Zharth's Music Log (Revisited)
Week 119: Cold, Cold Feeling
(Originally finalized on January 14, 2025)
Preface: It's been mighty cold lately. The temperature has barely reached above freezing - even during the day! - in over a week. Heavy snowfall is sticking to the ground, and not melting off right away (which is not so common these days). I thought it would be a perfect time to listen to some songs about the cold, as something of a counterpoint to last summer's Heat Wave, and as a spiritual sequel to my Wintertime Blues theme.
Monday: Albert Collins - Cold, Cold Feeling [Ice Pickin', 1978]
Comments: We'll start with one of my favorite blues, by a man whose nickname was - believe it or not - the Iceman! What could be more appropriate? Seriously, I could fill up this entire list with songs he's recorded that have titles with allusions to the cold. It was a whole thing with him. "I've got a cold, cold feeling. You're just like ice around my heart."
Tuesday: Gary Moore - Cold Day In Hell [After Hours, 1992]
Comments: We'll stick with the blues theme and feature an artist that has played on stage with Albert Collins - the Irish blues rocker Gary Moore (one of the few musicians to have owned Peter Green's guitar). This is a song I had considered, and was narrowly passed over, for my Heaven And Hell theme. "There'll be a cold day in hell before I'm coming back to you."
Wednesday: Foreigner - Cold As Ice [Foreigner, 1977]
Comments: One of two top ten hit singles from Foreigner's self-titled debut album from 1977 (the other being the opening track, Feels Like The First Time), this is probably one of the most popular songs on this subject. Although hugely successful, Foreigner doesn't have the coolest reputation, but I've gotta hand it to them - they're masters of the pop/rock format. "You're as cold as ice. You're willing to sacrifice our love."
Thursday: The Rolling Stones - She's So Cold [Emotional Rescue, 1980]
Comments: For a band that rivaled The Beatles' popularity in the late '60s, and dominated the rock landscape in the early '70s, 1980 isn't what I would call The Rolling Stones' peak era. Yet, they were still churning out hit albums. In any case, listening to the Stones is, for me, like eating comfort food. "She's so cold. When I touch her, my hand just froze!"
Friday: Stevie Ray Vaughan - Cold Shot [Couldn't Stand The Weather, 1984]
Comments: Overshadowed by his notable cover of Jimi Hendrix's epic rocker Voodoo Child - and therefore passed over for my theme dedicated to the year Nineteen Eighty Four - this is still among Stevie Ray Vaughan's more memorable tracks, in a career that was, tragically, as short as it was promising. "That's a cold shot, baby. Yeah, that's a drag."
Saturday: Humble Pie - Stone Cold Fever [Rock On, 1971]
Comments: What's even funnier than the fact that you can hardly tell what Steve Marriott is singing in this song, is that lyrics databases all give different and hilarious interpretations (it's a real "daydream nightmare"). But no matter, the song sounds great - especially that crunchy guitar tone. In my opinion, this band just wasn't the same after Peter Frampton left. Then again, neither was he...
Sunday: Van Halen - Ice Cream Man [Van Halen, 1978]
Comments: David Lee Roth shows off his vocal chops on this uncharacteristically acoustic (at least to start) song from Van Halen's debut album. A song about ice cream might seem out of place in a theme about winter weather, but it does give you that cold, cold feeling, doesn't it? Believe it or not, I actually like to go out for ice cream when it snows. "I'm your ice cream man. Stop me when I'm passing by. They say all my flavors are guaranteed to satisfy."
Honorable Mention: Black Country Communion - Cold [2, 2011]
Comments: As a technicality, I wanted to include Cold - one of my favorite songs by Black Country Communion, the supergroup that joins guitarist Joe Bonamassa with Glenn Hughes, Jason Bonham, and Derek Sherinian - as an honorable mention. Although it would suit this theme, I've already used it for Memento Mori - where I think it fits even better. So, no regrets. "And I feel I'm dyin'. How can you be so cold?"