Founder Al Kooper conceived Blood, Sweat and Tears as an experiment in expanding the size and scope of the rock band with touches of jazz , blues , classical , and folk music. When Kooper was forced out of the band soon after its eclectic debut, Child Is Father to the Man, BS&T became increasingly identified as a "jazz-rock" group, although its music was essentially easy-listening rhythm and blues or rock with the addition of brass.
Kooper formed BS&T after leaving the Blues Project in 1967. The nucleus of the original band was Steve Katz, also of the Blues Project; Jim Fielder, who had played with the Mothers of Invention and Buffalo Springfield; and Bobby Colomby, who had drummed behind folksingers Odetta and Eric Andersen. The horn players were recruited from New York jazz and studio bands. Child Is Father featured songs by Harry Nilsson, Tim Buckley, Randy Newman, Gerry Goffin, and Carole King, along with Kooper originals and arrangements by Fred Lipsius for brass, strings, and studio effects. The band nearly broke up when Kooper, Randy Brecker, and Jerry Weiss left (Brecker to join The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra). Regrouping under Katz and Colomby, and fronted by David Clayton-Thomas (who had sung with a Canadian blues band, The Bossmen), BS&T entered a period of immense popularity. Blood, Sweat & Tears featured arrangements of music by French composer Erik Satie and jazz singer Billie Holiday, as well as by Laura Nyro, Steve Winwood, and others. It was the #1 album for seven weeks in 1969, sold over 3 million copies, and spawned three gold singles: “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” “Spinning Wheel,” and “And When I Die,” each of which hit #2.
In 1970 the U.S. State Department sent the band on a goodwill tour of Yugoslavia, Romania, and Poland. Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 duplicated the Blood, Sweat & Tears mix of styles and was almost as popular. The album went to #1, and two singles, “Hi-De-Ho” and “Lucretia MacEvil,” hit the Top 30. But interest in the group began to wane, and 4, which contained almost all original material, barely made the Top 10. In 1971 “Go Down Gamblin’” was its last hit. By the time Clayton-Thomas left for a solo career in 1972, BS&T’s place on the charts had been filled by similarly styled bands such as Chicago, Chase, and Ides of March. Katz left the next year, first to join the short-lived American Flyer and then to an A&R position at Mercury Records.
BS&T became regulars in Las Vegas, with ever-changing personnel recruited largely from big bands like Maynard Ferguson’s, Woody Herman’s, and Doc Severinsen’s. Vocalist Jerry LaCroix appeared between his tenures with Edgar Winter’s White Trash and Rare Earth, while guitarist Mike Stern later played with Miles Davis’ early-’80s band. Clayton-Thomas’ return in 1974 briefly boosted BS&T’s popularity, but Columbia dropped the group, and Colomby, the last original member, left in 1976. He continued to influence BS&T as producer of Brand New Day and, with Clayton-Thomas, as co-owner of the band’s name and catalogue. He then moved on to a career in A&R for several labels, as well as TV reporting. Since 1975 the live act has been billed as Blood, Sweat and Tears Featuring David Clayton-Thomas. [from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)
http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bloodsweatandtears/biography
In late 2005, the band returned to touring. The year 2007 witnessed the band's first world tour in a decade. From 2008 through 2010, Steve Katz returned to appear at BS&T's shows as a special guest.
From 2013 till 2018, Blood Sweat and Tears was fronted by Bo Bice, who was the runner-up against Carrie Underwood in the fourth season of American Idol.
In 2018, the group decided to replace Bice with former Tower of Power singer Tom Bowes, who had previously done a brief stint with BS&T back in July through November 2012.
In 2019 Keith Paluso, from the reality TV show The Voice, was chosen as BS&T's new singer.
Sometimes In Winter
Blood Sweat & Tears Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I gaze into the streets
And walk through snow and city sleet
Behind your room
Sometimes in Winter
Forgotten memories
Remember you behind the trees
With leaves that cried
Laughing slightly you would run
Trees alone would shield us in the meadow
Makin' love in the evening sun
Now you're gone girl
And the lamp posts call your name
I can hear, them
In the spring of frozen rain
Now you're gone girl
And the time's slowed down till dawn
It's a cold room and the walls ask
Where you've gone
Sometimes In Winter
I love you when the good times
Seem like mem'ries int he spring
That never came
Sometimes In Winter
I wish the empty streets
Would fill with laughter from the tears
That ease my pain
The song "Sometimes in Winter" is a melancholic composition by the band Blood Sweat and Tears. The lyrics capture the feeling of longing and heartbreak, while the music is soothing and helps to make the pain somewhat bearable. The singer of the song seems to be revisiting old memories, walking through a snowy city and remembering the good times he shared with his lover. The memories are bittersweet as they remind him of someone who is no longer with him. He remembers waiting for her by the window and the evenings the two shared making love in the meadow. The present is stark in comparison, with the memory of his lover's absence and the emptiness that surrounds him. He tries to fill the void by reliving the memories, but it only makes him more aware of his loneliness.
The song is particularly poignant as it shows that relationships can fall apart, but the memories remain. Despite the fact that the singer has lost his lover, he still remembers the times he shared with her fondly. He realizes that the beauty of the past makes the pain of the present more bearable. The song is a reflection of the human condition, where memories provide solace and warmth in the cold emptiness of the present.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes in Winter
The singer is introducing the theme of this song, which is feeling a sense of sadness and loneliness during the winter season.
I gaze into the streets
The singer is looking out into the streets, perhaps reflecting on past memories.
And walk through snow and city sleet
The singer is walking through a winter storm in the city, which could represent the struggles they are facing emotionally.
Behind your room
The artist is recalling past memories of being near someone's room.
Forgotten memories
The artist is acknowledging how some of their memories have been lost over time.
Remember you behind the trees
The singer is remembering someone they used to know who would stand behind trees.
With leaves that cried
The leaves on the trees are personified as crying, which could symbolize the sorrow the singer feels.
By the window once I waited for you
The artist waiting by a window is another scene from a past memory.
Laughing slightly you would run
The artist remembers the person they were waiting for running away while laughing.
Trees alone would shield us in the meadow
The artist and the person they were with were hidden from view by the trees in a meadow.
Makin' love in the evening sun
The singer is remembering a romantic moment that took place in the evening.
Now you're gone girl
The person the artist is referring to has either passed away or is no longer in their life.
And the lamp posts call your name
The singer is hearing the name of the person they miss being called out by the lamp posts. This could be a metaphor for how the singer is reminded of this person by everyday objects.
In the spring of frozen rain
The singer is describing a time that is neither winter nor spring, where there is frozen rain. This could be a metaphor for feeling stuck in a difficult period of life.
And the time's slowed down till dawn
The singer feels like time has slowed down to a crawl, emphasizing how much they miss the person who is gone.
It's a cold room and the walls ask where you've gone
The artist is in a cold and empty room, where the walls seem to be echoing their feelings of loss and asking where the person has gone.
Sometimes In Winter
This phrase is repeated again to show that the artist is still dealing with these emotions and memories.
I love you when the good times seem like mem'ries in the spring
The singer loves the person they lost, even though it feels like memories from the good times are fading away like spring flowers.
That never came
The memories of the good times may be bittersweet because they didn't last as long as the singer would have liked.
Sometimes In Winter
This phrase is repeated again to show that the artist is still dealing with these emotions and memories.
I wish the empty streets would fill with laughter from the tears that ease my pain
The artist is expressing a desire for the sadness they feel to be replaced with happiness and laughter. They want to feel better, but they know they need to work through their sadness first.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: STEVEN E KATZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
William Fox
Sometimes in winter is not as well known as other BST cuts, but it's totally the most underrated cut and easily my favourite
Eileen Plant
Mine too.
mikejschin
After 50 years, this song still tugs at my heartstrings. It used to run through my head on those winter nights as I looked up at Nancy's dorm window after she broke up with me. My life has been very good since then, and I so hope that hers has been too. I'll always have fond thoughts of her when this song plays.
Adam Markowitz
Beautiful song. BST was a band of fine musicians at that time, many of them from the jazz world. Gorgeous arrangement.
LEXICOGRAFFER
One of the most achingly beautiful songs of all time....
tpe54
A masterful ensemble and arrangement, with beautiful lyrics and images.
I was just out walking tonight in the snow
and heard this song in my head, and here I am.
bob m
This fantastic Blood Sweat and Tears song, composed and sung by Steve Katz, was part of the soundtrack of my early years in college. It's very emotive and evocative.
sunkingreigns
This song breaks my heart now just as much as 40+ years ago. The video is perfect 12Mulligan, well done.
Lydia Perkins
Beautiful. I miss the Blood Sweat & Tears from this era. What a band ! This song popped into my mind this morning, and it seemed almost like a Christmas song.
Jerry Mammoser
It IS.