January seems like a dreary month of coldness and snow with gray skies, and that’s probably why so many musicians have written tracks about this particular month. Here is our list of the 20 best songs about January, so read on to find out what tracks you can add to your playlist!
1. January Man – Christy Moore
Starting off our list is Christy Moore with her cover version of the song January Man, which is a mystical track that is filled with a lot of metaphors, and it’s a great song to daydream to when it’s cold and raining outside. It utilizes the narrator and his brothers to travel throughout the seasons, and it’s a journey of learning about the personalities of each person in the folk track.
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2. January Friend – The Goo Goo Dolls
Next on our list is The Goo Goo Dolls who released January Friend in 1998, and this song is similar in style to a lot of their other rock tracks from this time. During 1998, the band was incredibly popular, and this song shines both lyrically and vocally. It is all about a woman who thinks that her male friend is more than just her hookup. While the track isn’t actually about January, it’s used to compare the month to her wishing that he would be available.
3. January – Elton John
Elton John is a musician that needs no introduction, and he wrote a song called January, which was a reflective track that went with the theme of his album The Big Picture. In this song, he talks about a relationship and is looking back on everything that was good with it. Not only does he mention spending nights with this woman, but he talks about kissing her.
It goes into detail about how he looked around and appreciated the scenery, and the lovely nights he spent outside sitting in a large open field. January in the song was the month when everything was perfect.
4. Black-Dove (January) – Tori Amos
Tori Amos released the song Black-Dove (January), and it’s a track that is a little spooky considering it’s about a nightmare that she continuously had where a black dove appeared. There isn’t a connected theme to the lyrics; instead, it’s all about vivid imagery from this nightmare. You can interpret the black dove in a lot of ways, from a love that was broken, the loss of someone special, or something even darker depending on how you feel. The track paints a picture of what a lot of us feel during the dark January days.
5. January – Pilot
Next is Pilot with the song January, which came out in 1975, and this band is most popular for their track called Magic, also released that year. This song is very upbeat and happy as it tells a story of a woman who is named January. There is a man in the story who is begging and pleading with her not to be cold toward him, just like the month of January. The comparisons between the woman, her name, the month, and her attitude towards this man are very interesting, and a great tune to sing when it’s cold outside.
6. January Stars – Sting
Sting makes our list with the song January Stars, which comes from the 1993 album Ten Summoner’s Tales. This track is all about a guy who meets a girl, and they end up together, but she has to leave, and then he is left there waiting for her to come back.
As the song progresses, we learn that despite his horoscope telling him that she would return, she is nowhere to be found, and it’s getting warm outside again. If you’ve ever had someone disappear from your life and you’ve longed for them to come back, this is a reminder of those feelings of fading hope.
7. January Hymn – The Decemberists
In 2011, The Decemberists released a track called January Hymn, which is a folk song that is all about loss and reflection. This track goes into detail about looking back on a love that the narrator lost as the anniversary of the breakup nears. He talks about how the past January was good and everything was fine between the two of them. You can feel the yearning for going back to that time when he and his love were still together, and it’s a heartbreaking song about this breakup.
8. January 28th – J. Cole
You may have heard of J. Cole before, but did you know he sang a song called January 28th and that it’s his birthday on that day? Given this information, it seems that this track is fairly autobiographical when you listen to the lyrics. It is all about looking back at everything he went through as he tried to start his rapping career, including the loss that happened along the way.
In this song, he sticks with the theme of trying to stay true to who he is even as there is injustice happening around him, and he has to deal with things such as violence. Rakim is mentioned in this song, and J. Cole compares himself to this other rapper who just happens to have a birthday on January 28th as well.
9. June In January – Bing Crosby
Next up is Bing Crosby with the song June In January, which you may have heard if you watched the old movie Here Is My Heart, which came out in 1934. This track goes into detail about even though it’s cold outside and snow is on the ground, he doesn’t mind because he is in love. His being in love makes the cold harsh January weather tolerable, and he begins seeing the snow as just lovely white flower blossoms.
If you’ve ever been in love then you know how you don’t mind the weather or just about anything else because you’re on cloud nine.
10. January Rain – Hunters & Collectors
Up next on our list is Hunters & Collectors with the song January Rain, which you might not have heard since this is a band from Australia, even though this track came out in 1986. The rock band sings this song in a more melancholy tone, and you’ll feel somber listening to this song.
It is a track where the theme is about everything moving so fast in life that if you don’t stop and look, you’ll miss it all. There is a main lesson to be learned in this song, which is that as the January rain falls down, it’s a good idea to be cautious before you let the world and your own life pass you by.
11. You In January – The Wonder Years
In 2015, The Wonder Years released the song You In January, and this track is not only about losing someone you loved in your life, but it’s also about January too. The song reflects on the man seeing the woman he loved so much on a January afternoon and how that is one of his favorite memories of her. He talks about how happy they were together and all of the things they did and places they visited, and you can feel the pain and heartbreak in the lyrics.
12. January, February – Barbara Dickson
The folk singer Barbara Dickson is up next on our list with the song January, February, and this track features a synthesizer, which makes sense given the song was released in 1980. The track is about a love interest that makes the decision to leave and then decides to stay, and it’s a happy song but you can hear the fear and the frustration too within the lyrics. This track was a hit when it was released, and it helped her career tremendously even though there is real pain behind the song.
13. Fire In The Belly – Van Morrison
Next is Van Morrison and Steve Winwood with the song Fire In The Belly, which was released in 1997. You’ll hear the unique voice of Morrison right away and in his signature style, and this is a track that is a tribute to our loved ones. In this song, he is talking about a woman who he loves and helps put the fire in his belly. It’s the love of this woman that keeps him going through January and even February during the cold winter storms.
14. The Month Of January – June Tabor
One song on our list is The Month Of January by June Tabor, which was released in 1983. This is a folk track that is sung a cappella, and it’s incredibly powerful when you hear the cello toward the end of the song. You can feel the sorrow she feels in this track since it’s all about a woman who got pregnant and wasn’t married.
The woman’s father paid off the guy to disappear and not be a part of her life or her unborn child’s life. The narrator meets the woman one day in January, and she confides in her this story about the loss of her baby’s father and how she wishes he was still around.
15. Jan2Jan – Rod Wave
Rod Wave released the song Jan2Jan in 2018, and this track is about people the narrator knows who have done some time in jail, and there are also some feelings of guilt in the song too. For example, in the track, he talks about how while he’s out running around living life, some of his friends are now in prison.
The song goes into the fact that they sit and have the same routine day in and day out. There is some guilt because he feels like injustices within the system are partially responsible for him being free while his friends are locked up. Although he does concede that their actions contributed to them being in jail, he can’t help but still feel some guilt that he’s free.
16. January’s Child – The Alice Band
Next on our list is the song January’s Child by The Alice Band, which came out in 2002, and while the band only made one album, it’s a track we have to put on our list. There is a lot of vivid imagery in this song with mention of how it can be difficult to survive in the harsh and cold January weather.
While the city in the track isn’t mentioned, you can feel the anxiety in the song as the narrator struggles to survive during this month. There is a man who is talked about in the track that helps save the woman from her cold nights, and he is given the nickname January’s Child by her, which explains the title. Not only did he keep her warm during these cold January nights, but he also became part of her heart too.
17. January – Wildfront
In 2016, Wildfront released the song January on the album Turn To Glass. This track features a little bit of lo-fi to give it a little bit of texture. This song is going to make you dance all night long regardless of how cold it might be in January. Lyrically, this track is very emotional and deep, and you’ll understand the desire and acceptance that the narrator feels in it. For an indie folk band, it’s a song that you’re going to keep coming back to because of its depth.
18. January 19 – LucianoTheLegend Feat. T.evin$
LucianoTheLegend released January 19 in 2022, and this song features T.Evin$ to make a very interesting collaboration. This track is all about the date that two people broke up, and even though it’s been a year since the breakup, it’s evident there was something special there because of the amount of pain still being felt.
He talks in the song about the loss and hurt he is still feeling and has some reflection on the good times the couple had together. It is a track that’ll make you feel sad, and it works for the lonely and dark days that come with January.
19. Miss January – The Procussions
In 2006, The Procussions released a song with rapper Talib Kweli called Miss January, and this track is about a woman who was the first love of the narrator. He compares her to January because she was his first love, and he is talking about while he’s had other loves, it’s her that he adores.
While he doesn’t mention why he left her, he talks about all of the things that he learned and valued in that particular relationship. What is great about this song is the collaboration with Kewli, and it works to bring the story and emotion together into a fitting January tribute.
20. January Rain – David Gray
Last on our list is David Gray with his song January Rain, which came out in 2001. This track is a very beautiful song that is completely instrumental, and you don’t need words to get the picture he’s trying to paint in this track. He is great at getting you to imagine rain falling in January with this masterpiece.
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From the time she was little, Florence loved listening to music and quickly learned how music can make you happy and feel fulfilled. One of her favorite memories is being in the garage with her dad working on classic cars with the local rock station blaring in the background. Ever since Florence was 3, she loved grunge music and spent hours listening to bands such as Alice in Chains, Mad Season, Soul Asylum, and Soundgarden.
She also enjoys classic rock, modern rock, nu metal, alternative rock, and old 90’s R&B. Her love of music grew as she got older, and used music to help her get through tough times in her life. More often than not, you’ll see Florence with earbuds in while she’s writing, cooking, cleaning, and doing other tasks. She also loves to debate music with her friends such as which lead singer is the best vocalist, the most iconic guitar solos in music, and what songs are really the best of the decade.