Winter and the holidays surrounding it bring up an array of emotions in people. For most, the loss of sun can cause their mental health to drop. This led to people coining the terms, “seasonal depression,” “winter blues,” or “January blues.” Here are four songs that emulate these “Winter Blues” of the season.
“Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)”- John Prine
John Prine is one of my favorite musicians. I love the way his music sounds, and I find the way he writes lyrics clever. I love this song in particular because of the message of trying not to lose yourself to depression.
It’s hard to find my favorite lyric, but I would say it would have to be the chorus: “You can gaze out the window, get mad and get madder/ Throw your hands in the air, say ‘What does it matter?’/ But it don’t do no good to get angry/ So help me, I know.” The lyric continues to warn against losing yourself to misery, “For a heart stained in anger grows weak and grows bitter/ You’ll become your own prisoner as you watch yourself sit there/ Wrapped up in a trap of your very own/ Chain of sorrow.” The song stands as a warning to not lose yourself in a cycle of negativity. Something I stated in the intro to avoid the temptations of despair during winter.
“River”- Joni Mitchell
This is one of my favorite songs. I love the simple but effective piano instrumentals and the way Mitchell’s voice quavers over the words. In the song, Mitchell reminisces on her guilt over hurting her lover, saying she wishes she had a river she could skate away on.
This is shown in the chorus, “I wish I had a river so long/ I would teach my feet to fly/ Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on/ I made my baby cry.” I think she depicts the guilt and shame she feels so eloquently. I think the wish to run away from guilt is something everyone feels at one point. Though the song is objectively simple, her emotion shines through her voice. Adding on to her guilt, the lyrics paint a picture of her lover as someone who truly cared for her and put her at ease. She counters this by describing how she is selfish and sad, not worthy of her lover. The song is incredibly self-deprecating, but I can’t help but love her accurate depiction of emotion. It feels raw, like she truly feels each word she sings.
“Winter Winds” – Mumford & Sons
In this song, the narrator recounts a meaningless love affair that took place over winter. The song discusses the inner conflict he feels. His head told his heart, “let love grow,” but his heart told his head, “this time no.” I find this interesting because when people talk about the conflict between heart and mind, usually the heart is the one striving for love.
My favorite verse is, “Oh the shame that sent me off from the God that I once loved/ Was the same that sent me into your arms/ Oh, and Pestilence is won when you are lost and I am gone/ And no hope, no hope will overcome.” Shame led him to leave God, causing him to seek comfort in a love affair. Pestilence is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, representing disease. Pestilence’s winning represents the death of the taboo relationship.The song continually uses winter as a metaphor for a failing relationship and disease runs extremely rampant during winter. I find it an incredibly clever metaphor, and it’s really the reason I enjoy this song.
“When the River Meets the Sea”- By John Denver and the Muppets
This song was originally written by Paul Williams for Jim Henson’s TV special Emmet Otter’s Jugband-Christmas. However, this is not the version I grew up listening to. I grew up listening to Robin the Frog and John Denver’s version. But this song was lost to memory for me till my friend Valentine reintroduced me to this masterpiece.
The song is in my opinion the perfect example of a melancholy song. The lyrics aren’t explicitly sad, but the tone of the song has a tinge of sadness mixed with warmth and love. Though this song isn’t explicitly Christmas-y or seasonal, the mix of emotions are fitting for winter in my opinion. I think the holidays can be a hard time for people for a myriad of reasons, one reason for most is that it feels different. It’s hard to enjoy a holiday, when there’s clearly something or someone missing. Whether it be a person, loss of youth, or just the feelings around the holidays changing. This song is such a beautiful depiction of growth and change throughout life while leaving space for emotions. Life goes on no matter how we experience it. Which is a good example of what was said before.
My favorite verse is the second, “Like a flower that has blossomed in the dry and barren sand/ We are born and born again most gracefully/ Thus the winds of time will take us with a sure and steady hand/ When the river meets the sea.” I think this lyric shows resilience in life with a flower blooming in sand. I love how the wind of time is referenced as a force taking us and pushing forward. I find this a utterly pretty description and even just the melody is perfect. I highly encourage you to listen to this song more than any other on this list.
