As the temperatures plummet, BOLD offers a playlist of English and Urdu songs that will warm your spirits in a freezing weather

For most of us, winter is the cruellest season. As a biting chill settles into the air, the days become unnervingly bleak and bleed into each other in a restless blur. A numbing fear creeps into our hearts as many of us battle the temptation to turn into couch potatoes who prefer snuggling under blankets in the comfort of our homes to the assorted thrills of an outdoorsy life. Even so, few possess the luxury of screeching their lives to a grinding halt and hibernating like bears when winter approaches. A vast majority of people are often seen donning their wool pullovers and braving the cold spell. In either case, a gloomy winter’s day has the distinct ability to cripple our resolve and throw us deeper into a vortex of misery.

Familiarity is the sole remedy that can provide much-needed warmth once the temperatures plummet. There’s no better therapy to lift our listless spirits than music. In the spirit of this declaration, BOLD brings you a playlist that both captures the essence of winter and carries the heady warmth of nostalgia.

Chal Diye – Zeb and Haniya

It is difficult to forget Zeb Bangash and Haniya’s timeless track Chal Diye. Years ago, the talented music duo from Kohat garnered praise for their diverse oeuvre. Chal Diye is a subtle offering with lyrics that are laced with the richness of Urdu poetry and a soothing melody that will leave us spellbound. This winter, Chal Diye serves as a compelling reminder that hope isn’t a rare commodity, even when circumstances appear bleak.

Forever Winter – Taylor Swift

It seems somewhat bizarre to include a song such as Taylor Swift’s Forever Winter in a playlist that seeks to inspire optimism amid the doom and gloom of winter. The track is fuelled by an upbeat melody, but is seeded with chilling lyrics that draw attention to the terrors and complexities of battling depression. The purpose of including this song in the playlist is not to draw listeners into an endless spiral of trauma and distress, but to help them find a panacea to their pain. As per a comment left under the song’s video on YouTube, Forever Winter is tantamount to a “handkerchief when you’re crying”. The song offers an opportunity for catharsis in a distressing hour.

Manwa Re – Noori

Can we really forget Noori’s Manwa Re? A vast number of nineties’ kids can vouch for the fact that this song still resonates with them. For many, the mere mention of Manwa Re transports them back to the halcyon days in the 2000s when they’d play this track during long drives and casual get-togethers with friends. Nostalgia is the best antidote in any situation. This winter, listen to Manwa Re with the intention to recapture the glories of an unforgotten past. It wouldn’t hurt to hum along or croon the lyrics. In fact, it might be the stress-buster you’ve needed all along.

Wintertime – Nora Jones

Nora Jones’ unrivalled talent comes alive in this mellow track that reminds us how our aloneness isn’t a condition we must dread. The lyrics are refreshingly simple and, consequently, speak to our hearts and souls. “I’m alone,” Jones sings in an unhurried, melodious voice, “but I feel alright/In the summertime and the fall; In the spring/ when the house is dark/Doesn’t bother me at all”. Winter is all about searching for a range of pleasant distractions to while away the cold months. Jones’ Wintertime will surely provide a pleasing change from a dismal winter.

Aitebaar – Vital Signs

This playlist seeks to inject hope into the hearts of those who find winter to be wearisome. Without Vital Signs’ Aitebaar, this playlist would be incomplete — or, arguably, somewhat impoverished. Nostalgia is the catalyst that brings us nineties’ kids back to this track as it bears the ability to provide consolation in our darkest hours. Even the younger lot might find in its lyrics an elixir to their problems. All they need to do is believe in the healing properties of music.

Winter Wonderland – Ray Charles

Winter is synonymous with Christmas and it is difficult to evade the holiday spirit that spreads like an epidemic every December. Ray Charles’ Winter Wonderland is an ode to the transformative power of Christmas. For those of us who celebrate this holiday, the song is a telling reminder of the unbridled joy that surrounds us. For those of us who don’t celebrate Christmas, Winter Wonderland is a passionate reminder that there’s always bright spot to a dreary day.

Mera Bichra Yaar – Strings

Excluding Strings from a playlist would be equivalent to committing musical sacrilege. Mera Bichra Yaar evokes memories of simpler times when music could transform into a mirror that reflects our deepest passions and insecurities. The focus of these soul-stirring melodies was to pull us out of our misery and ennui, and remind us that music was the friend we’d never lose. With its timeless appeal, Mera Bichra Yaar is bound to have a therapeutic effect on listeners this winter.

Winter Things – Ariana Grande

Fantasy is a key ingredient in Ariana Grande’s Winter Things. More often than not, winter is portrayed in the Western media with a carnivalesque fervour. Snow flakes, Christmas trees and gifts from Santa Claus are deeply embedded in the film-centred fantasies of winter. This song subtly challenges such myopic depictions and reminds us that winter is what we make of it.

Aap ki Yaad – Ahmed Jehanzeb

The memory of loss is the leitmotif of Ahmed Jehanzeb’s popular track Aap ki Yaad. As winter approaches, many of us may find ourselves haunted by an array of memories — good and bad — that may awaken new anxieties. For most of us, listening to the melancholic lyrics of Aap ki Yaad might allow us to embrace our fears and confront them with a new gusto.

Summer Me, Winter Me – Frank Sinatra

A trip down memory lane can do no harm, especially when it comes to music. Even if a song takes us into the distant past, we’re bound to find something that lifts our spirits. Frank Sinatra’s Summer Me, Winter Me is fuelled by the essence of togetherness and serves as welcome proof that the seasons can’t pull us away from those we love. -Ends