"Coldest Winter" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who often commended its composition. Some focused their praise on West's performance, while numerous critics selected the song as an album highlight. It has been ranked among winter-related best songs lists by multiple publications, including NME and The Arizona Republic. Kanye West performed the song live in 2013 during The Yeezus Tour, frequently accompanying his performances by speaking about Donda's death. An accompanying music video premiered on February 22, 2010, which is soundtracked by a revamped version. Throughout the video, a bride is chased by Grim Reaper-style characters in a forest. Critics mostly gave the visual positive reviews, some of whom appreciated its dark style. Pentatonix covered the song in October 2016, before releasing a music video for the cover two months later.
Coldest Winter
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(On lonely nights I start to fade)
Her love is a thousand miles away
(Her love is a thousand miles away)
Memories made in the coldest winter
Goodbye my friend will I ever love again
Memories made in the coldest winter
It's 4am and I can't sleep
(It's 4am and I can't sleep)
Her love is all that I can see
(Her love is all that I can see)
Memories made in the coldest winter
Goodbye my friend will I ever love again
Memories made in the coldest winter
Winter, winter
Goodbye my friend will I ever love again
Goodbye my friend will I ever love again
Goodbye my friend will I ever love again
If spring can take the snow away
(If spring can take the snow away)
Can it melt away all of our mistakes
(Can it melt away all of our mistakes)
Memories made in the coldest winter
Goodbye my friend I won't ever love again
Never again
In Kanye West's song Coldest Winter, the lyrics speak to the pain of lost love and the struggle to move on. The lines "On lonely nights I start to fade" and "Her love is a thousand miles away" paint a picture of a person who is feeling isolated and distant from a former partner. The repetition of "Goodbye my friend will I ever love again" throughout the song underscores the heartbreak and uncertainty the singer is feeling, wondering if they will ever find love again.
The chorus "Memories made in the coldest winter" underscores the idea of a relationship that flourished during a difficult time. The metaphor of winter represents hardship and the idea that love can thrive even in the coldest of times. However, the repetition of "Goodbye my friend" also highlights the idea that the singer is mourning not only the loss of a lover but also the loss of a friend.
The final lines of the song - "If spring can take the snow away, can it melt away all of our mistakes? Memories made in the coldest winter, goodbye my friend I won't ever love again" - capture a sense of finality and despair. The singer is still grappling with the past and wondering if they will ever be able to move on.
Overall, through the use of the winter metaphor and repetitive lyrics, Kanye West portrays the pain and difficulty of letting go of a past love and coming to terms with the idea that love may never come again.
Line by Line Meaning
On lonely nights I start to fade
During lonely nights, I begin to lose myself.
Her love is a thousand miles away
The love of the person Kanye is talking about is very far and distant from him.
Memories made in the coldest winter
The memories Kanye has are from the times that were difficult for him, representing the emotional struggle he went through in winter, a metaphor to convey his sadness.
Goodbye my friend will I ever love again
Kanye says farewell to his friend and questions if he can ever love again, as he feels weighed down by his past.
It's 4am and I can't sleep
This line shows that Kanye is struggling with insomnia due to his turbulent emotions.
Her love is all that I can see
The love of the person Kanye is talking about is the only thing on his mind.
If spring can take the snow away
Spring represents a new beginning where the snow, symbolising the hardships, is melted away.
Can it melt away all of our mistakes
Kanye hopes that spring can also erase past mistakes and misdeeds that happened.
Goodbye my friend I won't ever love again
Kanye bids farewell to his friend once again and confirms that he won't ever love again.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Roland Orzabal, Kanye West, Ernest Wilson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Yuhyeauhuhsurebuddy1
College Dropout: rap doesn’t have to be gangster to bang
Graduation: electronic synths can be good beats as well
808s & HB: it’s okay to make songs about how emotional things are
MBDTF & Yeezus: push the industries boundaries and make something unique
This man is a living legend
@santiagochamorro9999
On lonely nights I start to fade
(On lonely nights I start to fade)
Her love is a thousand miles away
(Her love is a thousand miles away)
Memories made in the coldest winter
Goodbye my friend will I ever love again
Memories made in the coldest winter
It's 4am and I can't sleep
(It's 4am and I can't sleep)
Her love is all that I can see
(Her love is all that I can see)
Memories made in the coldest winter
Goodbye my friend will I ever love again
Memories made in the coldest winter
Winter, winter
Goodbye my friend will I ever love again
Goodbye my friend will I ever love again
Goodbye my friend will I ever love again
If spring can take the snow away
(If spring can take the snow away)
Can it melt away all of our mistakes
(Can it melt away all of our mistakes)
Memories made in the coldest winter
Goodbye my friend I won't ever love again
Never again
@DaFuqBoom
Little know the song is re-worked "Memories Fade" by Tears For Fears.
@deshaunblackett4745
Wow you’re right
@josecat436
Scrolled to find someone saying this. Finally lol
@sweatyguy5723
i didn’t even know wow
@LiveNinetyNine
kanye pretty much just stole their song then believed he deserved 80 percent of publishing.
@dancompton4793
Tears for Fears is one of the 80s most over looked bands of all time. THEY put out so many hits and haven't yet been put into rock and roll hall of fame ..Such a damn shame since their music is remade so much
@blckmgc322
This song was about the night he received the call that his mother passed away
@blckmgc322
***** Yeah, he talked about it in an interview
@wartygourd
blckmgc322 oh shit😢😪☹️
@analyze077
blckmgc322 very symbolic