Warm Up With These 14 Classic Rock Songs About Winter

Pull your collar up and stay warm with these rock songs with winter themes

Snow Covered Trees In Forest

Felix Schaube/EyeEm/Getty Images

Without a doubt, winter can bring about stretches of snowy, overcast skies. While some may equate bad weather with boredom and being stuck indoors, chilly weather is also the perfect excuse to slow down, snuggle up at home, enjoy some "me-time," and put on your favorite record. 

And what's more fitting on a cold day than listening to songs about winter? From Simon and Garfunkel to Black Sabbath, classic rock bands have put out many songs using snow as a metaphor. 

So, with a steaming cup of hot chocolate in your hands and a comfy sofa readily available, put on this playlist of classic rock ballads to cozy up to on winter days. 

'A Hazy Shade of Winter' - Simon & Garfunkel

Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel
Columbia

Drinking my vodka and lime
I look around
Leaves are brown, now
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Enjoy a winter day like Simon and Garfunkel, with a vodka and lime. Cheers to that fellas.  ​ 

'A Winter's Tale' - Moody Blues

Moody Blues - A Winter's Tale
Universal

It was only a winter's tale
Just another winter's tale

A Mike Batt cover, "A Winter's Tale" is from December, an album completely dedicated to songs about winter and the holidays. Listening to the lyrics, it becomes evident that the ballad is about a lost love. A bit of a downer, but hey what else can you expect from a band called Moody Blues. 

'A Winter's Tale' - Queen

Queen - A Winter's Tale
Hollywood

Am I dreaming? Am I dreaming?

This hauntingly beautiful track was released on the album, Made in Heaven, a few years after Freddie Mercury's death. His voice, full of emotion, seems to ethereally reach out from beyond the great divide — a wonderful conclusion to Mercury's career. 

Watch the video

'First Snow on Brooklyn' - Jethro Tull

Jethro Tull - First Snow On Brooklyn
Varese Saraband

Thin wind stings my face: pull collar up
I could murder coffee in a grande cup
No welcome deli; there's no Starbucks here

Jethro Tull paints a bleak picture and everyone's worst nightmare: no coffee when you need it most. The British progressive and folk rock band released this song in 2003 as a part of ​​The Jethro Tull Christmas Album.

'Snow Theme' - Journey

Journey - Snow Theme
SBME Import

The same band that brought you the iconic rock anthem, "Don't Stop Believin'" also composed this pensive, purely instrumental song for the soundtrack of the Japanese film, Yume, Yume No Ato, also known as Dream, After Dream. 

'Snowball' - Devo

Devo - Snowball
Warner Bros.

My baby took our love / And then she rolled it up
Rolled it up a hill / Like a ball of snow

The new wave, synthpop band released "Snowball" in 1980 as a part of their album, Freedom of Choice. Known for their energetic showmanship with robotic dancing and tongue-in-cheek futuristic themes, their live performance of "Snowball" does not disappoint. 

'Snowblind' - Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath - Snowbound
Sanctuary Records

Something blowing in my head
Winter's ice, it soon will spread

It's Black Sabbath, so you can bet that this track isn't literally talking about snow. You guessed it, this tune is dedicated to cocaine, with "snowblind" most likely meaning a cocaine addiction.

'Snowbound' - Donald Fagen

Donald Fagen - Snowbound
Reprise

Snowbound / Let's sleep in today
Wake me up / When the wolves come out to play

Fagen included this jazz-rock song on his 1993 solo album, Kamakiriad. 

Listening to the lyrics and watching the music video, "Snowbound" tells the science-fiction story of a dystopian city covered in snow and ice. But in this cold world, people still manage to find love.

'Snowbound' - Genesis

Genesis - Snowbound
Rhino / Atlantic

Lay your body down upon the midnight snow
Feel the cold of winter in your hair

Written by the band's guitarist, Mike Rutherford, this track was a part of the English rock band's 1978 album, ... And Then There Were Three ... The album hit number 3 on the UK Album Chart and number 14 on US Billboard 200. 

Watch the video

'Snowman' - Rainbow

Rainbow - Snowman
PSM Records

"Snowman" is Rainbow's cover of "Walking in the Air," the only song in the wordless Academy Award-nominated best animated short in 1982 — The Snowman. Adding a hard rock flair, Rainbow succeeds in making this song their own. 

'Under Ice' - Kate Bush

Kate Bush - Under Ice
EMI

There's something moving under
Under the ice moving...It's me

Kate Bush's baroque-pop voice combined with a cello ensemble consistently playing ominous notes creates a mythical ambiance in "Under Ice." This dream-like, or perhaps nightmarish, tune can be found in her album, Hounds of Love.  

'Winter' - The Cure

The Cure - Winter
Rhino / Elektra

Now I'm alone below the cold of a painted sky
Remembering a love that became a lie

"Winter" was an outtake from the original 1979 LP release of Three Imaginary Boys. Thankfully, you can find it in the 2004 reissue by Rhina Records, which includes other outtakes and demos by The Cure.

'Winter' - The Rolling Stones

Winter - The Rolling Stones
UME

And it's sure been a cold, cold winter

From their 1973 album Goats Head Soup, The Rolling Stones delivers a seasonal ballad. "Winter" is a genuine piece that features heartfelt vocals by Mick Jagger. 

'Wintertime Love' - The Doors

Wintertime Love - The Doors
Rhino

Winter's so cold this year
And you are so warm
My wintertime love to be

"Wintertime Love" is a part of The Doors' album titled Waiting For The Sun. In 1968, the album reached #1 on the Billboard charts, the only time the band held #1 status.