primarily about winter but with its opening lines of ‘we come from the land of ice and snow’ this tale of Viking hordes reeking havoc from their ‘land of midnight sun’ is enough to send a chill through anyone’s heart.
50 Words for Snow – Kate Bush
Featuring Stephen Fry, Kate Bush’s title track from her 2011 album alludes to the many different words the Inuit people of Canada and Alaska have for snow.
Ice On The Motorway – Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey
A collaboration between riff master Johnson and Who frontman Daltrey (Happy 74th Birthday today Roger) this is a cautionary tale about driving in winter conditions.
Hazy Shade of Winter – Simon and Garfunkel
Written by Paul Simon during his time in the UK this song documents the change of seasons from autumn to winter through the eyes of a poet, wracked as he is by self doubt about his life achievements.
Colder Weather – The Zac Brown Band
A song from one of country music’s rising stars this song tells the story of a long distance trucker who is missing his lover; kept apart as they are by bad weather.
White Winter Hymnal – Fleet Foxes
Written from the experiences of Robin Pecknold about a time when he was ‘ditched by his friends at highschool’ (Rolling Stone magazine interview) the song is full of imagery of turning snow from white to red. Cheerful stuff!
Winter Road – Bill Callahan
On the face of it another song about the dangers of driving home in winter. In reality it could also be Callahan taking a different way to dealing with a lover in relation to mistakes made in previous relationships.
When The Thames Froze – Smith and Burrows
Taken from their sublime Christmas album Funny Looking Angels this beautiful song tells of days when the River Thames froze over.
Californian Dreamin’ – The Mamas and the Papas
On the face of it a summer song, but in reality it is about being somewhere where ‘all the leaves are brown and the skies are grey’ and wishing you were somewhere sunny and hot. Or is about being in an relationship that is going bad and looking back to better times.