"Winter" is a song by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, released as a single in March 1992. "Winter" was Amos' first single to reach the top 40 in any country, peaking at number 25 in the United Kingdom two weeks after its release.

Release

"Winter" was the fourth single released from Amos' debut studio album, Little Earthquakes. It was released through EastWest Records on March 9, 1992, in the United Kingdom and on May 18, 1992, in Australia. In North America, it was issued through Atlantic Records the same year. The song also appears on Amos' 2003 compilation, Tales of a Librarian. The music video can be seen on the video collections Tori Amos: Complete Videos 1991–1998 and Fade to Red. The single was released globally in a variety of formats with slightly differing artwork and track listings. The most commonly available version is the United States release, which is labeled as a "limited edition" release. That version comes in a digipak case with a compartment in which a "handwritten lyrics" insert is contained. The far more rare UK limited edition release features three cover versions that would later appear on the US Crucify EP.

Reception

"Winter" is widely regarded as one of Amos's best songs. In 2014, Stereogum ranked the song number two on their list of the 10 greatest Tori Amos songs, and in 2023, The Guardian ranked the song number four on their list of the 20 greatest Tori Amos songs. The song has placed on the Dutch Top 2000 songs of all time countdown every year since 2015, peaking at No. 765 in 2017. Professional wrestler Mick Foley penned an essay for Slate about how the song "changed his life"; he listened to it before a bout with Terry Funk on the IWA Japan tour in Tokyo to relieve his stress.

Track listings

UK CD single UK and German limited edition CD single German CD single Australian CD single and cassette single UK 7-inch and cassette single US CD single US 7-inch and cassette single

Charts

Release history

Cover versions