Music To Keep You Warm When It’s Cold Outside

Let’s face it: Wintry weather gives us an excuse to procrastinate — to postpone chores that would entail bundling up and going out into freezing temperatures. Instead, why not stay put, light a fire and crank up some tunes on your home audio system? There’s no better way I know to feel warm and toasty.

Here’s a playlist that complements the frigid season instead of fighting it.

1. Light My Fire

This uber-romantic acoustic version of The Doors’ 1967 classic by Jose Feliciano sets the perfect mood. Hopefully there are enough logs in the hearth to last a few hours. The time to hesitate is through! Listen to it here.

2. California Dreaming

If you’re not quite ready to leave the comfort of your living room to take a walk on a winter’s day, put this Mamas & Papas track on instead and imagine how safe and warm you would feel if you were in a sunnier climate. Bonus: With so many harmonies to embrace, it’s the perfect song to sing along to. Listen to it here.

3. Snow on the Beach

This is my personal favorite from Taylor Swift’s album Midnights. No matter what the temperature is outdoors, close your eyes and listen to this song while imagining yourself on the beach watching a snowflake fall gently on the sand. The dreamy and sonically pleasing production, along with Taylor’s velvety delivery, will warm you up instantly. Listen to it here.

4. Wintertime

Nora Jones’ voice is synonymous with warmth and comfort. Just about all of her material will serve to elevate the thermostat. But this track in particular, about leaning on a special someone to help us make it through the coldest season of the year, is especially cozy and heartening. Listen to it here.

5. Song for a Winter’s Night

With sleigh bells in the background, perhaps left over from yet another Christmas gone by, Gordon Lightfoot brings his trademark yearning — a cry to be near the one he loves when he’s all too aware that the fire has gone out. But your fire is just fine. So throw another log on and enjoy the crooning. Listen to it here.

6. Valley Winter Song

This boppy record from Fountains of Wayne might actually make you want to take a short break from those hypnotic flames and get up and dance! It’s an uplifting song to a friend during a dark winter day, but take heart because the sun won’t be hidden away for long. Listen to it here.

7. Baby, It’s Cold Outside

I love, love, love this Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone cover of the classic flirty duet. It’s a playful, more contemporary contrast from the vintage versions of the ’40s and ’50s. If it’s nostalgia you crave on a cold winter’s night, light a candle and make sure this is in your queue. Listen to it here.

8. Sweater Weather

As this song by the American alternative band The Neighbourhood points out, we all instinctively grab for a sweater when there’s a chill in our bones. Whether it’s brand new or laden with holes up the sleeve, whether it’s made of cashmere or cotton, a favorite sweater is like a best friend … a warm security blanket on a frigid day. Listen to it here.

9. Cold

Sure, you can almost feel the frost emanating from the skin of the arctic woman that’s being sung about, but Chris Stapleton’s soulful vocals put a fever in the room. With a fire crackling in front of you and a glass of wine in hand, you’ll almost forget that the couple’s love is on ice. Sit back and get ready to feel cozy. Listen to it here.

10. Here Comes the Sun

This iconic Beatles tune, penned by George Harrison as he took a stroll around his garden one early spring morning (after a long, cold, lonely winter), will have you looking out the window, watching the ice slowly melting before going off to bed with hope of a warmer tomorrow. And I say … it’s alright. Listen to it here.