spring – it's all dead

10 Songs to Beat the Winter Blues

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.

1. Coldplay – “Lovers In Japan (Osaka Sun mix)”

This is one of my all-time favorite Coldplay songs. Upbeat and unique, it’s always put me in a good mood. It’s also turning 10 years old this year. I haven’t listened to it in a while, but I still have fond memories of listening to this song through split earbuds with an old friend who was a Coldplay super fan.

2. Florence and the Machine – “Mother”

This is the final track on Florence Welch’s 2015 release How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. The album focuses a lot on nature references and this is the culmination of it all. It’s impossible to not think of spring and sunny days with lines like, “Make me a big tall tree / So I can shed my leaves and let it blow through me”.

3. Regina Spektor – “Don’t Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)”

Even though this song mentions winter and the whole idea is to forget that it’s still happening, Regina Spektor’s music always matches up with spring for me. Her melodies are infectious and her lyrics are quirky. I actually prefer the Russian version, but that’s just me. Both are worth a try for an instant pick-me-up.

4. Eisley – “A Song for the Birds”

This is from Eisley’s 2017 album I’m Only Dreaming. Sherri Dupree-Bemis is joined by her husband Max Bemis (of Say Anything) for what may just be the sweetest song Eisley has ever recorded. Max also plays guitar on the track (and others on the album) and as a Say Anything fan it’s totally noticeable…try to see if you can hear the difference.

5. Saint Motel – “You Can Be You”

I saw Saint Motel open up for Panic! At the Disco a year or two ago and they played this song. There wasn’t a person sitting down or looking at their phone during the performance. The drums are strong and they used a cool guitar effect toward the middle. It’s just everything I love in a track. It’s new and exciting, just like spring.

6. Marina and the Diamonds – “Shampain”

I’m a huge fan of whatever Marina Diamandis does. She’s talented and genuine and that’s a combination I love. “Shampain” is from her first album The Family Jewels. Many of her songs poke fun at the norms of pop culture and this song is no different. She takes otherwise cookie-cutter beats and pop music go-to’s and makes a sonic experience all her own. I can’t help but turn up the volume when it comes up in my shuffle.

7. The Myriad – “A Thousand Winters Melting”

One of my favorite little bands only released two albums. Their second album is called With Arrows, With Poise and includes the gem “A Thousand Winters Melting”. What better way to end winter than with this song? I love the piano and there’s just something about this song that brightens up my day. I wish they hadn’t stopped at two albums, but at least they left us with tracks like this.

8. Paramore – “Passionfruit” (Drake Cover)

Paramore is my favorite band, hands down. I’ve listened to their music for as long as I can remember. They covered Drake’s “Passionfruit” for BBC Radio 1, and personally, I think it’s better than the original. I’m obviously biased though. Lyrically, it’s a wicked depressing song, but the way Zac Farro and Taylor York play this song makes me forget about how sad it is.

9. Childish Gambino – “California”

This track from the middle of Grammy-nominated album Awaken, My Love! is fantastic. It’s fun and random and makes me think of long drives with the windows down. It may appear to be a summer song, but I think it works just as well on a spring playlist. I love the vibe it sends out.

10. Harry Styles – “Sweet Creature”

This wonderful song is from Harry Styles’ self-titled album released last year. I love this song because it’s subtle. His voice is really the focus here and it’s one of the high points on the album. It was a great choice for a radio single and the topic of young love coincides with spring pretty well.