We’ve had a bit of Weather this week!

Mar 3, 2018
4 min read

The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?

J. B. Priestley

Unless you’ve been living under a rock this week in the UK you may have noticed we’ve had a bit of weather! Yes, it’s been snowing all across the UK & Ireland! Even if you have been under a rock you will know this fact even if you haven’t been outside (or looked out of the window) today, given that your Facebook feed will be stuffed full of artistically tweaked photos of snow laden landscapes and icy cityscapes that makes you feel all fuzzy inside. Lots of musicians through the ages have jumped aboard the proverbial snowmobile and steered it all the way to a land of snow-based creativity. As we turn the corner and the thaw sets in here are 10 of my favourites that will hopefully evoke memories of this eventful week! 1. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Fifteen Feet Of Pure White Snow This doomy blues requiem seems to be about not just any old cold snap I always think, full-on nuclear winter. Apparently, all of Nick’s friends forgot their gloves and are buried alive under the white stuff – no big deal. This is a good one to listen to while you’re staring next to your roaring fife staring out the window at the snowdrifts, glass of Gin and Tonic in hand. 2. The Walkmen, While I Shovel the Snow Here’s the thing about snow in big cities; It turns disgusting and slushy within a day of a storm blowing through. However, for those first few hours, when the snow is falling and has just settled, gently, onto the ground, I believe you won’t find a more beautiful sight, we reckon. Check out the last scene in the original Bridget Jones’s Diary, I rest my case! 3. Kings of Leon, Velvet Snow If this energetic guitar track, taken from the excellent, arty second album “Aha Shake Heartbreak” were a blizzard, it would be a total whiteout that makes you giddy with excitement.

4. Bon Iver, Blindsided I couldn’t miss out an artist who’s very name is derived from the French for “Good Winter”! I came late to the party when it comes to Bon Iver, it was a recommendation a few years ago from a dear friend in Second Life. That said, Bon Iver was a little late to his own party, back when he was just a heartbroken dude with an acoustic guitar in a cabin in the woods, before superstardom and rooms at the Montage Beverly Hills beckoned, Bon Iver penned this fragile piece about biking in the snow. 5. Billie Holiday, I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm Lots of versions of this song but this is my fav, a true golden oldie. Billie Holiday could break your heart with a simple turn of phrase, such was her genius and indeed she’s best remembered for her melancholy jazz numbers. Billie was a romantic old soul, of that there’s little doubt, and here she’s at her most loved-up, evoking the feeling of being wrapped up inside with the object of your affection, oblivious to the raging blizzard outside. 6. They Might Be Giants, New York City

Boy meets girl; boy and girl fall in love in New York City (on the Bowery, no less); boy leaves NYC but travels back to be with the girl he loves. The seasonal imagery is good here, but the New York City references; “We kissed on the subway in the middle of the night”, make it one of my favourite winter and actual songs about New York

I’ve tried to keep away from ubiquitous Christmas songs so please forgive the tubular bells in this!

7. Al Green, Feels Like Summer

Wait a minute, Feels like summer? You need to hear the lyrics; “I can hear the children playin' Snow will fall, The snow will fall, Snowfall. The only thing warm about the song is the velvety qualities in Al’s idiosyncratic voice! 8. Jeezy, Snow Season Atlanta rapper Jeezy, who also goes by the nickname; “The Snowman”, takes a less introspective approach to snow-based hip-hop, promising; “First you drop us, then we cock ya Glock, Jagged or trippin', we knock his ass out the box”. Great lyrics however, It may only be March, Jeezy, but Santa is listening and at this rate you’re firmly on the naughty list!. 9. Elliot Smith, Angel in the Snow A lesser-loved, yet brilliant song from the late songwriter, this is an acoustic ballad that sees the narrator imagine lying down beside a loved one in the snow and basking in their beauty – cute song! 10. Laura Marling, Goodbye England (Covered In Snow) Many would argue, including myself, that Laura Marling is Britain’s most important songwriter and this song would be a leading piece of evidence to support that bold claim. A plaintive, stripped back stunner in which Marling sings, “I never love England more than when covered in snow.” You’re not alone there, Laura, there’s lots of us romantics that smile and sigh at the sight of rolling hills pristine in a blanket of the white stuff!