Coldest Winter (song)
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"Coldest Winter" is a song by American record producer and vocalist
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
from his fourth studio album, '' 808s & Heartbreak'' (2008). The song was produced by West, with co-production from No I.D. and Jeff Bhasker. The producers served as songwriters alongside
Roland Orzabal Roland Orzabal (born Roland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana; 22 August 1961) is a British musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, and author. He is best known as a co-founder of Tears for Fears, of which he is the main songwriter and joint v ...
, who received a writing credit as a result of music that he wrote being interpolated. In October 2008, the song was previewed via Power 106. An
electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
number, it interpolates
Tears for Fears Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England, in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new wav ...
' "Memories Fade". In the lyrics, Kanye mourns the death of Donda West. "Coldest Winter" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who often commended its composition. Some focused their praise on West's performance, while numerous critics selected the song as an album highlight. It has been ranked among winter-related best songs lists by multiple publications, including ''
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'' and ''
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''. Kanye West performed the song live in 2013 during
The Yeezus Tour The Yeezus Tour was a concert tour by American rapper Kanye West in support of West's sixth solo studio album, '' Yeezus'' (2013). The venture served as West's first solo concert tour in five years. Kendrick Lamar, A Tribe Called Quest, Travis S ...
, frequently accompanying his performances by speaking about Donda's death. An accompanying
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
premiered on February 22, 2010, which is soundtracked by a revamped version. Throughout the video, a bride is chased by Grim Reaper-style characters in a forest. Critics mostly gave the visual positive reviews, some of whom appreciated its dark style.
Pentatonix Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) is an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, currently consisting of vocalists Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements ...
covered the song in October 2016, before releasing a music video for the cover two months later.


Background and recording

Following the death of Kanye's mother Donda West, his mentor No I.D. was contacted by American rapper Malik Yusef, who told him to spend time with the artist. No I.D. initially rejected the decision due to their differing personalities, though later engaged in communication with Kanye West more after persuasion from Malik Yusef. West and No I.D. then travelled to Hawaii to work with rapper
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
on his eleventh studio album ''
The Blueprint 3 ''The Blueprint 3'' is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released September 8, 2009, on Roc Nation, through distribution from Asylum Records and Atlantic Records. It is the third album in the ''Blueprint'' series, preceded by ''T ...
'' (2009), before the first of the three decided on transferring to working on ''808s & Heartbreak'' in the state. The recording took place at Avex Recording Studio in
Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...
, and at Glenwood Studios in
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. West produced "Coldest Winter", while No I.D. and frequent West collaborator Jeff Bhasker served as co-producers. The producers were credited for writing the song, alongside
Roland Orzabal Roland Orzabal (born Roland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana; 22 August 1961) is a British musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, and author. He is best known as a co-founder of Tears for Fears, of which he is the main songwriter and joint v ...
of English
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
band
Tears for Fears Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England, in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new wav ...
, who received credit due to the
interpolation In the mathematical field of numerical analysis, interpolation is a type of estimation, a method of constructing (finding) new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points. In engineering and science, one often has a n ...
of "Memories Fade". On October 16, 2008, West premiered an excerpt of "Coldest Winter" on Power 106 in Los Angeles. No I.D. recalled to '' Complex'' in December 2011 that he sat at home in Atlanta and changed his lifestyle to what he described as "Cocaine 80s"; this is where he derived the group of the same name from. He remembered sitting around and listening to
1980s music __NOTOC__ Year 198 (CXCVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sergius and Gallus (or, less frequently, year 951 ''Ab u ...
, discovering "Memories Fade" from Tears for Fears' 1983 debut album ''
The Hurting ''The Hurting'' is the debut studio album by British new wave band Tears for Fears, released on 7 March 1983. The album peaked at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart in its second week of release, and was certified Gold by the BPI within three weeks o ...
'' and instantly thinking: "That's it. Right here." No I.D. also said that he played "the whole section" to West, who proposed to change one word. However, No I.D. admitted to having "had no idea est wouldkeep it as is", even though he realized the track was something special upon first listen. According to record producer 40, Canadian musician
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"became crazily obsessed" with the melody on "Coldest Winter", which encouraged him to pay attention to the band. This ultimately led to Drake sampling fellow ''The Hurting'' track "Ideas as Opiates" on his third mixtape '' So Far Gone'', released in 2009. Speaking to the ''
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'' in December 2017,
Curt Smith Curt Smith (born 24 June 1961) is a British singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and co-founding member of the pop rock band Tears for Fears along with childhood friend Roland Orzabal. Smith plays bass guitar, has co-written several ...
of Tears for Fears saw it as "incredibly cool" and "very interesting" that West utilized work from the album despite him being of a "completely different genre" to the band. Kanye West's interest in music had been encouraged by Donda since he was young; the artist said she "always kept me around music" and "was also my first manager". West had often paid tribute to her in his tracks prior to "Coldest Winter", especially on " Hey Mama" (2005). The song was recorded during the three week period that West worked on the entirety of the album in 2008.


Composition and lyrics

Musically, "Coldest Winter" is a minimalist
electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
number. The production of the song is constructed around "Memories Fade" by Tears for Fears, written by Orzabal, while West delivers an interpolation of its vocal hook on the
chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...
. The song features tribal drums, which were created using the
Roland TR-909 The Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer is a drum machine introduced by Roland Corporation in 1983, succeeding the TR-808. It was the first Roland drum machine to use samples for some sounds, and the first with MIDI functionality, allowing it to sy ...
drum machine and appear on the chorus. It contains descending
synths A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...
, mostly accompanying the verses.
Keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...
are also included, contributed by Bhasker, while West utilizes
Auto-Tune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...
to sing throughout. Lyrically, "Coldest Winter" serves as Kanye West's tribute to Donda after he became depressed following her death. A call and response is featured when West sings certain lines, such as "On lonely nights, I start to fade / Her love's a thousand miles away". West also reminisces on memories that he made in "the coldest winter". On the chorus, he repeats the couplet "Goodbye my friend / Will I ever love again?" thrice. To close out the song, West sings the couplet with the alteration of the last line to "I won't ever love again".


Release and reception

On November 24, 2008, "Coldest Winter" was released as the eleventh track on West's fourth studio album ''808s & Heartbreak''. The song was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, mostly being praised for its composition. The staff of ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' pointed to the song as one of the album's tracks to download, alongside comparing its "frosty synths" to raw Detroit techno. Scott Plagenhoef of '' Pitchfork'' chose the song as one of the album's highlights, focusing particularly on the "909 and descending synth".
Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...
from the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' detailed that on ''808s & Heartbreak'', West discovers "a hole in his life that keeps getting larger" until he reaches "Coldest Winter", which he dubbed as "a eulogy for his mother". Kot further remarked that West's voice "floats over tribal drums", describing the instrument as channeling "passion into a song that sounds like it's slowly bleeding to death". At ''
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'',
Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, Caramanica received his ba ...
offered that the "thunderous drums cut
ing Ing, ING or ing may refer to: Art and media * '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film * i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group * The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes'' * "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 1992 ...
through an electro haze" on the song are suggestive of West's "old, oversize sound". Andy Kellman from
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
noticed West "longs for his departed mother" on the song, while praising its usage of "the most desolate song" from ''Hurting''. Writing for the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'',
Jim DeRogatis James Peter DeRogatis (born September 2, 1964) is an American music critic and co-host of ''Sound Opinions''. DeRogatis has written articles for magazines such as ''Rolling Stone'', '' Spin'', ''Guitar World'' and ''Modern Drummer'', and for 15 ...
favored West's level of eloquentness on the song to that of fellow album track "Pinocchio Story", specifically acclaiming his lyrical content, as well as noting it as an instance of where West's Auto-Tune usage is "touching and very effective" on the album. Cara Nash from ''No Ripcord'' saw the song as "an ode to est'smother" that would work perfectly as the record's closing track. ''RapReviews'' author Jesal 'Jay Soul' Padania felt the song is the only one on ''808s & Heartbreak'' that seems real due to delving into "the death of est'smother", and his involvement in the death. In a review of the album at ''
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'', Steve Jones recommended the song as one of the tracks to download, a selection shared by ''
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''s Alfred H. Leonard, III. Dave Heaton of ''
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'' held a moderately positive opinion, affirming that the song's "machine-gun blast of electric fuzz and funky drums" redeem it from possibly resembling a
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
by Seal. ''
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'' journalist
Charles Aaron Charles Aaron is an American music journalist and editor, formerly for '' Spin'' magazine, where he worked for 23 years. Personal Charles Aaron was born in Rockingham, North Carolina, and raised in Asheboro, North Carolina and Rome, Georgia. He ...
estimated the track nears success "as a haunting refrain, with its bursts of static and chilly '80s synths", though fails to function as a song. In a somewhat negative review for ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'', Tom Breihan stated the song comes across as "designed to humanize all the bile" that it succeeds on the album, though criticized how the result is generally West "sound nglike he's falling apart". Breihan continued, calling the usage of Tears for Fears' material "sighing" and complaining about how "unsettling" it is to hear West utilizing breakup language.


Accolades

"Coldest Winter" was listed by ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' as the seventh greatest song about snow in 2018, with Jordan Bassett commenting that West's question of "''Will I ever love again?''" ends up having "a happy ending" due to him bonding with his then-wife Kim Kardashian's
family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
. The track was placed at the same position by the '' East Bay Times'' on their 2019 list of the top 25 songs for the winter season; Jim Harrington of the newspaper saw it as demonstrating West "at his heartbreaking best". On a 2021 list of the best snow songs during the winter weather, ''
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'' ranked the song at number nine, and the magazine's Andrew Frisicano asserted that it "is a tragic, haunting thumper". ''
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'' writer Anna Moeslein selected the track as one of her favorite songs about winter in 2014, while Ed Masley from ''
The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. Copies are sold at $2 daily or at $3 ...
'' named it as among the classic songs about the season the following year. In April 2020, '' GQ'' editor-in-chief Will Welch picked the song as one of the 50 greatest hits to listen to in
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during the
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.


Music video


Background

A
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
for "Coldest Winter" was debuted via
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
on February 22, 2010, and shared by American director Nabil Elderkin to his
Vimeo Vimeo, Inc. () is an American video hosting, sharing, and services platform provider headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices. Vimeo's business model is through software as ...
page the next day. This release marked West's return to the public eye after his outburst at the
2009 MTV Video Music Awards The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year between June 2008 to June 2009, were presented on September 13, 2009, at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and televised by MTV. The ceremony was ho ...
, which came 15 months after ''808s & Heartbreak'' had been released. The visual was directed by Elderkin, who had previously worked with West on multiple occasions, including directing the videos for fellow album tracks "
Welcome to Heartbreak "Welcome to Heartbreak" is a song by American record producer and vocalist Kanye West from his fourth studio album, ''808s & Heartbreak'' (2008). The song features a guest appearance from Kid Cudi on his debut collaboration with West, as well a ...
" and "
Paranoid Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concer ...
". On the day of the former's release, Elderkin informed
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
that the video differed from any previous collaborations, confirming it is "pretty minimalistic", and "slow and very visual". He opened up about "want ngto catch the vibe of the song" without being too literal, deciding on this due to the lyrics' heavy closeness to West and how they "go much deeper than the video" through their emotion. The video treatment was written by Elderkin, who called it "a boundary-pushing effort" compared to his past work with West. He further affirmed the two tried a new style for the visual medium that challenged him more especially, as West missed the editing process and only saw the final version. Elderkin also admitted in another MTV interview that West not appearing in the video was funnily his own decision, nor did he want to put him in. The director confirmed West lacked interest in being in the visual for "Paranoid" too and had more appearances until parts were removed, further saying West was fine at the time "with putting out visuals that fit the song" no matter if he is present. Concluding, Elderkin stated that "he's in that place in his life where right now he just wants to make art", and insisted the music video is intentionally open for interpretation. The visual features a slightly revamped version of "Coldest Winter", similarly to how a new mix of "Paranoid" was used for its music video. Elderkin defined the version as "more of a haunting one" due to being a remix of sorts, assuming that nobody has heard it before. The director recalled how West "did some really amazing sound work" to the version, revealing he was more involved in its production than that of the original. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
''s Daniel Kreps said the mix is "gloomier and more foreboding" than the original, while ''
Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
'' writer Gabe Delahaye asserted that it shows " tal beat wraith" from West, who adopts an attitude of "one beat to rule them all!"


Synopsis

A purple color palette is used for the music video, which begins with shots of a bride dressed in white and Grim Reaper-style characters interspersed by ones of a dark, winter forest. Various shots in the video depict her running through the forest, being pursued by the characters. The same actions are shown in slow motion as the video progresses, with the woman also looking in varying directions at points. She later falls over but quickly stands back up and looks around herself, before running from the Grim Reapers again. The bride continues to run away until she leaps off a cliff, being absorbed by dark forces.


Reception

The music video was met with mostly positive reception from critics. The staff of ''
Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...
'' branded West's absence as "haunting", elaborating that the video is "equally chilling" to the gloomy song. Ryan Dombal from ''Pitchfork'' called the visual "equally bleak" to "Coldest Winter", which he saw as the "starkest track" from ''808s & Heartbreak''. Furthermore, he compared certain visual features to TV series '' Baywatch'' and
Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ...
's film '' Sleepy Hollow'' (1999). Reviewing for '' Idolator'', Becky Bain branded the video "awesomely cool". She felt the depiction of West's "own mug" being replaced with "a cleavage-baring,
Leona Lewis Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and activist. Born and raised in the London Borough of Islington, she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieved nationa ...
look-a-like in the spooky, surreal vid" was a smart strategy from him. Expressing a more critical sentiment, ''
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''s Simon Vozick-Levinson found the music video to be slightly "underwhelming"; he showed a preference for West to release new music instead.


Live performances and other usage

West opened his appearance at Cirprian Wall Street in New York City for G-Shock's Shock the World 2009 campaign with a performance of "Coldest Winter", wearing a black face mask for the performance. For Kanye's kickoff show of
The Yeezus Tour The Yeezus Tour was a concert tour by American rapper Kanye West in support of West's sixth solo studio album, '' Yeezus'' (2013). The venture served as West's first solo concert tour in five years. Kendrick Lamar, A Tribe Called Quest, Travis S ...
at
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
's KeyArena on October 20, 2013, he performed "Coldest Winter" as his 11th track. Kanye transitioned into performing from sharing a story about the moment he had got off a plane and discovered Donda had died: "They told me that my mother was no longer here and I could never speak to her again." During the performance, his triangular center stage elevated and fake snow fell down. On October 26, 2013, Kanye sang the song in Auto-Tune as part of a concert at
Staples Center Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999; it was ...
in Los Angeles on the tour, with him lying on the edge of a fake silver mountain cliff at the stage's edge. As he performed and outstretched his arm over the cliff, the fake sky went dark and mock snow came down. Kanye also stated that he wrote the song for Donda. He performed the song as the 12th number of his concert at
Barclays Center Barclays Center is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, indoor arena in the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New York Liberty o ...
in
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for the tour on November 20, 2013, while lying atop the peak of a mountain and watching
lake-effect snow Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when a cold air mass moves across long expanses of warmer lake water. The lower layer of air, heated up by the lake water, picks up water vapor from the lake and rises up through ...
fall down that was made out of bubbles. At the same time, a Yeti with glowing red eyes lurked around the mountain and Kanye was surrounded by bright lights. Kanye accompanied the performance by explaining to the crowd that he wrote the song after Donda died. The artist delivered a performance of the song for The Yeezus Tour's stop at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
on November 24, 2013, during which he told the story of how he wrote the song after Donda's death. For Kanye's two night concert of ''808s & Heartbreak'' in full at the 2015
Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...
in September, he performed the song as the set's 11th track. He rocked loose garments in white and off-white shades while performing, being backed by a small band and a medium-sized orchestra. At the start of the performance, numerous women dressed in ivory sheaths and
hijab In modern usage, hijab ( ar, حجاب, translit=ḥijāb, ) generally refers to headcoverings worn by Muslim women. Many Muslims believe it is obligatory for every female Muslim who has reached the age of puberty to wear a head covering. While ...
s wheeled out a slab depicting a woman in repose to conduct her funeral. Fake snow fell from above the audience that quickly melted in the local heat, simultaneously with Kanye sitting on a large staircase and heavily memorializing Donda. Once the performance reached its closing violins, Kanye West exited the stage. "Coldest Winter" was covered by
a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
group
Pentatonix Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) is an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, currently consisting of vocalists Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements ...
for their fifth studio album ''
A Pentatonix Christmas ''A Pentatonix Christmas'' is the fifth studio album by American a cappella group Pentatonix. It is also their second full-length holiday album since ''That's Christmas to Me'' in 2014. Featuring two new original songs, "Good to Be Bad" and "The C ...
'' in October 2016, with them using their voices as instruments and delivering harmonies. Two months later, the group released an accompanying music video that sees a
snowman A snowman is an anthropomorphic snow sculpture of a man often built in regions with sufficient snowfall and is a common winter tradition. In many places, typical snowmen consist of three large snowballs of different sizes with some additional ...
taking a journey through love in the holidays.


Credits and personnel

Information taken from ''808s & Heartbreak'' liner notes. Recording * Recorded at Glenwood Studios (
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...
) and Avex Recording Studio (
Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...
) Personnel *
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
songwriter, producer * No I.D. songwriter, co-producer *
Roland Orzabal Roland Orzabal (born Roland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana; 22 August 1961) is a British musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, and author. He is best known as a co-founder of Tears for Fears, of which he is the main songwriter and joint v ...
songwriter * Jeff Bhasker co-producer, keyboards * Andrew Dawson recorder *
Anthony Kilhoffer Anthony Kilhoffer is an American hip hop record producer, songwriter and engineer, best known for his collaborations with Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Keyshia Cole and John Legend. Select discography Albums 2020s *'' Free The Beast(album)'' - B-Free 201 ...
recorder * Chad Carlisle assistant recorder * Isha Erskine assistant recorder * Gaylord Holomalia assistant recorder * Christian Mochizuki assistant recorder *
Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work. Life and career M ...
mix engineer * Christian Plata assistant engineer * Erik Madrid assistant engineer


References

{{authority control 2008 songs Electropop songs Kanye West songs Music videos directed by Nabil Elderkin Song recordings produced by Jeff Bhasker Song recordings produced by Kanye West Song recordings produced by No I.D. Songs written by Kanye West Songs written by No I.D. Songs written by Roland Orzabal Commemoration songs