by Jessica Shelton·
First off it should be noted that Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold, the sole writer of “White Winter Hymnal”, has stated that its lyrics are “fairly meaningless”. And his goal was just to write a song that the band can jam to and serve as the opening number on their debut album. Yet he has also stated that there is a storyline contained therein. So the way these seemingly contradictory statements can be interpreted is that some of lyrics have an intended meaning. Others, on the other hand, were just added because they sound cool. And for the most part, we’re going to focus on Robin’s explanation of the narrative in the song.
');var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; })();The term “following the pack” alludes to a time in the singer’s youth when he regularly hung out with a group of his peers, indeed the same collection of friends year-in and year-out. However, as time progressed they went their separate ways – and not in a good way. For example, some became drug dealers and other types of unsavory characters. And this sudden transformation of his buddies, like “Michael”, perturbed the singer. He didn’t understand how suddenly keeping up with gang culture, if you will, became more important than their long-standing friendships.
But again, that interpretation is based primarily on Robin’s own explanation of this song. That is to say the listener him or herself would be hard-pressed to derive such a complex meaning from the terse and even childlike nature of the lyrics. However, if one were to listen carefully, it can be seen that when Michael falls into “the white snow”, it then turns “red as strawberries in the summertime”. So that would logically symbolize that he is in fact bleeding. However, it is obviously not meant to be taken that Michael has actually been murdered, as he is a real-life buddy of Pecknold’s who it would appear is very much alive and kicking.
Conclusion
So conclusively, as the writer of “White Winter Hymnal” has alluded to, this song is a case of the lyrics preceding the meaning as opposed to vice versa. And given their overall ambiguity, they could logically be interpreted in different ways. However, there is definitely symbolism of some sort of an ominous development from an initially harmless viewpoint. And again, the ultimate idea this is all meant to point to is one akin to the loss of childhood innocence.
Facts about “White Winter Hymnal”
This song is featured on Fleet Foxes’ eponymous debut album, with Fleet Foxes being a band from Seattle, Washington.
This track was released by a British label called Bella Union on 2 June 2008. It also served as the first single from “Fleet Foxes”.
Although “White Winter Hymnal” did not chart, it was still critically-acclaimed. For instance, both Pitchfork Media and Time magazine placed it amongst the top-five songs of 2008, and the entire “Fleet Foxes” album was celebrated by the likes of The London Times and Mojo magazine.
');var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; })();And since then this track has been steadily covered and utilized in pop media. For instance, it serves as the opening song for Hulu’s drama series “The Path”.
“White Winter Hymnal” was written by Robin Pecknold, the frontman of Fleet Foxes, who also proclaimed that this is his favorite of all the band’s tracks to sing in front of a live audience. He also stated that the song which inspired the tempo of this “White Winter Hymnal” is actually “Whistle While You Work” (1939) of Disney’s “Snow White” fame.
And although Robin wrote this song with the intent of being the opening track on “Fleet Foxes”, it actually turned out being the second song on its playlist.
“White Winter Hymnal” was produced by Phil Elk.
Fleet Foxes were able to record “White Winter Hymnal” in one sitting in a home, not professional, setting. And in all, it “took like 10 hours” to lay down.
The music video to this song, which utilizes claymation, was created by Robin Pecknold’s older brother, Sean Pecknold.
