Winter Song (Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson song)

"Winter Song" is a seasonal song co-written and co-sung as a duet by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson. Although considered by many to be a Christmas song, no explicit reference to the holiday can be found in its lyrics.[1] It appeared on the holiday compilation album The Hotel Café Presents Winter Songs by various female artists, released in 2008 through Epic Records.[2] It became a minor hit in Canada in 2008, reaching number 97. Upon release in Ireland in 2011, it reached number two for two weeks. A special charity single by #twitterxmassingle also was a separate hit in Ireland alongside the original version, reaching number eight.

"Winter Song"
Single by Sara Bareilles featuring Ingrid Michaelson
from the album The Hotel Café Presents Winter Songs
Released	December 2008
Recorded	2008
Genre	Christmas
Length	4:10
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Sara Bareilles Ingrid Michaelson
Sara Bareilles singles chronology
"Bottle It Up" (2008) "Winter Song" (2008) "Gravity" (2009)
Ingrid Michaelson singles chronology
"Be OK" (2008) "Winter Song" (2008) "Maybe" (2009)
Music video
"Winter Song" on YouTube

"Winter Song"
Single by Twitterxmassingle
Released	4 December 2011
Recorded	27 November 2011
Label	Holles Street Neonatal Unit
Songwriter(s)	Sara Bareilles Ingrid Michaelson
Music video
"Winter Song" on YouTube

Twitterxmassingle version

The song (full name on single sleeve Twitterers and the Twitterettes of the Parish of Twitter Proudly Present Winter Song) became a charity single in Ireland released simultaneously with the original.

The idea started with a single tweet from account holder @BrendaDrumm on the social networking site Twitter on 19 November 2011. An account was established at #twitterxmassingle to garner support for the idea. The co-writers also supported the project. 140 people from Ireland took part in recording it in a grand hall in Westin Hotel in Dublin on one Sunday on 27 November 2011 exactly one week from the tweet. The instrumentation was recorded at Ian Callanan Studios, with Callanan as producer and musical director, Brenda Drumm as executive producer and Paul Keegan as engineer and mixing.

The single (also known as the "TWinter Song") and the accompanying video were launched on an independent label on 4 December 2011 and through iTunes downloads. The single entered the Irish Singles Chart at number eight on the chart dated December 8, 2011, while the original by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson rose to number two the same week.[3] All proceeds of the charity recording went to the Neonatal Unit of Holles Street Hospital in Dublin, Ireland.

Credits and personnel

• Composers - Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson
• Artist - TwitterXMasSingle
• Label - Holles Street Neonatal Unit
• Executive Producer - Brenda Drumm
• Producer - Ian Callanan
• Arranged by Ian Callanan
• Instrumentalists:
  • Piano - Anne Cullen
  • Bass - Paddy Kiernan
  • Synthesizer and Programming - Ian Callanan
  • Bodhrán, Whistles and Uilleann pipes - Darragh Ó Héiligh
  • Guitar - David Byrne
  • Violin - Christopher Edwards
  • Viola - Nicola Bermingham
  • Cello - Róisín Magee
• Instrumentation recorded at Ian Callanan Studios engineered by Ian Callanan
• Choir and soloists recorded at The Westin Hotel, Dublin on Sunday 27 November 2011, engineered by Paul Keegan
• Choir Director - Ian Callanan
• Mixed by Paul Keegan at Retreat Recording Studio

Charts

Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson single

Chart (2008–2011)	Peak position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[4]	97
Ireland (IRMA)[3]	2

Twitterxmassingle single

Chart (2011)	Peak position
Ireland (IRMA)[3]	8

In popular culture

• The song was also performed during the 2010 United States National Christmas Tree Lighting, attended by the American President Barack Obama with the United States Coast Guard Band playing with Bareilles and Michaelson singing live.
• Irish O₂ telecommunications company used the original version by Bareilles and Michaelson in their Christmas ad campaign
• The song was featured in Scrubs Season 8 episode "My Chief Concern", at the end of the episode.
• The song was used in fifth season of Grey's Anatomy.
• The song was used in the fourth season of Brothers & Sisters.
• The song was used in the second teaser for the third season of American Horror Story
• The song was sampled by John Legend for his song "The Beginning..." from his 2013 album Love in the Future
• The song was covered by Ronan Keating on his album "Winter Songs"
• The song was used in the season six episode "Christmas Through Your Eyes" of The Vampire Diaries.
• Heavy metal band Halford, solo project of Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford, recorded a version of the song for the 2009 album Halford III: Winter Songs.
• British female vocalist Kim Wilde recorded a version of the song on her 2013 holiday album Wilde Winter Songbook.
• Swedish singer Carola Häggkvist recorded the song on her 2016 Christmas album Drömmen om julen, as "Vintersång" with lyrics in Swedish by Ulla-Carin Nyquist.[5]
• French Canadian artist, Celine Dion covered the song during a Facebook Live event on her official page, December 1, 2016.
• The song was used in the 2018 The CW reboot of Charmed episode "Jingle Hell", at the end of the episode.
• The song was used for an exhibition program by World Champion figure skater Michelle Kwan in her final year of professional skating.
• Broadway performer Leslie Odom Jr. recorded a duet version with Cynthia Erivo for his second holiday album The Christmas Album in 2020.

References

1. "Winter Song" lyrics, metrolyrics.com
2. Deas, Kyle. "Various Artists: The Hotel Café Presents Winter Songs". PopMatters. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
3. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Winter Song". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
4. "Sara Bareilles Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
5. "Drömmen om julen". Swedish Media Databse. 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2019.

External links

• "Winter Song" music video on YouTube