As March looms and winter lingers, Canadians start to get antsy — when will this miserable weather end? The season's oft-interminable stay has provided musicians with plenty of inspiration, whether from the prettiness of falling snow, the devastation of sub-zero temperatures or the metaphors the weather provides.
Below, we've rounded up 25 of the best Canadian songs about winter, for your indoor enjoyment. The songs are embedded throughout, but you'll have to click through to page two to find number one, along with a playlist featuring all of our picks.
Exclaim!'s 25 Best Canadian Songs About Winter:
25. The Russian Futurists – "It's Not Really Cold When It Snows"
"It's Not Really Cold When It Snows" finds Matthew Adam Hart comparing himself and his love to two snowflakes, as he tries to convince her to come outside: "Come on girl, it's not really cold when it snows."
24. Peter Metro & Yellowman – "Canada Cold"
Reggae deejays Peter Metro and Yellowman — the only non-Canadians on this list — get straight to the point here: Canada's cold, Jamaica's nice. Not to rub it in or anything.
23. Deep Dark Woods – "18th of December"
"On the 18th day of December, that's when I did go, I packed my bags and I headed south." This is a quintessentially Canadian vacation line, Deep Dark Woods. But be more specific: Florida? Mexico? The Caribbean?
22. Dinosaur Bones – "Ice Hotels"
A love story gone wrong. The backdrop? Quebec's famous Ice Hotel.
21. 3 Inches Of Blood – "Balls of Ice"
In the darkness of winter, as "balls of ice" are "running through [their] mind[s]," 3 Inches of Blood take solace in music: "Heavy metal is our light."
20. Joel Plaskett Emergency – "Snowed In/Cruisin'"
"It's looking like we're going to be snowed in! Snowed in! Snowed in! Snowed in! Snowed in! Snowed in! Snowed in!" Yep.
19. Fucked Up – "I Hate Summer"
Damian Abraham waxes hateful about the season during which, as a chubby kid, he had to wear t-shirts to go swimming. On his beloved sweater weather, he muses, "That we have only a few months is a crime." It all climaxes with the blunt repeated chorus at the end: "I HATE SUMMER!"
18. Islands – "Abominable Snow"
"Abominable Snow" is more about sasquatches than winter specifically, but if we're tracking the mythical creatures "through the snowy climes of Canada," then it definitely counts.
17. Elliott Brood – "Northern Air"
The season isn't defined here, but there's something unmistakably Canadian and wintery about lines like, "Light a little fire / Watch the smoky lines / Cut between the pines."
16. Willie P. Bennett – "Driftin' Snow"
Canadian folk hero Willie P. Bennett's songs aren't widely available online. Above, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings bring his snow-themed Canadian winter classic to life.
15. Rah Rah – "Good Winter"
Rah Rah's Marshall Burns once said of "Good Winter" that it "aims to be a reminder, to ourselves as much as anyone, of the unique and positive aspects of those cold, long winter months." We get it.
14. Junior Boys – "FM"
"FM" is a song about escape: "Let's leave tonight / One last time / Before it gets too cold." There's something chilly and haunting about that delayed synth, too, that adds to the frosty feeling here.
13. Alexisonfire – "Crisis"
"Crisis" is Alexisonfire's ode to the 1977 snowstorm that took at least 25 Canadian lives and left millions without power. The titular album features a frostbitten victim on the cover.
12. Chilly Gonzales – "Wintermezzo"
Anyone for a walk on a pretty winter's day?
11. John K. Samson – "Longitudinal Centre"
"This spring made winter an insulting opening offer / Now the passing lane is getting harder to negotiate / Thawing out and icing up again" is maybe the best lyrical summation of every Canadian March.
10. The Rheostatics – "When Winter Comes"
In a song about making songs for the love and fun of it, the Rheostatics namedrop the Guess Who and use "the blue Canadian winter" as a metaphor for hard work that builds character.
9. Braids – "December"
Those twinkling synths evoke winter, the season to which Raphaelle Standell-Preston claims here she "lost [her] heart." Pretty as it is, though, there's an undercurrent of darkness: "Help," she sings, "[It] feels like death's song is moving in."
8. Rich Kidd – "Brick"
Tinkling chimes give "Brick" a wintery feeling, but it's the lyrics, which reference -22° weather, Canada Goose jackets and getting snow in your boots, that make this a winter hip-hop anthem.
7. Caribou – "The Snow Capes"
At the 35-second mark, "The Snow Capes" drifts slowly downward, like the beautiful, long-awaited snow around the holiday season — not like that ugly February stuff, though.
6. Julie Doiron – "Heavy Snow"
Here, Julie Doiron uses winter — snow, specifically — as a metaphor for escape. And it's breathtaking.
5. Gordon Lightfoot – "Song for a Winter's Night"
"The snow is softly falling," sure, but Gordon's smoky, warm voice will keep us warm. A classic.
4. Skinny Puppy – "Dead of Winter"
Canada's coldest, darkest band get, well, cold and dark on "Dead of Winter," invoking all that the season represents to them: "It's Christmas eve / October bleak and desolate / There's frost murder in my room."
3. Arcade Fire – "Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)"
Is there a sweeter and more Canadian sentiment than that espoused by the line, "And if the snow buries my / My neighbourhood / And if my parents are crying / Then I'll dig a tunnel from my window to yours"?
2. Joni Mitchell – "River"
Between the "Jingle Bells"-evoking opening chords to the Christmastime-themed opening verse, Joni Mitchell's classic Blue track is a winter staple, right down to the repeated line, wherein she yearns for "a river I could skate away on." Note that she chooses to skate, not swim.
1. Sloan – "Snowsuit Sound"
On this Twice Removed standout, Jay Ferguson uses the sound that snowsuits make — you know, srip, srip, srip — as a universal signifier of immaturity and unworthiness. It's heart-rending stuff masking as humour. Pretty Canadian, if you ask us.
Below, we've rounded up 25 of the best Canadian songs about winter, for your indoor enjoyment. The songs are embedded throughout, but you'll have to click through to page two to find number one, along with a playlist featuring all of our picks.
Exclaim!'s 25 Best Canadian Songs About Winter:
25. The Russian Futurists – "It's Not Really Cold When It Snows"
"It's Not Really Cold When It Snows" finds Matthew Adam Hart comparing himself and his love to two snowflakes, as he tries to convince her to come outside: "Come on girl, it's not really cold when it snows."
24. Peter Metro & Yellowman – "Canada Cold"
Reggae deejays Peter Metro and Yellowman — the only non-Canadians on this list — get straight to the point here: Canada's cold, Jamaica's nice. Not to rub it in or anything.
23. Deep Dark Woods – "18th of December"
"On the 18th day of December, that's when I did go, I packed my bags and I headed south." This is a quintessentially Canadian vacation line, Deep Dark Woods. But be more specific: Florida? Mexico? The Caribbean?
22. Dinosaur Bones – "Ice Hotels"
A love story gone wrong. The backdrop? Quebec's famous Ice Hotel.
21. 3 Inches Of Blood – "Balls of Ice"
In the darkness of winter, as "balls of ice" are "running through [their] mind[s]," 3 Inches of Blood take solace in music: "Heavy metal is our light."
20. Joel Plaskett Emergency – "Snowed In/Cruisin'"
"It's looking like we're going to be snowed in! Snowed in! Snowed in! Snowed in! Snowed in! Snowed in! Snowed in!" Yep.
19. Fucked Up – "I Hate Summer"
Damian Abraham waxes hateful about the season during which, as a chubby kid, he had to wear t-shirts to go swimming. On his beloved sweater weather, he muses, "That we have only a few months is a crime." It all climaxes with the blunt repeated chorus at the end: "I HATE SUMMER!"
18. Islands – "Abominable Snow"
"Abominable Snow" is more about sasquatches than winter specifically, but if we're tracking the mythical creatures "through the snowy climes of Canada," then it definitely counts.
17. Elliott Brood – "Northern Air"
The season isn't defined here, but there's something unmistakably Canadian and wintery about lines like, "Light a little fire / Watch the smoky lines / Cut between the pines."
16. Willie P. Bennett – "Driftin' Snow"
Canadian folk hero Willie P. Bennett's songs aren't widely available online. Above, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings bring his snow-themed Canadian winter classic to life.
15. Rah Rah – "Good Winter"
Rah Rah's Marshall Burns once said of "Good Winter" that it "aims to be a reminder, to ourselves as much as anyone, of the unique and positive aspects of those cold, long winter months." We get it.
14. Junior Boys – "FM"
"FM" is a song about escape: "Let's leave tonight / One last time / Before it gets too cold." There's something chilly and haunting about that delayed synth, too, that adds to the frosty feeling here.
13. Alexisonfire – "Crisis"
"Crisis" is Alexisonfire's ode to the 1977 snowstorm that took at least 25 Canadian lives and left millions without power. The titular album features a frostbitten victim on the cover.
12. Chilly Gonzales – "Wintermezzo"
Anyone for a walk on a pretty winter's day?
11. John K. Samson – "Longitudinal Centre"
"This spring made winter an insulting opening offer / Now the passing lane is getting harder to negotiate / Thawing out and icing up again" is maybe the best lyrical summation of every Canadian March.
10. The Rheostatics – "When Winter Comes"
In a song about making songs for the love and fun of it, the Rheostatics namedrop the Guess Who and use "the blue Canadian winter" as a metaphor for hard work that builds character.
9. Braids – "December"
Those twinkling synths evoke winter, the season to which Raphaelle Standell-Preston claims here she "lost [her] heart." Pretty as it is, though, there's an undercurrent of darkness: "Help," she sings, "[It] feels like death's song is moving in."
8. Rich Kidd – "Brick"
Tinkling chimes give "Brick" a wintery feeling, but it's the lyrics, which reference -22° weather, Canada Goose jackets and getting snow in your boots, that make this a winter hip-hop anthem.
7. Caribou – "The Snow Capes"
At the 35-second mark, "The Snow Capes" drifts slowly downward, like the beautiful, long-awaited snow around the holiday season — not like that ugly February stuff, though.
6. Julie Doiron – "Heavy Snow"
Here, Julie Doiron uses winter — snow, specifically — as a metaphor for escape. And it's breathtaking.
5. Gordon Lightfoot – "Song for a Winter's Night"
"The snow is softly falling," sure, but Gordon's smoky, warm voice will keep us warm. A classic.
4. Skinny Puppy – "Dead of Winter"
Canada's coldest, darkest band get, well, cold and dark on "Dead of Winter," invoking all that the season represents to them: "It's Christmas eve / October bleak and desolate / There's frost murder in my room."
3. Arcade Fire – "Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)"
Is there a sweeter and more Canadian sentiment than that espoused by the line, "And if the snow buries my / My neighbourhood / And if my parents are crying / Then I'll dig a tunnel from my window to yours"?
2. Joni Mitchell – "River"
Between the "Jingle Bells"-evoking opening chords to the Christmastime-themed opening verse, Joni Mitchell's classic Blue track is a winter staple, right down to the repeated line, wherein she yearns for "a river I could skate away on." Note that she chooses to skate, not swim.
1. Sloan – "Snowsuit Sound"
On this Twice Removed standout, Jay Ferguson uses the sound that snowsuits make — you know, srip, srip, srip — as a universal signifier of immaturity and unworthiness. It's heart-rending stuff masking as humour. Pretty Canadian, if you ask us.
