December is a month that comes up a lot in music. From the Christmas holiday season to the cold of winter and the reflection of New Year’s, there are plenty of things for artists to draw inspiration from. In this article, we’ll take a look at the 31 best songs about December.
1. Back to December – Taylor Swift
Back To December continued Taylor Swift’s shift to blending pop and country music together in 2010. It came from her Speak Now album and mostly discussed a bad breakup and the fact that the singer regretted messing things up with the other person. It’s unclear whether the breakup literally happened in December or if the end of the year is used as a metaphor for the end of the relationship but that isn’t actually important to the story. She wishes she could go back and change things, but it’s much too late now.
2. Remember December – Demi Lovato
After spending so much time with Disney, Demi Lovato had to produce music that dealt with more mature themes to get rid of her kid-friendly image. Remember December was one of those songs on her Here We Go Again album, but it doesn’t use the month as a metaphor for the end.
Instead, it sees her remembering good times during that month, such as when she and her lover promised to stay together forever at that time of year. It was a memory that was trying to save a splintering relationship and the positivity of it just might have pulled it off.
3. If We Make It Through December – Merle Haggard
Like most music legends, Merle Haggard released a Christmas album during his career. If We Make It Through December came on that album in 1973 and deals with the mixed emotions that come with the holiday season. While he knows he’s supposed to be happy this time of year, he can’t afford the gifts his family deserves and he’s down about it. It turns the entire month into a dismal and gray affair for the singer, just hoping he can make it through the month and forget what a tough Christmas he’s about to have.
4. Rose in December – Halestorm
Halestorm isn’t a Christmas band by any means, and you’d expect them to take the cold and harsh month of December and meld it into their hard-rock sensibilities. That’s exactly what they did with Rose In December, a track from their Breaking The Silence album that was both a heavy metal work of art and a sweet ballad. It’s all about waiting through the hard times to be with the person you love.
5. December – Collective Soul
Collective Soul’s second album was an eponymous one that produced one of their biggest hits in 1995, December. It’s all about a relationship withering away like the plants in December, though the title of the song was added late into the writing process for the track. It includes themes of betrayal and a few references to things that generally relate to the month, so we give it a pass. Overall, it’s a piece of great songwriting that sees the singer wishing he could just move on.
6. Black December – HELLYEAH
HELLYEAH’s Black December may be the most depressing song on this entire list. While it does talk about holiday cheer and gift-giving, none of that is apparently coming the way of the narrator in the track. It very much feels a bit like a suicide note, begging for help but also outlining exactly why they feel the way they do and telling the people who made them feel that way what they’ve done.
7. December Day – Willie Nelson
December Day was released on Willie Nelson’s Good Times album in 1968. He heavily draws inspiration from the end of the year. It remembers the good times in his current relationship, watching it slowly fade like the leaves in the fall. He knows his lover is about to leave, and thinking today might be the day, says that “This looks like a December day” to indicate that it is happening soon, like the end of the year in December.
8. A Long December – Counting Crows
A Long December appeared on Counting Crows’ second album Recovering The Satellites in 1996. It was a thought-provoking ballad about reflecting on the past year and how to go about your life in the next one, trying to find some positive in the negative events that happen in life. While the song never charted on the Hot 100, it did bring with it an excellent message to help carry you onward: “Maybe this year will be better than the last.”
9. December Love – New Kids on the Block
New Kids On The Block really took to the holidays with their 2017 EP Thankful. December Love is all about the group’s relationships with their significant others and highlights how much they adore them. No matter the weather—December is known for awful weather—they will be there for them during the bad times.
10. Permanent December – Miley Cyrus
Permanent December by Miley Cyrus isn’t too deep in terms of metaphors or songwriting. It’s mainly about how, despite traveling everywhere in the world, she hasn’t found anyone better than the person she’s with right now. December is used to symbolize the loneliness of letting someone who was right for you get away.
11. Summer in December – G-Eazy
Summer In December was a reflective, well-thought-out track from G-Eazy. Diving into his talents as a rapper while imbuing the song with soul and jazz, it winds up being a standout track on his fifth studio album. It tells the story of part of his life, struggling in the city of Los Angeles. December there is still mostly warm and sunny, so the unchanging weather wear on you. He feels smothered by the weather and life there, craving some cold air to help him clear his mind.
12. December – Weezer
Weezer released December as the final track on their Maladroit album in 2002. It’s mainly a positive song about overcoming the obstacles of life and discusses the most important things you need to be able to do it. Belief in yourself, love from other people, hope, and trust are all vitally important to surviving and actually enjoying your life according to the track, and I agree.
13. Something About December – Christina Perri
![Christina Perri - Something About December [Official Video]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OR2LXXIX8ro/0.jpg)
Christina Perri’s 2013 Christmas EP was almost exclusively cover songs. However, she did slide one original piece onto it with Something About December. A highlight of the album in retrospect, this 2013 single was inspired by the singer’s experience being alone on tour the year prior. Despite being away from her family, she managed to keep going by remembering the good times she had with them and keeping the Christmas spirit alive in her heart.
14. Cold December Night – Michael Bublé
![Michael Bublé - Cold December Night [Official HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XtB0LqyJsdA/0.jpg)
Michael Bublé is another artist to do a full Christmas album. His seventh album was just that and was aptly titled Christmas. The best song on the album by far was Cold December Night, a track that was all about wishing for true love instead of gifts on Christmas. No matter how cold it gets, having someone he loves with him will keep him warm and toasty, which is the true meaning of Christmas after all.
15. December – Norah Jones
Norah Jones is no stranger to Christmas songs, but her single December is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the ones she’s done. It came on her fourth studio album The Fall and is mainly a smooth piano song. It’s all about how she enjoys December and misses that time of year, but the month is used as a metaphor for a person in her life that she is currently missing.
16. My December – Linkin Park
My December was a major change-up from Linkin Park. While they stand as one of the best nu-metal groups out there, this song swapped that out for a calm piano ballad. It’s all about being lonely during the winter months and does a great job presenting how it actually feels to go through something like that. The narrator misses both their home and the person they’re waiting for, but despite being mostly a sad track, it carries a message of perseverance within it.
17. December 4th – Jay-Z
Jay-Z’s December 4th is an autobiographical song. He was born in December, and this track uses both him and his mother as narrators to tell the story of his life. From growing up in bad neighborhoods to hustling for all of his success, the story is laid out in a humble way. Not everything went according to plan and not all of his decisions were wise, but they made him into who he is today. But the story started on December 4th, 1969, the day he was born.
18. Last December – Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte released Last December on the band’s 20th anniversary in the spotlight. Coming out in December 2020, it was also poignantly discussing the losses felt by many during the pandemic. It mainly focuses on the funeral of a friend, his disbelief that they are gone, and the way the funeral service affects him personally. The ‘Last December’ part of the song is a reflection of having them there the previous year but not knowing what the next year will look like without them.
19. December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night) – Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night) was written as a tribute to the end of prohibition in the US. Prohibition essentially outlawed alcohol in the US, so you know when it ended, everyone who had been drinking secretly was out and about partying.
The song was originally titled December 5th, 1933, which was the date the 21st Amendment was ratified, ending prohibition as a whole. The title of the track was changed at Frankie Valli’s request to turn it into a song about a young man’s first time with a woman, which was a topic they were much more comfortable singing about.
20. December – Earth, Wind & Fire
When Earth, Wind & Fire produced a holiday album—aptly titled Holiday in 2014, they needed a song that would fit on the album but didn’t take too much work. They redid their hit single September, changing a few lyrics to make it fit for the holiday season. The two tracks are nearly identical though, which may turn some people off.
21. Flowers In December – Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star released Flowers In December as the lead single of their 1996 album Among My Swan. It was actually one of the most successful little-known songs on the list, reaching the number 40 spot on the UK Singles chart and remaining on that chart for two whole weeks.
22. Her December – Van Hunt
Her December was one of the best, yet overlooked songs on Van Hunt’s debut album in 2004. Full of soul, it talks about how the month of December is often the time of year when people’s lives change pace. The cold and seasonal depression—or just emotions—can get the best of you, and being left alone leaves you very vulnerable. Just never lose hope and everything will work out.
23. December Back 2 June – Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys’ Christmas album can best be labeled as wonderfully imaginative. Among the best songs and covers on the album, December Back 2 June was the one that really stood out. It was very much in the vein of All I Want For Christmas, and the track was mainly centered around not wanting material things and gifts for the holiday, but rather hoping to spend as much time with her lover as possible.
24. December – Sara Bareilles
Sara Bareilles released December on her 2013 album The Blessed Unrest, and its placement as the final song on the album is not a coincidence. Like the last month of the year, it’s the last track of the album and closes it with finality. The song relates the end of the year with her transition as she moved from L.A. to New York and reflects on both the good and bad experiences of such a drastic shift in her life.
25. A December to Remember – Aaron Tippin
The title track of Aaron Tippin’s 2001 Christmas album, A December To Remember may not be that memorable for a lot of people, but it was still a great song. Alongside the rest of the tracks on the album, it helped build a collection of covers and original works that pushed the album to number 42 on the Top Country Albums chart.
26. White December – Kylie Minogue
Kylie Mongue released White December on her Christmas album Kylie’s Christmas and blended jazz sounds with newer pop music to create what could be one of the modern Christmas classics. It’s all about wanting to snuggle up with a lover during the frigid winter weather, enjoying the holiday together, and hoping to do the same again next year.
27. December (With Burna Boy) – IDK
![IDK - December (with Burna Boy) [Official Audio]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xUNJW5hfgK4/0.jpg)
December (With Burna Boy) was one of the songs that helped IDK begin to find mainstream success. It was oddly a track with a summer vibe to it and would become a single on his debut album Is He Real? It draws on several genres to create a signature sound and was almost something of a love song. While it isn’t really about the month of December, some of the themes and metaphors are in there, and it’s a good track.
28. December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas) – George Michael
George Michael released December Songs (I Dream Of Christmas) in 2009 for free on his official website. While it was actually originally intended for the Spice Girls and Michael Bublé, he kept it for himself. It features a Frank Sinatra sample from The Christmas Waltz and would actually reach number 14 on the UK Singles chart.
29. Air of December – Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
Air Of December appeared on this group’s 1988 album Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars. It mainly makes the list because of the outstanding vocal talents of Edie Brickell, but the message in the song is just as good. It compares the way the cold air during the month gives the narrator chills, just like when they have powerful feelings for someone.
30. Get Me Through December – Alison Krauss
Get Me Through December by Alison Krauss is a desperate song about wanting to make it through the month. It’s something anyone struggling can relate to who needs a fresh start somewhere and her vocal talent is on full display in this one.
31. Born To December – Morning Glory
Born To December is one of the heaviest metaphorical songs on this list and a great way to close it out. It seems to be an ode to a good friend or lover who understands and accepts the narrator despite all the flaws they perceive within themselves.
Recommended Next:
Songs about winter and wintertime
As a contributing writer for Music Grotto, Dakotah writes and produces professional music/media content. He works closely with editorial staff to meet editorial standards and create
quality content for the Music Grotto website. Dakotah is passionate about music in a wide variety of genres, from hip-hop to country and lo-fi to metal, and he enjoys creating music pieces for Music Grotto.
