I recently posted a collection of songs about Autumn, as I write there is snow on the ground and so it seemed appropriate to suggest that with November on it’s last day that it is time for a collection of winter songs.
“Winter” is the last concerto of The Four Seasons by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi, each of which gives musical expression to a season of the year. These were composed around 1718−1720, when Vivaldi was the court chapel master in Mantua. Vivaldi was a virtuoso violinist and so it’s no wonder that the violin is star of The Four Seasons. In the first movement of ‘Winter’ Vivaldi brilliantly conveys the biting cold, gusting wind, trembling bodies, and chattering teeth on his beloved violin.
“A Hazy Shade of Winter” is a song by American music duo Simon & Garfunkel, released in October 1966, initially as a stand-alone single, but subsequently included on the duo’s fourth studio album Bookends (1968). It peaked at number 13 on the Billboard.
“Wintertime Love” is a track fromWaiting for the Sun the third studio album by the American band the Doors. Recorded in Los Angeles, the album’s 11 tracks were recorded between February and May 1968 and the album was released by Elektra in July 1968. It became the band’s only number one album (topping the charts for four weeks) and included their second US number one single, “Hello I Love You”.
“Winter” is a song by the English band The Rolling Stones featured on their 1973 album Goats Head Soup. Credited to singer Mike Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, “Winter” is actually the work of Jagger and the Stones’ lead guitarist at the time, Mick Taylor. It was the first song recorded for the album and does not feature Richards.
In 1987, the Bangles recorded a cover version for the Less Than Zero soundtrack, which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Winter” is a song by American singer-songwriter and musician Tori Amos, first released in 1992. The song was written about Amos’ relationship with her father, who is a minister. “Winter” was Amos’ first single to reach the top 40 in any country, peaking at #25 in the UK in March 1992. “Winter” was the fourth single released from Amos’ debut studio album, Little Earthquakes.
“White Winter Hymnal” is the first single from Fleet Foxes’ debut 2008 self-titled album. Released by European label Bella Union in July 2008, the single was issued on 7″ vinyl as well as digital MP3 format. The B-side is the non-album track “Isles”. There is a hymn-like quality to this wintry ballad, which sounds a bit like Brian Wilson conducting a church choir singing a folk song.
“Winter Song” is a seasonal song co-written and co-sung as a duet by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson. Although considered by many to be a Christmas song, no explicit reference to the holiday can be found in its lyrics. It appeared on the album The Hotel Café Presents Winter Songs by various female artists, released in 2008 through Epic Records. It became a minor hit in Canada in 2008, reaching number 97. Upon release in Ireland in 2011, it reached number two for two weeks. A special charity single by #twitterxmassingle also was a separate hit in Ireland alongside the original version, reaching number eight.
