Winter Songs: Classic tracks you want to listen to in winter. Songs you long for during the winter.
When you think of “songs you want to listen to in winter,” what comes to mind?
In the J-POP scene, countless winter songs are released every year, and there are so many popular hits as well as hidden gems!
Of course there are tracks that depict snow and Christmas, but even songs without explicit seasonal words—those whose sound evokes the atmosphere of winter—are captivating.
I’m sure you also have a special winter song of your own.
In this article, we introduce timeless tunes that will stir up fond memories or make you want to listen as they match the winter scenery.
From love songs to pieces that sing of beautiful winter landscapes, we hope you’ll find a track that resonates with your heart.
- Winter songs with lyrics that really hit home. Winter tunes you’ll want to listen to closely.
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[Winter Songs] Timeless tracks to enjoy in winter: Songs you’ll long for when it’s cold (111–120)
Gift of the Holy NightHata Motohiro
The Christmas song that Motohiro Hata says he wrote for the first time is “A Holy Night’s Gift.” It’s a track included on his 2015 album “Ao no Koukei” (The Blue Scenery), which reached No.
2 on the Oricon Albums Chart.
“A Holy Night’s Gift” was used as the commercial song for House’s “Hokkaido Stew.” Its lyrics overflow with feelings of care for another person and give you a warm feeling when you listen.
The music video also drew attention for being the first in Japan to be produced in two formats: a vertical version for smartphones and a standard horizontal version.
White KissSuzuki Suzuki
A song that beautifully depicts a winter romance.
Released in November 2021, it gained popularity mainly on TikTok.
The lyrics, which portray two people reuniting on Christmas night after a long time apart, are particularly striking.
The gesture of gently slipping a hand into a warmed pocket reveals a tender, earnest love.
The gentle, lilting vocals color the cold winter night with warmth.
The harmonies that come together in the chorus are like a winter starry sky.
It’s a romantic song that makes you want to listen to it shoulder to shoulder with someone special.
LAST CHRISTMASEXILE
EXILE covered Wham!’s classic Christmas song “Last Christmas” in Japanese in 2008.
The arrangement, which opens with rich, layered choruses, really evokes the Christmas spirit.
It was used in Meiji’s “Handmade Christmas Chocolate” commercial and reached No.
1 on the Oricon singles chart.
The lyrics, which sing about a Christmas day after losing someone important to you, leave you with a bittersweet, aching feeling.
Magic SnowLittle Glee Monster
Among their songs, this one is the most acclaimed as the track you want to listen to when winter comes.
The lyrics strongly convey the feeling of “Let’s stop fighting on this once-a-year Christmas and make it the best day ever! Let’s at least be honest with ourselves today!” It cheerfully expresses a woman’s emotions—wanting to cherish her feelings for her special someone precisely because it’s a special day, and hoping the two of them can welcome Christmas night together as soon as possible—and it really makes your heart flutter.
White LoveSPEED
A romantic medium-tempo ballad that evokes the arrival of winter.
Released in October 1997, it topped the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart and was featured in a Shiseido “T’ESSERA Angel Drop” commercial.
This love song compares pure, heartrending feelings of love to white snow, expressing a wish for the moment of “meeting” to shine forever.
It’s the kind of song you’ll want to listen to on a winter date or while gazing at a snowy landscape.
On the holy nightKetsumeishi
This is Ketsumeishi’s first winter song.
It’s a fan favorite that people always want to listen to once winter arrives.
It’s expressed with Ketsumeishi’s signature pop flavor that brings out both wistfulness and warmth at the same time.
While many winter songs get released during the season, this track stands out for its distinctive pop appeal.
And yet, the way it’s something everyone can sing along to is uniquely theirs.
Reason(s) to hold handsNishino Kana
Kana Nishino’s “Te o Tsunagu Riyū” (The Reason We Hold Hands), which was also selected as the October 2017 theme song for the information program Sukkiri, is a track filled with straightforward feelings for someone she loves.
Even if she were erased from the other person’s memory, the earnest wish that “at least our feelings for each other would remain” conveys how deeply she doesn’t want to lose them.
