Snow has a unique power to transform the everyday world into something dramatic or magical, making it a favorite backdrop for musicians. Snowfall brings with it feelings of coziness, holiday cheer, romance, or even a sense of isolation, making it a great topic for songwriters. From classic holiday tunes to indie rock hits and country storytelling, this list covers the wide range of emotions and scenes inspired by snow (and snowmen).
Be sure to check out the Songs About Snow Playlist at the bottom of this page.
Best Songs About Snow
1. “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” – Dean Martin
Lyric Sample: “Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful.”
This holiday classic turns a snowstorm into an invitation to relax inside and enjoy good company. It’s about warmth in the cold and finding joy on a winter night.
Related: Best Christmas Songs
2. “Snowman” – Sia
Lyric Sample: “I want you to know that I’m never leaving, ’cause I’m Mrs. Snow, ’til death we’ll be freezing.”
In this 2017 pop song, Sia sings about wanting to stay with someone through thick and thin, even when things might change. The snowman represents a love that’s fragile but worth holding on to.
3. “Snowbird” – Anne Murray
Lyric Sample: “Spread your tiny wings and fly away, and take the snow back with you where it came from on that day.”
In this ’70s hit, the snowbird’s journey south symbolizes wanting to leave behind sadness. Murray sings about wishing for a fresh start after a breakup.
4. “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” – Kristen Bell, Agatha Lee Monn, & Katie Lopez
Lyric Sample: “I think some company is overdue, I’ve started talking to the pictures on the walls.”
From the hit film Frozen, this track is about a girl trying to reconnect with her sister, who has shut herself off from the world. It’s a song about growing apart and the hope of rebuilding a bond.
5. “Frosty the Snowman” – Gene Autry
Lyric Sample: “Frosty the Snowman was a jolly happy soul.”
This iconic 1950s children’s song tells the magical tale of a snowman who comes to life before melting away in the sun. Autry is just on of many popular artists who recorded it over the years.
6. “White Winter Hymnal” – Fleet Foxes
Lyric Sample: “I was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats, with scarves of red tied ’round their throats.”
This 2008 folk song captures a cold winter scene with a group of people bundled up together. It’s a six-line track with a mysterious meaning.
Related: “White Winter Hymnal” Song Meaning
7. “Snow on the Beach” – Taylor Swift ft. Lana Del Rey
Lyric Sample: “No sound, it’s all around, like snow on the beach.”
This 2022 pop song is about the strange feeling of falling in love with someone who feels the same way. It’s about something unexpected and almost unreal happening at the same time.
8. “Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow” – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Lyric Sample: “I can’t remember ever feeling this bad, under fifteen feet of pure white snow.”
Nick Cave’s early 2000s track uses the metaphor of being buried under snow to describe isolation and despair. The repetition of the title line reflects a sense of being trapped and cut off.
9. “Snowbound” – Genesis
Lyric Sample: “Lay your body down upon the midnight snow, feel the cold of winter in your hair.”
This prog-rock song tells the strange, darker story of a snowman coming to life only to be destroyed by the very children who created it. It uses the short life of the snowman to represent innocence, vulnerability, and the passage of time.
10. “Snowflakes” – Just Jack
Lyric Sample: “Do you count the flakes when it snows, and do you feel the heat or only the afterglows?”
Just Jack uses falling snowflakes as a backdrop for a series of searching questions about authenticity and life choices. He asks the listener to confront whether they’re living truthfully.
11. “White Christmas” – Bing Crosby
Lyric Sample: “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know.”
A holiday classic, this one is about longing for the familiar, nostalgic image of a snowy Christmas. Crosby sings about wanting to relive a past filled with warmth and tradition.
Related: Best Songs About December
12. “Snowflake” – Kate Bush ft. Bertie McIntosh
Lyric Sample: “I was born in a cloud, now I am falling, the world is so loud.”
This unique holiday song features narration from the perspective of a single snowflake (performed by Kate Bush’s son) as it falls from the sky, urging a loved one to catch it. Bush repeats the promise to find him despite the distracting noise of the world below.
13. “Snowstorm” – Galaxie 500
Lyric Sample: “Well, I’m looking at the snowflakes, and they all look the same.”
This 1980s rock track centers on the approach of a major snowstorm and the subsequent, almost welcome chaos it creates. The singer feels a sudden sense of liberation and relief when the weather forces everyone to stop working and go home.
14. “Snow” – Angus & Julia Stone
Lyric Sample: “Smile in the snow, tryna find something to say.”
The Australian duo details the messy, repeating cycle of a complicated relationship marked by fighting and drinking. It’s a song about the frustrating inability of two people to move past their issues.
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15. “Footprints in the Snow” – Bill Monroe
Lyric Sample: “I found her when the snow was on the ground.”
This classic bluegrass song tells a bittersweet story of a man finding his true love by following the trail she left in the fresh powder. Although she is now gone, he still appreciates the winter day when the snow fell.
16. “Snow in California” – Ariana Grande
Lyric Sample: “Just make it snow in California, I’ll even settle for rain.”
In this modern R&B Christmas song, Grande desperately asks Santa Claus to cause a snowstorm in California to delay her boyfriend’s flight out of town.
17. “Let It Snow” – Boyz II Men ft. Brian McKnight
Lyric Sample: “Outside it’s cold, but the fire’s blazin’, all I need you to do is be with me.”
A 1990s spin on the winter classic, “Let It Snow” blends holiday cheer with romance. The song celebrates being wrapped up with a partner indoors on a cold day.
18. “Snow Angel” – Tori Amos
Lyric Sample: “Snow angel, she’ll make her way and she’ll stay, for a time.”
In this 2009 track, Tori Amos sings about a mystical figure who visits during the winter, bringing a temporary, comforting presence. The visit is a secret, reassuring ritual that only children fully understand.
19. “Snow” – Lisa Hannigan
Lyric Sample: “Watching the snow falling down, watching the city lose color and sound.”
Hannigan’s song describes a final journey taken by two people from the city to the sea as the snow falls. It’s about remembering the good times together and the bittersweet closing of that chapter.
20. “Snowfall” – Ingrid Michaelson
Lyric Sample: “I want a snowfall kind of love, the kind of love that quiets the world.”
Michaelson’s acoustic pop track uses snow as a metaphor for the type of calm and encompassing love she wants. She wants a relationship that slows the world down and provides a sense of cozy, peaceful isolation.
21. “Snow is Falling in Manhattan” – Purple Mountains
Lyric Sample: “Snow is falling in Manhattan, while I’m lost in someone else’s name.”
This indie rock song details a snowy day in New York. It’s about a man who offers shelter to an old friend seeking refuge from the cold storm outside.
22. “Snowed In at Wheeler Street” – Kate Bush & Elton John
Lyric Sample: “Snowed in at Wheeler Street, just two old friends, keeping the fire going.”
This dramatic 2011 duet chronicles a love story between two people who have found and lost each other across multiple historical periods. They both fear losing that connection again, whether by war, distance, or because of a snowstorm.
23. “Rain and Snow” – The Del McCoury Band
Lyric Sample: “I married me a wife, she give me trouble all my life, left me out in the cold rain and snow.”
This traditional bluegrass ballad tells the story of a man driven to murder his wife after she continually mistreats him. The harsh weather symbolizes the pain and trouble she inflicted on him.
24. “Snowin’ on Raton” – Townes Van Zandt
Lyric Sample: “It’s snowin’ on Raton, come morning I’ll be through them hills and gone.”
This country folk ballad describes a man leaving all of his people behind. It’s about saying a final goodbye and accepting that the long road ahead is now a friend.
25. “February Snow” – Flatland Cavalry
Lyric Sample: “I’m underneath that street light in the cold, as you fade into that February snow.”
This 2016 country track is about a painful breakup that occurred on a cold night. The February snow becomes the backdrop for the memory of watching an ex walk away.
26. “Snowbound” – Donald Fagen
Lyric Sample: “Snowbound, let’s sleep in today, wake me up when the wolves come out to play.”
Fagen’s 1990s jazz song is an almost defiant reaction to being stuck in a snowstorm, which prompts the characters to plan a wild night out, hitting the city’s nightclubs and art scenes.
27. “Suzy Snowflake” – Rosemary Clooney
Lyric Sample: “Here comes Suzy Snowflake, soon you will hear her say, come out everyone and play with me, I haven’t long to stay.”
This cheerful 1950s tune personifies a snowflake named Suzy who invites everyone outside to enjoy the winter weather. It details the fun activities she likes to do, like building a snowman and taking a sleigh ride before she melts away.
Conclusion
From the cozy scenes of holiday classics to the dramatic backdrops of folk and rock ballads, songs about snow span pretty much every genre. Whether the snow is gentle, a massive storm keeping people apart, or just a single perfect flake, musicians have used it to create some pretty cool songs over the years.
Be sure to check out the Songs About Winter, Songs About Rain, and Songs About Christmas lists, too!
