Winter (The Rolling Stones song)

"Winter" is a song by English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones featured on their 1973 album Goats Head Soup.

It bears many similarities to "Moonlight Mile" from their 1971 album Sticky Fingers. Credited to singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, "Winter" is likely the work of Jagger and the Stones' lead guitarist at the time, Mick Taylor. It was the first song recorded for the album and does not feature Richards at all. On the song, Bill Janovitz says in his review, "Here they were in sunny Jamaica, and the Stones were writing and recording an entirely convincing and evocative picture of a Northern Hemisphere winter. Perhaps they were so happy to be escaping the season they felt that starting the sessions with "Winter" could transition them out of the old and into the new climate. Though it bemoans many of the negatives of the season [in the] lyrics... "Winter" seems to simultaneously celebrate the season as something inherently beautiful, with other evocations of holiday scenes and wanting to wrap a coat and keep a lover warm."

Recording began at Kingston's Dynamic Sound Studios in November and continued into December 1972. Jagger opens the song with the rhythm guitar piece and is accompanied by Taylor's "country-like licks" on lead. Taylor also plays slide guitar. Nicky Hopkins performs the song's accompanying piano while Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts perform bass and drums, respectively. The songs strings were arranged by Nicky Harrison.

Despite his considerable contribution to the song, Taylor never received official credit from Jagger or Richards.

This song was featured in the series finale of the CBS drama Cold Case. In 2004 British actor Bill Nighy picked Winter as his favourite track on the BBC's radio show Desert Island Discs.