The 10 Best Songs about December

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Every month has something special about it. There are twelve of them. As a result, it’s easy to assign something meaningful to every single one of them. Still, December stands out. It’s the last month. Furthermore, it’s a time of celebration. Thanks to these things, December is a popular choice of metaphor, which explains the numerous songs mentioning the month in one way or another.

Here is our opinion of the ten best songs about December:

10. “December” – Collective Soul

There are a surprising number of songs named “December.” That is an excellent reminder of how much symbolism has been packed into the month. In Collective Soul’s case, “December” saw release on the band’s self-titled album in 1995. The band was under immense pressure at the time but lacked experience in handling it. As a result, “December” is about feelings of exploitation and inadequacy. It seems safe to say that people liked it because it was a Top 20 hit in the United States.

9. “If We Make It Through December” – Merle Haggard

December is a time of celebration. Sadly, that can make it worse for some people. After all, ruined expectations are agonizing. Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December” illustrates this point well. Its narrator is crushed because he can’t buy his daughter a Christmas gift after being laid off from his factory job.

8. “December” – Weezer

If people sing about misery, others will sing about antidotes to misery. Weezer’s “December” reminds people that love, hope, faith, and trust are how they can make it through whatever troubles them.

7. “December 4th” – Jay-Z

December 4 is Jay-Z’s birthday. As a result, interested individuals shouldn’t be surprised to learn that this song is about him. Specifically, it’s autobiographical. Indeed, the song even featured his mom talking about what he was like as a child.

6. “My December” – Linkin Park

“My December” comes from early in Linkin Park’s career. It wasn’t one of the songs on the band’s debut album, Hybrid Theory. Instead, it was included as a bonus on the special editions. Funny enough, “My December” saw a fair amount of radio airplay. The song never matched the success of “In the End” or “Crawling.” Still, its performance was impressive because it was never meant for release as a single. Subject-wise, interested individuals should have no problem guessing that “My December” wasn’t the happiest of songs. The month is a stand-in for isolation and loneliness in this song. It’s outright stated that the narrator’s previous relationship didn’t go well. Something that has caused him much misery and regret.

5. “December Back 2 June” – Alicia Keys

Some artists seem to jump to making Christmas albums right away. Meanwhile, others wait for years and years before they start thinking about holiday-themed music. Alicia Keys is one of the latter. After all, she didn’t release her Santa Baby until 2022, almost three decades after the start of her singing career. This song was the lead single from the Christmas album. It is more-or-less what one would expect, which is to say, a song in which the narrator emphasizes her desire to spend time with her significant other over any material gift. What set this song apart would be the singing and the songwriting. Suffice it to say that Keys hasn’t lost her touch.

4. “Back to December” – Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has a reputation for skewering her ex-boyfriends in her songs. However, that isn’t the only way she thinks about her past relationships. For proof, consider “Back to December,” which saw Swift apologizing for wronging an ex-boyfriend during the titular month. The song was a Top 10 hit in the United States when it was first released. Moreover, interested individuals should know a re-recorded version became a Top 20 hit in the same country in 2023. As such, the song is undoubtedly one to remember.

3. “December Day” – Willie Nelson

“December Day” is one of those songs that use the seasons to describe the progressive stages of a relationship. Spring would be when the relationship is new and tender, while summer sees it burning bright. Unfortunately, the relationship described in the song has passed the visible decline of fall. The narrator outright describes how the situation looks like a “December day,” meaning that it’s the day when his significant other will finally leave him. He isn’t happy about this, as shown by him reminiscing about the metaphorical spring. Despite that, he can’t do anything about it because winter has already arrived.

2. “December” – Norah Jones

This song came from Norah Jones’s fourth album, The Fall. It wasn’t one of the four singles, but it made a strong impression anyways. A surface reading suggests that the narrator misses the month of December. The issue is that she talks about it the way one talks about a person. Anthropomorphizing the seasons isn’t exactly a new thing. Still, her choice of phrasing suggests she’s talking about a one-time lover. That’s interesting because that raises the question of why she would compare someone to December, a month burdened with many connotations. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough information to say for sure.

1. “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night) – Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

“December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” is one of the most memorable songs of the 1970s. It was a number-one single in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Furthermore, it was a Top 10 hit in several other countries. Reputedly, the song was meant to be about the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. However, two band members successfully pushed for a change to make it about a man having sex for the first time. It’s more touching than interested individuals might expect because it’s based on the experiences of two people who became husband and wife.

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