There is no mention of holiday or Christmas in lyrics to the song, B次元官网网址淲hite Winter Hymnal.B次元官网网址� Or winter, for that matter. There is a reference to snow, turned B次元官网网址渞ed as strawberries in the summertimeB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� presumably, by blood.

Nonetheless, the song has become a modern holiday standard, sung by childrenB次元官网网址檚 choirs in countless school assemblies. Its plays on Spotify B次元官网网址� more than 180 million for the two most popular versions B次元官网网址� spike on Christmas Eve.

The story of B次元官网网址淲hite Winter HymnalB次元官网网址� is a reminder of how songs can take journeys in the public consciousness that even their composers canB次元官网网址檛 fathom.

B次元官网网址淭he universe has a sense of humor. Sometimes thereB次元官网网址檚 just these little cosmic flukes,B次元官网网址� said Robin Pecknold, who wrote it when he was 20 years old, sitting on a couch at his parentsB次元官网网址� house as B次元官网网址淭he SimpsonsB次元官网网址� played on TV in the background. He was trying to wrap up music for the debut album of his band, Fleet Foxes.

Pecknold estimates it took about 20 minutes.

The result is a composition of simple, ethereal beauty. It consists of a single verse, sung three times in a round or perpetual canon style, with multiple voices repeating the same melody at a different starting point (B次元官网网址淚 was following theB次元官网网址�B次元官网网址�)

The melody ascends to a peak then tumbles down, much like the songB次元官网网址檚 character, Michael, falls in the snow. In less than two and a half minutes, itB次元官网网址檚 done.

B次元官网网址淲hite Winter HymnalB次元官网网址� received some notice in the alternative rock world when released in the summer of 2008. Pitchfork magazine named the song its No. 2 favorite track of the year, with critic Stephen Deusner writing, B次元官网网址渋ts meaning may remain unclear after so many listens B次元官网网址� something about the passage of seasons B次元官网网址� but its spell remains as strong as ever.B次元官网网址�

An aspiring actor, John Frank Lyke, was so obsessed with B次元官网网址淲hite Winter HymnalB次元官网网址� that he made a homemade video featuring a couple walking in the woods through a newly-fallen snow. They come to a clearing overlooking Lake Champlain and when Pecknold sings the word B次元官网网址渟ummertime,B次元官网网址� the scene abruptly switches seasons. Bathed in warm sun, the couple leap into the lake.

The song B次元官网网址渉as this kind of magic winter wonderland feeling,B次元官网网址� Lyke said. B次元官网网址淚t reminded me of midnight mass when I would go with my family.B次元官网网址�

Pecknold didnB次元官网网址檛 have the holidays in mind when writing. But other artists began covering B次元官网网址淲hite Winter HymnalB次元官网网址� and one, Kim Wilde, put her version on a 2013 holiday-themed album. Pentatonix did the same a year later for their album, B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 Christmas to Me.B次元官网网址�

ThatB次元官网网址檚 when the song really took on a new life. PentatonixB次元官网网址檚 video of B次元官网网址淲hite Winter HymnalB次元官网网址� has been seen more than 96 million times on YouTube; , has 23 million views.

In some respects, the song changed both context and ownership: Google B次元官网网址淏次元官网网址橶hite Winter HymnalB次元官网网址� lyricsB次元官网网址� and itB次元官网网址檚 described as B次元官网网址渁 Pentatonix song.B次元官网网址�

The performance by a vocal band with a young following led to its notice by choir directors around the world.

B次元官网网址淲hen choir groups do it, itB次元官网网址檚 so charming to me,B次元官网网址� Pecknold said. B次元官网网址淚t is kind of heartwarming when someone will say to me, B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址檓 at my kidB次元官网网址檚 recital and theyB次元官网网址檙e doing your song,B次元官网网址� and theyB次元官网网址檒l send me a video. ThatB次元官网网址檚 really sweet, to think itB次元官网网址檚 living in that world. Nothing beats that.B次元官网网址�

When Pecknold checks the Spotify metrics for his song, the plays tend to increase with the onset of autumn, building to the outsized Christmas Eve peak then falling off dramatically.

B次元官网网址淗oliday songs tend to lean into a certain kind of musical nostalgia, referencing the acoustic timbral palette of the holiday recorded canon, from Bing Crosby to Eartha Kitt,B次元官网网址� said Nathaniel Sloan, musicologist at the University of Southern California and co-host of the B次元官网网址淪witched on PopB次元官网网址� podcast. B次元官网网址淭he acoustic-folk sound of Fleet Foxes is well-suited to these nostalgic tones.

B次元官网网址淚n addition, the song reaches back to deeper Christmas traditions in its carol-like vocal approach, with its layered melodies that stack upon one another,B次元官网网址� Sloan said.

Then you listen closely to the lyrics:

B次元官网网址淚 was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats with scarves of red tied round their throats to keep their little heads from fallinB次元官网网址� in the snow, and I turned B次元官网网址榬ound and there you go, and Michael you would fall and turn the white snow red as strawberries in the summertime.B次元官网网址�

One theory on the Internet is that B次元官网网址淲hite Winter HymnalB次元官网网址� is about decapitation, with the red scarf a supposed reference to the French Revolution. Michael is being led to the guillotine.

Could that be true? What is the song about anyway?

Pecknold pauses at the question.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 another funny aspect of it,B次元官网网址� he said, B次元官网网址渋s that itB次元官网网址檚 kind of vaguely not about anything.B次元官网网址�

One common theme of songs on Fleet FoxesB次元官网网址� debut was keeping family and friends together as people grew and changed, and that was in his mind as he wrote. While he concedes that the most literal image may be a boy falling down a hill and dying, Pecknold said the song is definitely NOT about decapitation.

B次元官网网址淭he words being vaguely dark was kind of cutting the sweetness of the melody,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hat dissonance was interesting. At this point, IB次元官网网址檓 writing songs with the expectation that IB次元官网网址檒l have to defend them in some way. But at the time, I definitely was not.B次元官网网址�

The ambiguity and potential darkness certainly make it a stark departure, Sloan said. While heartache is a common theme for some holiday standards, most evoke a warm sense of family and good cheer.

He expects B次元官网网址淲hite Winter HymnalB次元官网网址� to have staying power, though.

B次元官网网址淣ot only is it a joy to listen to, itB次元官网网址檚 a joy to perform B次元官网网址� the chord structure is relatively simple and easy to learn, the unique vocal lines lend themselves to group singing and the lyrical repetition makes it easy for anyone to join in and sing along,B次元官网网址� Sloan said.

The song gets more attention each year; Spotify said it was streamed 30% more this September and October than in 2020, almost at previous December levels. The Pentatonix recording provided Pecknold a windfall as a songwriter that he largely plowed back into music. This season itB次元官网网址檚 being used in commercials for the Spanish lottery. The potential for earnings only figures to increase.

He marvels at the randomness of it all.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 the funny thing about this B次元官网网址� spending years making music, writing songs, thinking itB次元官网网址檚 all about hard work and putting the hours in,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭o a large degree it is, but then youB次元官网网址檒l get this random scratch card one day and find the song that ends up, kind of accidentally, being your most well-known.B次元官网网址�

Fleet Foxes just released a new album, B次元官网网址淎 Very Lonely Solstice,B次元官网网址� a live recording that features songs meant to evoke a seasonal feel without being explicitly about the holidays.

B次元官网网址淲hite Winter Hymnal,B次元官网网址� however, is not included.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 a Christmas song at this point,B次元官网网址� Pecknold said with a laugh.

David Bauder, The Associated Press