Playlist: Winter 3

Here is my annual effort to do a broadly holiday based playlist without getting involved with any overtly Christmas music - a genre I generally don't like all that much. As ever, I get around this thorny issue by picking some more generally winter themed tunes.

However, on this occasion I have failed somewhat, with one or two such songs managing to sneak their way in.

1. Aztec Camera: Walk Out To Winter

Roddy Frame brought his latest venture to roaring, jangly post-punk life, when Aztec Camera released their debut record, High Land, Hard Rain in 1983. He was trying to go against the prevailing sounds of the time, of guitar effects and synthesisers, whilst channeling the sounds of The Clash and Motown at the same time. What we got was a delightful first album, the classic early chart teaser Oblivious, and this great little winter themed number.

Aztec Camera: Walk Out To Winter (live on Old Grey Whistle Test)

2. Steve Miller Band: Winter Time

By 1977, the Steve Miller Band were already ten albums deep. Book Of Dreams delivered more of the classic soft rock sound we would expect from this San Francisco outfit. Jet Airliner provided them with a decent hit single (US Top 10), as well as another classic in Jungle Love. The album is regarded as their best 70s record, a fact borne out by the fact that half (seven) of the tracks on the following years' Greatest Hits LP came from it, including this beautiful and atmospheric song.

Steve Miller Band: Winter Time (audio only)

3. Counting Crows: A Long December

There is a fairly sad background to this ballad and second single from Counting Crows 1996 LP, Recovering The Satellites. Adam Duritz's friend was hit by a motorist which led him to pen the lyrics - about a potential tragedy, but ones which looked with positivity to the future. Even now, in a 2025 interview with The Independent, Duritz feels that this is "the best thing I'd ever written... I knew it was a perfect song, and I knew I was going to love playing it forever." The video features Duritz's girlfriend of the time, Courtney Cox.

Counting Crows: A Long December (official music video)

4. Sarah McLachlan: Wintersong

Photo: Kevin Wisniewski / REX USA

This was the title track of Canadian singer songwriter Sarah McLachlan's sixth record and first Christmas themed one. It consisted mostly of cover versions of tunes like Happy Xmas (War Is Over) and classic carols like Silent Night. Wintersong was the one self-penned song on the album. Barenaked Ladies Jim Creeggan contributed bass on the record, while her then husband Ashwin Sood played drums. It fared well, topping the album chart in her native Canada, making the Billboard Top 10 and also earning a Grammy nomination.

Sarah McLachlan: Wintersong (official music video)

5. Taylor Swift: Snow On The Beach

As ever, Taylor Swift worked with Jack Antonoff on her tenth record, Midnights - and while Snow On The Beach is perhaps not her most memorable contribution to the charts, it does feature Lana Del Ray on backing vocals. Despite mixed reviews, it still managed a Top 5 spot on the Billboard chart and soon racked up over 37 million streams. It is notable as being one of her ten tunes that simultaneously monopolised the US Top 10 - making the first, and as far as I am aware only, artist to hold all ten positions at the same time!

Taylor Swift (w/ Lana Del Ray): Snow On The Beach (official music video)

6. Smashing Pumpkins: My Love Is Winter

This is part of Smashing Pumpkins slightly overblown Teargarden by Kaleidyscope project - making this release, Oceania, effectively an album within an album. For long time fans of the band, this was effectively just a Billy Corgan record - none of the other original members were involved by then; the record includes Jeff Schroeder, Nicole Fiorentino (Veruca Salt) and Mike Byrne as his bandmates. This particular track did also end up on the soundtrack of the video game Watch Dogs.

Smashing Pumpkins: My Love Is Winter (audio only)

7. Red Hot Chili Peppers: Snow (Hey Oh)

Snow (Hey Oh) has that lilting and melodious Red Hot Chili Peppers styling, that characterised their output across the mid-noughties. John Frusciante and Flea still ensure there is plenty of interest sonically, while Chad Smith keeps things relatively reined in, with a steady hand in the background. Anthony Kiedis said that the snow he is singing about, is a metaphorical canvas for a person who is looking to make a fresh start.

RHCP: Snow (Hey Oh) (official music video)

8. Muddy Waters: Cold Weather Blues

We're back in 1964 and Muddy Waters second album in his own right, Folk Singer. It was his one and only all acoustic record and featured an illustrious line up to support him; Willie Dixon was on bass, Clifton James on drums and another blues guitar great, Buddy Guy, on guitar. The record was not a commercial success, but is very well regarded - a fact backed up by Rolling Stone who put it in their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (#280).

Muddy Waters: Cold Weather Blues (audio only)

9. Half Man Half Biscuit: It's Cliched To Be Cynical At Christmas

It's finally time for the two more overt Christmas tunes that have somehow found their way onto the list.

Everything about Half Man Half Biscuit drips with delicious and sardonic wordplay. Even the album titles... especially the album titles; this one comes from 2000s Trouble Over Bridgwater, a great play on the Simon & Garfunkel record. As many will know, I am generally not much of a fan of overtly Christmas songs (hence this is a winter playlist) - but how could I turn down a chance to include something by HMHB? The fact it, this one could well be a dig at someone like me; with its musical references to I Saw Three Ships and some sharp lyrics - "See how we yawn, at your bile and scorn; It's a beautiful day, Peace on Earth has been played; Make a noise with your toys, and ignore the killjoys; 'Cos it's cliched to be cynical at Christmas."

HMHB: It's Cliched To Be Cynical At Christmas (fan video)

10. The Pretenders: 2,000 Miles

One of the few Christmas songs I can actually stomach hearing more than once a year; 2,000 Miles was written by Chrissie Hynde, who was influenced by the Otis Redding track, Thousand Miles Away. There is a melancholic feel to the song, no doubt reflecting that original guitarist James Honeyman-Scott had died the previous year. With Scott's death and the firing of Pete Farndon (who also then died of an overdose), it was a new line-up for The Pretenders for this song and album - including Robbie McIntosh (who would later play with Paul McCartney), who plays that beautiful chiming arpeggiated guitar, and Malcolm Foster (who would later spend time in Simple Minds) joining Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers.

The Pretenders: 2,000 Miles (official music video)