There is no mention of holiday or Christmas in lyrics to the song, 鈥淲hite Winter Hymnal.鈥� Or winter, for that matter. There is a reference to snow, turned 鈥渞ed as strawberries in the summertime鈥� 鈥� presumably, by blood.
Nonetheless, the song has become a modern holiday standard, sung by children鈥檚 choirs in countless school assemblies. Its plays on Spotify 鈥� more than 180 million for the two most popular versions 鈥� spike on Christmas Eve.
The story of 鈥淲hite Winter Hymnal鈥� is a reminder of how songs can take journeys in the public consciousness that even their composers can鈥檛 fathom.
鈥淭he universe has a sense of humor. Sometimes there鈥檚 just these little cosmic flukes,鈥� said Robin Pecknold, who wrote it when he was 20 years old, sitting on a couch at his parents鈥� house as 鈥淭he Simpsons鈥� played on TV in the background. He was trying to wrap up music for the debut album of his band, Fleet Foxes.
Pecknold estimates it took about 20 minutes.
The result is a composition of simple, ethereal beauty. It consists of a single verse, sung three times in a round or perpetual canon style, with multiple voices repeating the same melody at a different starting point (鈥淚 was following the鈥︹��)
The melody ascends to a peak then tumbles down, much like the song鈥檚 character, Michael, falls in the snow. In less than two and a half minutes, it鈥檚 done.
鈥淲hite Winter Hymnal鈥� received some notice in the alternative rock world when released in the summer of 2008. Pitchfork magazine named the song its No. 2 favorite track of the year, with critic Stephen Deusner writing, 鈥渋ts meaning may remain unclear after so many listens 鈥� something about the passage of seasons 鈥� but its spell remains as strong as ever.鈥�
An aspiring actor, John Frank Lyke, was so obsessed with 鈥淲hite Winter Hymnal鈥� that he made a homemade video featuring a couple walking in the woods through a newly-fallen snow. They come to a clearing overlooking Lake Champlain and when Pecknold sings the word 鈥渟ummertime,鈥� the scene abruptly switches seasons. Bathed in warm sun, the couple leap into the lake.
The song 鈥渉as this kind of magic winter wonderland feeling,鈥� Lyke said. 鈥淚t reminded me of midnight mass when I would go with my family.鈥�
Pecknold didn鈥檛 have the holidays in mind when writing. But other artists began covering 鈥淲hite Winter Hymnal鈥� and one, Kim Wilde, put her version on a 2013 holiday-themed album. Pentatonix did the same a year later for their album, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 Christmas to Me.鈥�
That鈥檚 when the song really took on a new life. Pentatonix鈥檚 video of 鈥淲hite Winter Hymnal鈥� has been seen more than 96 million times on YouTube; Fleet Foxes鈥� own video, a Claymation scene made by Robin鈥檚 brother, Sean, has 23 million views.
In some respects, the song changed both context and ownership: Google 鈥溾�橶hite Winter Hymnal鈥� lyrics鈥� and it鈥檚 described as 鈥渁 Pentatonix song.鈥�
The performance by a vocal band with a young following led to its notice by choir directors around the world.
鈥淲hen choir groups do it, it鈥檚 so charming to me,鈥� Pecknold said. 鈥淚t is kind of heartwarming when someone will say to me, 鈥業鈥檓 at my kid鈥檚 recital and they鈥檙e doing your song,鈥� and they鈥檒l send me a video. That鈥檚 really sweet, to think it鈥檚 living in that world. Nothing beats that.鈥�
When Pecknold checks the Spotify metrics for his song, the plays tend to increase with the onset of autumn, building to the outsized Christmas Eve peak then falling off dramatically.
鈥淗oliday songs tend to lean into a certain kind of musical nostalgia, referencing the acoustic timbral palette of the holiday recorded canon, from Bing Crosby to Eartha Kitt,鈥� said Nathaniel Sloan, musicologist at the University of Southern California and co-host of the 鈥淪witched on Pop鈥� podcast. 鈥淭he acoustic-folk sound of Fleet Foxes is well-suited to these nostalgic tones.
鈥淚n addition, the song reaches back to deeper Christmas traditions in its carol-like vocal approach, with its layered melodies that stack upon one another,鈥� Sloan said.
Then you listen closely to the lyrics:
鈥淚 was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats with scarves of red tied round their throats to keep their little heads from fallin鈥� in the snow, and I turned 鈥榬ound and there you go, and Michael you would fall and turn the white snow red as strawberries in the summertime.鈥�
One theory on the Internet is that 鈥淲hite Winter Hymnal鈥� is about decapitation, with the red scarf a supposed reference to the French Revolution. Michael is being led to the guillotine.
Could that be true? What is the song about anyway?
Pecknold pauses at the question.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 another funny aspect of it,鈥� he said, 鈥渋s that it鈥檚 kind of vaguely not about anything.鈥�
One common theme of songs on Fleet Foxes鈥� debut was keeping family and friends together as people grew and changed, and that was in his mind as he wrote. While he concedes that the most literal image may be a boy falling down a hill and dying, Pecknold said the song is definitely NOT about decapitation.
鈥淭he words being vaguely dark was kind of cutting the sweetness of the melody,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat dissonance was interesting. At this point, I鈥檓 writing songs with the expectation that I鈥檒l have to defend them in some way. But at the time, I definitely was not.鈥�
The ambiguity and potential darkness certainly make it a stark departure, Sloan said. While heartache is a common theme for some holiday standards, most evoke a warm sense of family and good cheer.
He expects 鈥淲hite Winter Hymnal鈥� to have staying power, though.
鈥淣ot only is it a joy to listen to, it鈥檚 a joy to perform 鈥� the chord structure is relatively simple and easy to learn, the unique vocal lines lend themselves to group singing and the lyrical repetition makes it easy for anyone to join in and sing along,鈥� Sloan said.
The song gets more attention each year; Spotify said it was streamed 30% more this September and October than in 2020, almost at previous December levels. The Pentatonix recording provided Pecknold a windfall as a songwriter that he largely plowed back into music. This season it鈥檚 being used in commercials for the Spanish lottery. The potential for earnings only figures to increase.
He marvels at the randomness of it all.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the funny thing about this 鈥� spending years making music, writing songs, thinking it鈥檚 all about hard work and putting the hours in,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o a large degree it is, but then you鈥檒l get this random scratch card one day and find the song that ends up, kind of accidentally, being your most well-known.鈥�
Fleet Foxes just released a new album, 鈥淎 Very Lonely Solstice,鈥� a live recording that features songs meant to evoke a seasonal feel without being explicitly about the holidays.
鈥淲hite Winter Hymnal,鈥� however, is not included.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a Christmas song at this point,鈥� Pecknold said with a laugh.
David Bauder, The Associated Press
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