Winter 2021/22 Playlist: Annotated
What’s the vibe for my Winter 2021/22 playlist you ask? Soulful covers to keep you warm on snowy nights. Glittery glam to mirror the sparkle outside. And an undercurrent of anxiety—couldn’t be helped. It’s just the times in which we’re living.
1) “Baby When I Close My Eyes” by Sweet Spirit - Found this song on one of my trusty Discover Weekly playlists from Spotify. Picture Franz Ferdinand but with a female singer and add some glitter.
2) “The Hell of It” by Paul Williams - You probably know lots of Paul Williams’ songs without realizing you know them. Ever heard Three Dog Night’s “An Old Fashioned Love Song?” How about Daft Punk’s “Touch”? My friends, this man not only wrote “The Rainbow Connection,” but also the songs from both Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas AND The Muppet Christmas Carol! Show him some respect! And if you’ve never watched the 1970s B-movie classic Phantom of the Paradise, you are seriously missing out.
3) “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Yola - My favorite Elton John song, made new by Yola. It’s a faithful cover, but her voice is just incredible.
4) “The Slow Parts on Death Metal Albums” by The Mountain Goats - I haven’t put a Mountain Goats song on one of my playlists since Spring. That’s called self-restraint. (By the way—are we all excited for John Darnielle’s forthcoming novel Devil House?)
5) “Clockwork” by Lime Garden - Another of Lime Garden’s songs appeared on my Discover Weekly, but I liked this one better. Made me want to dance, but sadly? Seems appropriate for omicron winter.
6) “MAMMAMIA” by Måneskin - Since everything else Y2K is in vogue, I’m hoping we’ll get a dance rock revival one of these days. And I have faith that the beautiful Italian Eurovision winners of Måneskin can lead that revival.
7) “Gospel for a New Century” by Yves Tumor - This song answers the question, “What if funk, but scratchy and discordant?” The title is appropriate—I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anything quite like it.
8) “Working for the Knife” by Mitski - At least Mitski released new music in 2021. At least there’s that. The Smiths-like guitars really make this song.
9) “I Want to Believe” by Jennie Lawless - Yet another Discover Weekly find. Spotify knows me too well. Glammy guitars and a little bit of glitter—perfect for when the snow is first falling, before it becomes all slushy and gross.
10) “GOLDWING” by Billie Eilish - I had a feeling that I wasn’t digging Billie Eilish’s latest album because it was actually a winter album—and I was absolutely correct. This song is kind of like if a gothic church choir got trapped in a computer?
11) “Measure of a Man” by FKA twigs (ft. Central Cee) - FKA twigs is giving her best Bond theme here, but for the latest in the Kingsman franchise instead. Shadowy spy songs work well in the winter, don’t you think?
12) “Helen of Troy” by Lorde - I have this theory that an album’s bonus tracks are almost always better than the album itself, and Lorde is proving me right here. If you weren’t into Solar Power, don’t worry—this one’s better.
13) “Dreaming” by Poly Styrene - Punk goes cozy. (It’s not actually as cozy if you listen to the lyrics.)
14) “All My Trials” by Bedouine - BIG 60s folk vibes on this one, though it came out in 2020. A lovely way to round out the quiet portion of the playlist.
15) “Cry Baby Cry” by Ramsey Louis - After watching The Beatles documentary in November (if you like The Beatles, watch it; if you don’t, skip it), I stumbled across this tweet about a playlist of Black Beatles covers from the 60s and 70s, and it is amazing. This instrumental cover by Ramsey Louis is only one of the many gems.
16) “Jealous Guy” by Donny Hathaway - I can’t find it now, but around the same time another tweet recommended this live cover of John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” by Donny Hathaway. Genuinely think it’s better than the original.
17) “Gimme Shelter” by Merry Clayton - Merry Clayton is the artist who sang with Mick Jagger on the original version. True story: The Stones flew her in late at night while she was very pregnant to record her vocals, she knocked it out of the park (let’s be real—the original wouldn’t be a hit without her), and then she had a miscarriage. Which makes me want to listen to her version all the more, since she gave so much for the song. Another true story: I discovered this version during a Peloton ride. Thanks, Sam Yo.
18) “Taking Me Back” by Jack White - Jack White always seems like a dick to me, but there is no denying that he’s a great guitar player. I’ve seen him live a few times, and you can tell how much he loves it just from watching him. Anyway, I needed a song to mirror the loud guitars from the Måneskin song earlier in the playlist, and this one’s new!
19) “Mad as Hell” by U.S. Girls - Discover Weekly again. It’s basically what would happen if David Bowie and Blondie made a song together.
20) “Strangers by Nature” by Adele - Despite the fact that Adele has an undeniably incredible voice, I’ve never been a huge fan of her music. However, the opening track from her latest album seemed perfect for the moment. A little bit of mourning, a little bit of moving on.
Need more Winter music?