Each new year, as winter slowly but surely overstays its welcome, it can feel like spring will never arrive. While we wait for the world to thaw, here are some older tracks that have rung in spring in years past. Also, here’s proof that I should’ve been born in the seventies.
Fleetwood Mac – “Landslide”
You didn’t think I’d make a list of my favorite oldies and not feature Fleetwood Mac, did you? Because you’d be wrong. The gentleness of this track combined with the naturalistic lyricism make it an excellent choice for watching the flowers bloom.
John Denver – “Annie’s Song”
To me, John Denver’s music is quintessential spring. Gentle guitars, a soothing voice, the occasional yodel. This track will have you imagining a quiet day laying in a field of wildflowers with those you love most.
Carly Simon – “Spring is Here”
Moving into the early eighties, this is the most melancholy track I’ll mention. Where John Denver waxed poetic about how much love he has to give, this track talks about the same, but from the other side. Carly has so much to say but no one to say it to. She knows she should be excited about the warmer temperatures, but she just can’t find it in her.
Cat Stevens – “Morning Has Broken”
Cat Stevens recorded this cover of the 1931 hymn for his album Teaser and the Firecat. It’s a beautiful, simple song about waking up and listening to birds singing outside your window. It’s a great reminder to be grateful that you’ve woken up.
Bob Dylan – “The Times, They Are a-Changin’”
You can’t have a playlist about spring without referencing change, so I present this very classic Bob Dylan song. It’s still relevant today, and while it’s not exactly about watching the rosebuds open, it is about opening your mind to the ways culture changes, which I think is just as excellent.
The Beatles – “Here Comes the Sun”
I tried to make it through without a song by The Beatles, because of how cliché they are in a list of great songs, but try to deny how perfect this song is for anticipating spring. Today was abnormally warm where I live, and it was nice to feel the sun for a change, instead of being blasted by frigid wind.
Aretha Franklin – “The April Fools”
This track, like many of the others, is about a budding relationship. Neither member knows which direction it will take. She sings, “Are we just April fools / Who can’t see danger all around us / Are we just April fools / I don’t care true love has found us now”. Originally composed by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, it’s a wonderful song that is well suited for the Queen of Soul.
The Eagles – “Peaceful, Easy Feeling”
This song is about letting go and trusting that you’ll fall where you’re meant to land. It’s got that really lovely harmony that The Eagles are known for, as well their oft-used desert imagery. The writer, Jack Tempchin, said that the song is, “about how love never seems to show up until you stop looking for it.”
Peter, Paul, and Mary – “Lemon Tree”
This is a really quirky sixties track about a man who tells his son that love is like a lemon: pretty, but the end result isn’t sweet, it’s sour. The young man doesn’t heed the warning and, of course, falls in love. She eventually leaves him and he remembers his father’s advice. It’s short and to the point, but it’s cute.
Simon and Garfunkel – “April Come, She Will”
This song clocks in just under two minutes. It’s based on an English nursery rhyme and, I think, is the perfect end to this list. Simon and Garfunkel were masters at using natural imagery and soothing instrumentalisation to create a beautiful picture of the idea they wanted to convey.
by Nadia Paiva
Nadia Paiva has been a music enthusiast since she can remember. Going to shows is her main pastime. The other is being upset when she can’t go to shows. This is her first official venture into writing about music. You can follow her on Twitter.
