Winter (Tori Amos song)



"Winter" is a song by American singer-songwriter and musician Tori Amos, first released in 1992. The song was written about Amos' relationship with her father, who is a minister.

"Winter" was Amos' first single to reach the top 40 in any country, peaking at #25 in the UK in March 1992.

Release history
"Winter" was the fourth single released from Amos' debut studio album, Little Earthquakes. It was released on March 9, 1992 by EastWest Records in the UK, and Atlantic Records on November 24, 1992 in North America.

The song also appears on Amos' 2003 compilation, Tales of a Librarian. The music video can be seen on the video collections Tori Amos: Complete Videos 1991–1998 and Fade to Red.

The single was released globally in a variety of formats with slightly differing artwork and track listings. The most commonly available version is the United States release, which is labeled as a "limited edition" release. That version comes in a digipak case with a compartment in which a "handwritten lyrics" insert is contained. The far more rare UK limited edition release features three cover versions that would later appear on the US Crucify EP.

Cover versions

 * Michael Stipe of R.E.M. has included lines of the song in live performances, most notably in 1995.
 * Dream Theater have covered "Winter" on at least one occasion, as can be heard on the bootleg of their "Uncovered" gig at Ronnie Scott's in January 1995.
 * Amanda Palmer has covered the song live.
 * Valen Hsu has covered the song in Mandarin, on her 1995 debut album "Ingratiate (討好)"
 * Colin Doran of Hundred Reasons and The Lucky Nine was known to sing "Winter" during soundcheck for live performances.
 * Sarah Dawn Finer covered the song in Swedish, as Vinter, on her 2014 album Vinterland. The translated lyrics tell a similar story to the original but include localised references in the verses, such as to ice skating on a frozen river in Stockholm.
 * Nathan Temby covered the song on his 2012 album, "Last Call".

Track listings and formats

 * UK CD single (March 1992)
 * 1) "Winter" – 5:44
 * 2) "The Pool" – 2:51
 * 3) "Take to the Sky" – 4:20
 * 4) "Sweet Dreams" – 3:27


 * UK / German limited edition CD single (UK single is a cardboard digipak; German is a slim jewel case)
 * 1) "Winter" – 5:44
 * 2) "Angie" (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) – 4:25
 * 3) "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl) – 3:17
 * 4) "Thank You" (Robert Plant, Jimmy Page) – 3:52


 * German CD single (March 1992)
 * 1) "Winter" – 5:44
 * 2) "The Pool" – 2:51
 * 3) "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – 3:15


 * Australia CD single / Cassette single (May 1992)
 * 1) "Winter" – 5:44
 * 2) "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – 3:15
 * 3) "Angie" – 4:22


 * UK 7" and cassette single
 * 1) "Winter" – 5:44
 * 2) "The Pool" – 2:50


 * US CD single (Nov 1992)
 * 1) "Winter" – 5:44
 * 2) "The Pool" – 2:50
 * 3) "Take to the Sky" – 4:20
 * 4) "Sweet Dreams" – 3:27
 * 5) "Upside Down" – 4:22


 * US 7" and cassette single (Nov 1992)
 * 1) "Winter" (edit) – 4:38
 * 2) "The Pool" – 2:50