1. "Call It What You Want" - Taylor Swift
To me, this song sounds like curling up on the couch with your partner while drinking hot cocoa with a nice, warm fire going in the fireplace. In other words, this song reminds me of the romantic parts of winter rather than the dark, depressing parts of it.
2. "Stuck In Gravity" - Of Monster and Men
I'm not sure what it exactly is about this song that makes me think of winter, but I think it might be the the subtle synth playing in the background and the slow beat that carries the song. Either way, this is a lovely song that never gets old to me.
3. "Daydreamer" - Adele
Adele's mellow "Daydreamer" makes me want to go drink a nice hot coffee at my local cafe while it snows outside. Adele has good coffee shop music, which gives a lot of her music a warm, cozy feeling during the cold season of winter.
4. "Kiss Me" - Ed Sheeran
Similarly to "Call It What You Want," Ed Sheeran's "Kiss Me" is a great romantic song to listen to when you want to cozy up with the person you love. It's a warm song about love that breaks through winter's cold barrier.
5. "come out and play" - Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish's voice is so smooth and soothing, and this song is perfect for watching a light snowfall. There's a cute guitar melody strumming in the background and a gentle beat and piano melody that carries the song. Her quiet vocals sound soft and light, like snow.
6. "Light Years" - The National
This is the first song on this list that really reminds me of winter because of it's melancholy feeling. Plus, the repetitive, beautiful piano melody in the background represents the kind of music I enjoy listening to during the winter.
7. "Creature Fear" - Bon Iver
Now I know this doesn't make any sense, but this song feels cold. It makes me feel like I'm standing in a forest in the snow while I'm trying to find my way home. The echoey "ohs" in the beginning remind me of a cold winter wind blowing through, and the change in volume in the song translates into loneliness and fear felt in winter.
8. "True Love" - Coldplay
The synths in this song 100% make me think of winter and snow. They provide a magical kind of feeling that only happens when it is snowing outside, plus the lyrics provide a story of heartbreak which is also very on point for winter.
9. "Night Changes" - One Direction
Maybe it's because this song was popular in the wintertime that it was released or the fact that Harry is ice skating in it, but either way, it makes me think of winter. The nice twinkly synth in the background also makes me think of sparkling snowflakes. Now can I please go ice skating with Harry Styles?
10. "The Way I Need You" - Passenger
I can't say anything in a song that particularly makes me think of winter, but I like a good acoustic song during the chilly months. A nice acoustic guitar paired with a lovely voice makes me want to curl up on the couch and relax. This song is really beautiful.
11. "New York" - Snow Patrol
When I hear this song, I think of someone wishing their loved one was with them during the holidays. I don't really know why I imagine that particular scenario, but many of the lyrics discuss missing someone who means a lot to the singer. The heartbreak of this song feels appropriate during the cold winter.
12. "Blue Bucket of Gold" - Sufjan Stevens
The pretty synth-like bells at the beginning of the song remind me of snow bells around Christmas time, which most certainly is why this song made it on the list. Sufjan's voice is so hauntingly beautiful and sad sounding along with his somber lyrics, which are both perfect for winter.
13. "Hot Gates" - Mumford & Sons
Winter can be a pretty dark time for many people, and this song is a plea to hang on through those dark, depressing times. The singer tells his friend who is struggling to stay strong, and the song overall spreads a message of strength that is important to hear.
14. "Still Feel It All" - MARO
"Still Feel It All" is one of those songs that you listen to when you are feeling sad and want to make yourself feel even sadder. It's a beautiful song that gives a chilly feeling through MARO's soft vocals. The quiet synth and the singers subtle "ohs" in the background are quite sad, but also soothing.
15. "Dunno" - Mac Miller
Once again, the synths and the slow beat in this song make me think of snow falling. It also has a message about a failing relationship that relates to the melancholic atmosphere of winter.
16. "Girls Need Love" (remix) - Summer Walker feat. Drake
The musical effects in this song feel magical to me, which reminds me of, you guessed it, snow. I don't know about you, but I find myself feeling pretty lonely in the winter too since it's a dark, cold time of the year, so I find the lyrics relatable for the wintertime.
17. "Saint Pablo" - Kanye West
Alright, this song solely reminds me of winter because I first discovered it in the winter during my high school junior year. However, the vibe of this song is a sort of angry sadness that is also often felt in winter. In other words, its more like a blizzard than a light snowfall.
18. "tis' the damn season" - Taylor Swift
I'm pretty sure this song was written with winter in mind hence the title, so it makes sense that it has a wintery vibe. The guitar strumming in the background definitely adds to the chilly, winter atmosphere of the song.
19. "White Ferrari" - Frank Ocean
The synths strike again. Frank's beautiful voice combined with the haunting synth creates the perfect ambiance for a slow, reflective walk in the snow. I used to listen to this song in the winter all time when I was feeling sad.
20. "Paris" - The 1975
I love the magical upbeat feeling of "Paris." When I hear this song, I picture walking through a city or town while it snows and just feeling in awe of the place that you're in. It has such a pretty, dreamy vibe.
What did we learn here ladies and gentlemen? Synths and slow beats equal quality winter music. Give these songs a try if you need some new music to listen to, I hope you enjoyed at least a couple of them!
The Influential And Promising Messages From Taylor Swift's 'reputation' Album
How she has helped through the most difficult time in my life.
Taylor Swift has been known in the past year to have a lot of negative life events from her sexual assault court case, losing lots of friends and surrounded by playboys as described in her "reputation" album, and recently receiving backlash for announcing a political endorsement for Democratic candidates in her home state of Tennessee. Through these mishaps, Taylor reminded us again that she is not only a star but just an ordinary person.
Distracted by the whirlwind of college applications and broken friendships, it wasn't until the middle of my senior year of high school that I started listening to her new reputation album. As I started listening, there were some of the concepts I didn't understand until a couple months after my life had fallen into shambles beyond my control. I then realized the magnitude of similar things Taylor and I had gone through and how listening to the reputation album helped me get through the hardest times in my life. It taught me lots of life lessons I will never forget.
1. Play the Game
"The Game Of Life" on Flickr
Life is all about playing the game, hence "The Game Of Life." Have a plan for anything that comes your way.
2. People will be intimidated of you constantly
It seems easier than ever for people to be intimidated or perceived by others as threatening. Therefore, people will do and say anything to hurt you, exclude you, and seem superior. This intimidation can prevent you from making meaningful relationships by your self-identity such as, what you wear or how put-together you look. In return, this can make some people jealous and make condescending comments that try to lower your confidence. In high school, I felt people were always intimidated of me by the nice clothes that I wore to school or driving a nice car. This wasn't imagined, it was noticeable. I come from a middle-class family, who is now split and has to take out loans to pay for my college. I want people to know there is much more than what you see on the outside. Since going to college, I haven't been stereotyped as the rich girl or put on a pedestal for that title and it has been one of the most relieving experiences. I feel like an ordinary person and the result is really great.
3. It's OK to be yourself with a squished reputation
Currently, as a society that has chosen profit over morality, people feel like they shouldn't have feelings. For example, people gossiping about others to an extreme point where people are afraid to be themselves, toxic relationships, and a consistent worry about what people are saying about others. You are allowed to be yourself and have feelings no matter how bad life gets. For me, it was going to therapy to get over several bitchy choir girls that attempted to spread false rumors about me to my entire high school, which made my senior year unbearable. Too many changes and negative experiences in my life came too soon and I didn't know what to do. Find support where none is given and don't be ashamed to get help from a therapist.
4. Just because someone hurt you, doesn't mean you have to hit back twice as hard
You may have heard this once before, but it's the little things that make a difference. That doesn't necessarily matter but could make a difference in forming your opinion. Decide what is worth acting on and the tough comments you have to swallow or move on. Everything isn't a competition or a power struggle. Two wrongs don't make a right. It is important to always be the bigger person.
5. Be done with playboys
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It's a phrase ladies have heard time and time again, but this time I mean it indefinitely. In high school, I was always a playboys focus of coping homework, being cheated off of, or texting, Snapchatting or calling at the last hour. Playboys are toxic because they never take you seriously and always manipulate. Personally, I've encountered enough manipulative people in my life where I don't have time to wait until the last second to reply to something. After I lost all of my friends my senior year of high school, I began talking to a guy I added on Snapchat one day. One thing led to another and we began FaceTiming every night. I slowly realized I was being manipulated by him asking what I was wearing and everything about what I was doing. At the time, my confidence was at an all-time low and I finally gained enough to cut off all ties with the guy. I blocked his number and on all my social media accounts. Now that I'm in college, life moves fast, and developing deep, meaningful relationships are important to me. There is nothing deep and meaningful about playboys. Know your self-worth.
6. Toxic people are done
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The best songs on the reputation album that describe this point are, "So It Goes…" and "Getaway Car." Time's up for toxic people. People stay so long in toxic relationships because they think it will get better, and it never does. Life is too short to indefinitely with people that hurt you because you think that no one else will help you or be willing to make new friends. I shouldn't have stayed with a couple of my friends that kept excluding me from gatherings out of the blue. I shouldn't have kept talking to that one guy that insisted on knowing every detail about me life. I shouldn't have kept talking to that guy that insisted I sit on his lap in my high school physics class. I shouldn't have kept talking to that guy that put a condom on my desk and said that I should have sex with another guy in my high school physics class. In all of these cases, I should have left earlier, thinking that these people would be better than the other toxic people I ran into. Once you decide to all-time, you cut all ties. There's too much that we tolerate to make ourselves think that we are winning the game, when really its all about civility and respect. We all deserve more.
7. Continue to search for genuine, nice, and respectful people
This is easier said than done. Continue to search for genuine, nice, and respectful people. If we don't keep searching, we will feel that we have failed in making relationships. We must continue and make an effort towards people when all we may see are our own problems. I assure you there are nice people in this world, even though you may feel that everyone has failed you. We must be resilient.
8. We all need to care less about what others say about us
Taylor Swift's song, "Call it What You Want" relates to this point. In a nation full of ethical and unethical commentary, perceptions and opinions, it may seem hard not to care what others are saying about you constantly. However, when developing personal relationships, we expect people to talk about us a little at the least. But when this talk becomes gossipy and dangerously negative, we are forced to care a lot about what is being said. For example, I used to care a lot being said about me until I realized it was up to other people if they believed what was said.
I hope Taylor Swift's music has helped heal others and has created a more positive generation of role models. For these reasons, she will always be my spirit animal.