Winter doesn’t always mean Christmas. These songs about wintertime capture the chill and emotion of the season without the sleigh bells or Santa hats. From indie folk and classic rock to soul and pop, artists across decades have found their own way to describe the feeling of shorter days and colder nights during the winter months.
Be sure to check out the Songs About Winter Playlist at the bottom of this page.
Best Songs About Winter
1. “Winter” – Tori Amos
Lyric Sample: “Snow can wait, I forgot my mittens.”
In this 1990s track, Tori Amos sings about a father guiding his daughter as she grows, connecting their relationship to the season. It’s about a father’s wish for his child to accept herself before facing the inevitability of life’s changes.
2. “A Hazy Shade of Winter” – Simon & Garfunkel
Lyric Sample: “Seasons change with the scenery, weaving time in a tapestry.”
This folk-rock classic is about the speed of life changing and the fading of youth, using winter as a symbol of weariness and reality. The Bangles later made a popular cover in the ’80s.
3. “White Winter Hymnal” – Fleet Foxes
Lyric Sample: “And I was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats.”
Fleet Foxes bring wintry imagery to life in this haunting, harmony-rich track. It’s both beautiful and eerie, evoking memories of childhood in their signature folk style.
Related: “White Winter Hymnal” Song Meaning
4. “California Dreamin’” – The Mamas & The Papas
Lyric Sample: “All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray.”
One of the best songs for winter when you’re longing for warmer days, this ’60s hit captures homesickness and escape in the same breath. It’s a west coast daydream from inside a cold city.
Related: “California Dreamin’” Song Meaning
5. “Winter Sadness” – Kool & The Gang
Lyric Sample: “When autumn leaves fall to the ground and their colors change red and brown.”
This mostly-instrumental soul track trades the band’s usual funk for a slow, melancholy groove. It’s about the loneliness that creeps in as the seasons change and winter finally arrives.
6. “River” – Joni Mitchell
Lyric Sample: “I wish I had a river I could skate away on.”
Joni Mitchell sings about regret and yearning during the holidays in this classic. It’s one of the most covered winter songs of all time.
Related: Best Songs About December
7. “Winter Winds” – Mumford & Sons
Lyric Sample: “As the winter winds litter London with lonely hearts.”
This upbeat folk-rock tune is about the push and pull of romance, set against the cold backdrop of winter. It’s both hopeful and bittersweet.
Related: Best Songs About February
8. “Winter Song” – Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson
Lyric Sample: “December never felt so wrong, ’cause you’re not where you belong.”
“Winter Song” is an emotional duet about love that endures through distance and cold. It’s gentle, comforting, and has become a modern favorite for wintertime playlists.
Related: Best Songs About January
9. “Winter” – Joshua Radin
Lyric Sample: “Your name is the splinter inside me while I wait.”
This mid-2000s acoustic song is about the ache of remembering someone long gone during the coldest months. Radin sings about loss and longing, with winter serving as the perfect backdrop.
10. “Song for a Winter’s Night” – Gordon Lightfoot
Lyric Sample: “I would be happy just to hold the hands I love on this winter night with you.”
Lightfoot sings about the stillness of a snowy night and the ache of missing someone far away. It’s one of the better winter love songs from the ’60s.
11. “Wintertime Love” – The Doors
Lyric Sample: “Come with me, dance, my dear, winter’s so cold this year.”
A rare tender track from The Doors, “Wintertime Love” is all about warmth and affection during the cold season. Jim Morrison trades his usual intensity for something gentle and romantic.
12. “January Hymn” – The Decemberists
Lyric Sample: “On a winter’s Sunday I go to clear away the snow and green the ground below”
The Decemberists use a snowy landscape as a setting for memory and regret in this folk track. It’s a reflective song about loss, routine, and how some winter moments can bring someone back to mind.
Related: Best Songs with Months in the Title
13. “Winter” – Khalid
Lyric Sample: “But the days get harder in November, love grows colder in the winter.”
In “Winter,” Khalid sings about love fading. It’s an R&B track about the loneliness that comes when the literal and emotional warmth starts to disappear.
14. “Valley Winter Song” – Fountains of Wayne
Lyric Sample: “And the snow is coming down on our New England town, and it’s been falling all day long.”
This early-2000s pop-rock track describes the long stretch of a gray New England winter and the moments that keep you going. It’s about restlessness, love, and trying to stay warm in every sense while waiting for brighter days.
15. “Wintertime” – Norah Jones
Lyric Sample: “In the wintertime there’s a candlelight, I only get from you.”
Jones sings about the struggles that come with the winter months in this jazzy tune. It’s about leaning on a partner to get through the season.
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16. “The Coldest Winter” – Kanye West
Lyric Sample: “Goodbye, my friend, will I ever love again?”
Kanye West mourns the death of his mother, Donda, in this personal track from 2008. The song follows his grief and emptiness during the winter, using the season’s cold to mirror his loss.
Related: Songs About Death
17. “Winter Time” – Steve Miller Band
Lyric Sample: “In the winter time, when all the leaves are brown.”
This mellow ’70s rock tune feels made for sitting by the window and watching the snow fall. It’s smooth and easygoing, making it one of the more chill winter songs out there.
18. “Winter Ahead” – V & Park Hyo Shin
Lyric Sample: “Lie with me by the fire, we can be safe from the storms up high.”
This newer jazz-pop track is about spending the winter together with someone you care about. It’s a love song about being present with someone during cold, difficult days.
19. “Winter” – The Rolling Stones
Lyric Sample: “And it sure been a cold, cold winter, and the wind ain’t been blowin’ from the south.”
This slow, blues-rock track uses the winter season as a classic analogy for a harsh period of time or a difficult relationship. Mick Jagger sings about feeling wounded and financially strained while longing for the warmth of California and a better season.
20. “End of the Season” – The Kinks
Lyric Sample: “Winter time is coming, all the sky is grey, summer birds aren’t singing since you went away.”
“End of the Season” is a 1960s track that ties the arrival of wintertime to the end of a personal golden age, specifically a breakup with a wealthy partner. It’s about returning to an old routine after someone important is gone
21. “Colder Weather” – Zac Brown Band
Lyric Sample: “Oh, I want to see you again, but I’m stuck in colder weather.”
This modern country hit centers on a hardworking, traveling man whose demanding job keeps him from settling down with the woman he loves. The colder weather is a constant reminder of the distance and his inability to commit.
Related: “Colder Weather” Song Meaning
22. “Winter Trees” – The Staves
Lyric Sample: “White winter trees covered in snow, I don’t mind, I don’t mind.”
The Staves sing about regret and lingering feelings in this delicate wintry song. It focuses on realizing mistakes in a past relationship while the season mirrors the cold distance between them.
23. “A Long December” – Counting Crows
Lyric Sample: “And it’s been a long December and there’s reason to believe, maybe this year will be better than the last.”
This 1990s alternative rock hit details a period of stagnation and waiting for better times to come. “A Long December” is easily one of the most well-known winter songs out there.
Related: Best Songs About December
24. “Winterbreak” – MUNA
Lyric Sample: “I haven’t seen you since last winter break, and I know that I broke your heart.”
This 2017 synthpop track is about revisiting a complicated relationship, recalling mistakes and lingering feelings. The narrator knows it can’t work but can’t resist falling into it again.
25. “Snowfall” – Tony Bennett
Lyric Sample: “Snowfall, softly, gently drift down.”
This classic jazz song is one of the best songs for winter because it’s a simple, elegant observation of snow falling outside. Bennett’s smooth vocals elevate the basic description of a gentle snowfall.
26. “I’m Cold” – Guided by Voices
Lyric Sample: “I go outside and it’s cold, I walk downtown and it’s cold.”
“I’m Cold” is an indie rock track that follows someone moving through daily life feeling detached and drained, with winter mirroring their emotional state. It’s a mix of frustration, fatigue, and feeling disconnected from the world.
27. “Winter Song” – Sam Fender
Lyric Sample: “When winter’s shadowy fingers first pursue you down the street.”
This indie track uses the dark season to put a spotlight on social inequality and the plight of the homeless and marginalized. Fender asks listeners to think of those struggling during the wintertime, not just themselves.
28. “Looks Like a Cold, Cold Winter” – Ingrid Michaelson
Lyric Sample: “Looks like a cold, cold winter, plenty of ice and snow, but we’ll keep the love light in our hearts aglow.”
This is an upbeat pop song about the anticipation of a severe winter and the singer’s certainty that her partner will help her survive the frigid temperatures. She frames the coming cold as a positive reason to get closer to someone.
29. “Winterlong” – Neil Young
Lyric Sample: “I waited for you winterlong, you seemed to be where I belong.”
Neil Young sings about waiting through the winter months for someone important in this 1970s folk-rock track. It’s about the patience, hope, and disappointment that come with missing someone over a long stretch of time.
Conclusion
These songs about winter cover everything from heartbreak and loneliness to warmth and peace. Whether you’re missing someone, dreaming of summer, or just watching the snow fall, there’s something here for every kind of cold-weather mood.
If you liked this list, you might also enjoy our collections of Songs About Autumn, Songs About Snow, and Songs About Nature.
