This week Tony and I hit the slopes, carved the ice, and did some curling… in honour of the Winter Olympics, which kicked off on February 6th. First staged in 1924 in Chamonix, France, the Games feature sports contested on snow and ice, including skiing, figure skating, speed skating, ice hockey, and bobsleigh. Over the past century, the Winter Olympics have become one of the world’s most widely viewed sporting events, including by musicians! This week’s show explored songs that have in some way taken inspiration from a winter sport or the Games themselves.
The Invitations & Joni Mitchell
Skiing in the Snow, written by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, was first recorded in October 1964 by The Beach Girls in a ‘surf’ style but failed to chart. A year later, in 1965, The Invitations released a re-recorded version that also did not chart and was subsequently forgotten. The track was rediscovered in the 1970s by British DJ Ian Levine, and became a staple of Northern Soul clubs in England, leading to unofficial UK re-pressings and a reputation as a highly prized “rare groove.” Although ostensibly about skiing, the lyrics have been interpreted by some as containing drug references. In 1975, Wigan’s Ovation recorded a cover under the guidance of DJ Russ Winstanley in an attempt to capitalise on its club popularity; despite television exposure on Top of the Pops, the version was heavily criticised within the Northern Soul scene, which valued obscure original American soul recordings over commercial reinterpretations.
Released in 1971 on the album Blue, Joni Mitchell’s River is set during the Christmas season and incorporates a piano quotation of “Jingle Bells,” though its subject concerns the end of a romantic relationship, widely believed to relate to her 1968–1970 relationship with Graham Nash. The song has become one of Mitchell’s most widely recorded compositions, with over 1,000 documented cover versions, second only to Both Sides, Now in her catalogue. Its seasonal setting has led to frequent inclusion in holiday programming, despite its focus on regret and emotional distance rather than celebration.
Tom Waits & Super Furry Animals
Alice, released in 2002 as the title track of Tom Waits’ fourteenth studio album, originated from a stage collaboration with director Robert Wilson first performed in the early 1990s and centred on themes surrounding Lewis Carroll and Alice Liddell. Written by Waits and Kathleen Brennan, the recording features vibraphone, brushed snare, alto saxophone, trumpet, and upright bass, creating a cabaret-influenced soundscape. The song explores longing and emotional fixation, reflecting its theatrical origins and its emphasis on atmosphere over resolution.
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Ice Hockey Hair was released in 1998 on the eponymous EP by Welsh alternative rock band Super Furry Animals. The EP was comprised of four tracks that did not align with either their 1997 album Radiator or its 1999 follow-up Guerrilla. The title refers to the mullet hairstyle, reportedly renamed after a Swedish footballer described it as unfashionable; in the song the narrator seeks advice from a woman with such a hairstyle. The production includes a truncated sample-style introduction, vocoder backing vocals, key changes, and a saturated lead guitar tone, illustrative of the band’s experimental pop approach during the late 1990s.
Tina Maze & Sufjan Stevens
My Way Is My Decision was released in 2012 by Slovenian alpine ski racer Tina Maze. The song marked a crossover into pop music by the country’s most decorated Winter Olympian, who won two silver medals at the 2010 Winter Olympics and two gold medals at the 2014 Games alongside multiple World Championship titles. Written by Matjaž Jelen and Raay, with lyrics by Charlie Mason and Leon Oblak, the song developed from a ballad into a rock-oriented track with aspirational lyrics referencing Maze’s athletic career. Its music video became one of the most viewed releases by a Slovenian artist at the time, surpassing 400,000 views within three days.
Released digitally in 2017 through Asthmatic Kitty Records, Tonya Harding was written, produced, and recorded by Sufjan Stevens to coincide with the biographical film I, Tonya (2017) starring Margot Robbie, which depicted the career of American figure skater Tonya Harding and her involvement in the 1994 assault on rival Nancy Kerrigan. The attack, carried out by Shane Stant and planned by Harding’s ex-husband Jeff Gillooly and associate Shawn Eckardt, led to Harding’s lifetime ban from United States Figure Skating Association events. Stevens stated that although he submitted the song for use in the film, it was not included in the final soundtrack, and Harding later expressed objection to the use of her name in connection with the song.
Love Unlimited vs Madonna
Our soundslike this week explored a melodic and harmonic similarity between It May Be Winter Outside (But In My Heart it’s Spring) by Love Unlimited (1973) and True Blue by Madonna (1986).
Winter Quiz
For our quiz this week, you heard famous songs from gold-medal-winning ice skating routines (backwards) – guess the artist and song!
As always, find the show and blog at joebennett.net/5live, with occasional Instagram extras at @joebennettmusicology. With a new show comes a new Spotify mega-playlist, which contains all songs featured on the show:
And you can still listen to our old mega-playlist here.
- Words: Joe Bennett, John Pierce O’Reilly
- Audio production: Joe Bennett, Rafi Waters
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