Winter (/ˈwɪntər/ WIN-tər) is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.

Meteorology[link]

Animation of snow cover changing with the seasons.

Some authorities attempt to define an astronomical winter, often offset, which is based solely on the position of the Earth in its orbit around the sun. The start of an astronomical winter remains constant in each hemisphere regardless of weather conditions, but varies with culture.

Meteorological winter is the method of measuring the winter season used by meteorologists based on "sensible weather patterns" for record keeping purposes,^[1] so the start of meteorological winter can change depending on how far north one lives.^[2] Winter is often defined by meteorologists to be the three calendar months with the lowest average temperatures. This corresponds to the months of December, January and February in the Northern Hemisphere, and June, July and August in the Southern Hemisphere. The coldest average temperatures of the season are typically experienced in January in the Northern hemisphere and in June or July in the Southern hemisphere. Nighttime predominates the winter season, and in some regions it has the highest rate of precipitation as well as prolonged dampness because of permanent snow cover or high precipitation rates coupled with low temperatures, precluding evaporation. Blizzards often develop and cause many transportation delays. A rare meteorological phenomenon encountered during winter is ice fog, which comprises ice crystals suspended in the air; it occurs only at very low temperatures, below −30 °C (−22 °F).^[3]

Accumulations of snow and ice are commonly associated with winter in the Northern Hemisphere, due to the large land masses there. In the Southern Hemisphere, the more maritime climate and the relative lack of land south of 40°S makes the winters milder; thus, snow and ice are less common in inhabited regions of the Southern Hemisphere. In this region, snow occurs every year in elevated regions such as the Andes, the Great Dividing Range in Australia, and the mountains of New Zealand, and also occurs in the southerly Patagonia region of South America. Snow occurs year-round in Antarctica.

Period[link]

Rare winter snowfall in Jerusalem, 31 January 2008.

Winter in La Carlota, Córdoba, Argentina 9 July 2007

Winter in Carraroe, Galway, Ireland, on 25 December 2010.

In the mid-latitudes and arctic, winter is associated with snow and ice.

Port of Hamburg, Germany, on 6 January 2010.

Heavy snowfall during the night in Pant Glas, Gwynedd on 20 February 2010.

A morning after a cold night in the US.

Astronomically, the winter solstice, being the day of the year which has fewest hours of daylight, ought to be the middle of the season,^[4][5] but seasonal lag means that the coldest period normally follows the solstice by a few weeks. In the USA (and sometimes in Britain) the season is regarded as beginning at the solstice and ending on the following equinox^[6][7] – in the Northern Hemisphere, depending on the year, this corresponds to the period between 21 or 22 December and 20 or 21 March. In the UK, meteorologists consider winter to be the three coldest months of December, January and February.^[8] In Scandinavia, winter traditionally begins on 14 October and ends on the last day of February.^[9] In many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, including Australia,^[10][11] New Zealand and South Africa, winter begins on 1 June and ends on 31 August. In Celtic nations such as Ireland (using the Irish calendar) and in Scandinavia, the winter solstice is traditionally considered as midwinter, with the winter season beginning 1 November, on All Hallows, or Samhain. Winter ends and spring begins on Imbolc, or Candlemas, which is 1 or 2 February . This system of seasons is based on the length of days exclusively. (The three-month period of the shortest days and weakest solar radiation occurs during November, December, and January in the Northern Hemisphere and May through July in the Southern Hemisphere.)

Also, many^{[citation needed]} mainland European countries tend to recognize Martinmas or St. Martin's Day (11 November), as the first calendar day of winter. The day falls at midpoint between the old Julian equinox and solstice dates. Also, Valentine's Day (14 February) is recognized by some countries as heralding the first rites of spring, such as flowers blooming.

In Chinese astronomy and other East Asian calendars, winter is taken to commence on or around 7 November, with the Jiéqì (known as 立冬 lì dōng—literally, "establishment of winter").

The three-month period associated with the coldest average temperatures typically begins somewhere in late November or early December in the Northern Hemisphere and lasts through late February or early March. This "thermological winter" is earlier than the solstice delimited definition, but later than the daylight (Celtic) definition. Depending on seasonal lag, this period will vary between climatic regions.

Cultural influences such as Christmas creep may have led to the winter season being perceived as beginning earlier in recent years, although high latitude countries like Canada are usually well into their real winters before the December solstice.

Causes[link]

The tilt of the Earth's axis relative to its orbital plane plays a big role in the weather. The Earth is tilted at an angle of 23.44° to the plane of its orbit, and this causes different latitudes on the Earth to directly face the Sun as the Earth moves through its orbit. It is this variation that primarily brings about the seasons. When it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere faces the Sun more directly and thus experiences warmer temperatures than the Northern Hemisphere. Conversely, winter in the Southern Hemisphere occurs when the Northern hemisphere is tilted more toward the Sun. From the perspective of an observer on the Earth, the winter Sun has a lower maximum altitude in the sky than the summer Sun.

During winter in either hemisphere, the lower altitude of the Sun in winter causes the sunlight to hit that hemisphere at an oblique angle. In regions experiencing winter, the same amount of solar radiation is spread out over a larger area. This effect is compounded by the larger distance that the light must travel through the atmosphere, allowing the atmosphere to dissipate more heat. Compared with these effects, the changes in the distance of the earth from the sun are negligible.

Exceptionally cold winters[link]

River Thames frost fair, 1683

• 1683–1684, "The Great Frost", when the Thames, hosting one of many River Thames frost fairs, was frozen all the way up to the London Bridge and remained frozen for about two months. Ice was about 27 cm (11 in) thick in London and about 120 cm (47 in) thick in Somerset. The sea froze up to 2 miles (3.2 km) out around the coast of the southern North Sea, causing severe problems for shipping and preventing use of many harbors.
• 1739–1740, one of the most severe winters in the UK on record. The Thames remained frozen-over for about 8 weeks. The Irish famine of 1740–1741 claimed the lives of at least 300,000 people.^[12]
• 1816 was the Year Without a Summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The unusual coolness of the winter of 1815–1816 and of the following summer was primarily due to the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia, in April 1815. There were secondary effects from an unknown eruption or eruptions around 1810, and several smaller eruptions around the world between 1812 and 1814. The cumulative effects were worldwide, but were especially strong in the Eastern USA, Atlantic Canada, and Northern Europe. Frost formed in May in New England, killing many newly-planted crops, and the summer never recovered. Snow fell in New York and Maine in June, and ice formed in lakes and rivers in July and August. In the UK, snow drifts remained on hills until late July, and the Thames froze in September. Agricultural crops failed and livestock died in much of the Northern Hemisphere, resulting in food shortages and the worst famine of the 19th century.
• 1887–1888, there were record cold temperatures in the Upper Midwest, heavy snowfalls worldwide, and amazing storms, including the Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888 (in the Midwest in January), and the Great Blizzard of 1888 (in the Eastern US and Canada in March).
• In Europe, the winters of early 1947,^[13] February 1956, 1962–1963, 1981–1982 and 2009–2010 were abnormally cold. The UK winter of 1946–1947 started out relatively normal, but became one of the snowiest UK winters to date, with nearly continuous snowfall from late January until March.

Other historically significant winters[link]

A frozen lake in the winter of 2010.

• 1310–1330, many severe winters and cold, wet summers in Europe – the first clear manifestation of the unpredictable weather of the Little Ice Age that lasted for several centuries (from about 1300 to 1900). The persistently cold, wet weather caused great hardship, was primarily responsible for the Great Famine of 1315–1317, and strongly contributed to the weakened immunity and malnutrition leading up to the Black Death (1348–1350).
• 1600–1602, extremely cold winters in Switzerland and Baltic region after eruption of Huaynaputina in Peru in 1600.
• 1607–1608, in North America, ice persisted on Lake Superior until June. Londoners held their first frost fair on the frozen-over River Thames.
• 1622, in Turkey, the Golden Horn and southern section of Bosphorus froze over.
• 1690s, extremely cold, snowy, severe winters. Ice surrounded Iceland for miles in every direction.
• 1779–1780, Scotland's coldest winter on record, and ice surrounded Iceland in every direction (like in the 1690s). In the USA, a record five-week cold spell bottomed out at −20 °F (−29 °C) at Hartford, Connecticut, and −16 °F (−27 °C) in New York City. Hudson River and New York's harbor froze over.
• 1783–1786, the Thames partially froze, and snow remained on the ground for months. In February 1784, the North Carolina was frozen in Chesapeake Bay.
• 1794–1795, severe winter, with the coldest January in the UK and lowest temperature ever recorded in London: −21 °C (−6 °F) on 25 January. The cold began on Christmas Eve and lasted until late March, with a few temporary warm-ups. The Severn and Thames froze, and frost fairs started up again. The French army tried to invade the Netherlands over its frozen rivers, while the Dutch fleet was stuck in its harbor. The winter had Easterlies (from Siberia) as its dominant feature.
• 1813–1814, severe cold, last freeze-over of Thames, and last frost fair. (Removal of old London Bridge and changes to river's banks made freeze-overs less likely.)
• 1883–1888, colder temperatures worldwide, including an unbroken string of abnormally cold and brutal winters in the Upper Midwest, related to the explosion of Krakatoa in August 1883. There was snow recorded in the UK as early as October and as late as July during this time period.
• 1976–1977, one of the coldest winters in the US in decades.
• 1985, Arctic outbreak in US resulting from shift in polar vortex, with many cold temperature records broken.
• 2002-2003 was an unusually cold winter in the Northern and Eastern USA.
• 2010–2011, persistent bitter cold in the entire eastern half of the USA from December onward, with few or no mid-winter warm-ups, and with cool conditions continuing into spring. La Niña and negative Arctic oscillation were strong factors. Heavy and persistent precipitation contributed to almost constant snow cover in the Northeastern US which finally receded in early May.
• 2011-2012, one of the warmest winters. Christmas Day 2011 was the warmest Xmas on record^[where?].

Ecology[link]

The snowshoe hare is one animal that changes color in winter.

To survive the harshness of winter, many animals have developed different behavioral and morphological adaptations for overwintering:

• Migration is a common effect of winter upon animals, notably birds. However, the majority of birds do not migrate—the cardinal and European Robin, for example. Some butterflies also migrate seasonally.
• Hibernation is a state of reduced metabolic activity during the winter. Some animals "sleep" during winter and only come out when the warm weather returns; e.g., gophers, frogs, snakes, and bats.
• Some animals store food for the winter and live on it instead of hibernating completely. This is the case for squirrels, beavers, skunks, badgers, and raccoons.
• Resistance is observed when an animal endures winter but changes in ways such as color and musculature. The color of the fur or plumage changes to white (in order to be confused with snow) and thus retains its cryptic coloration year-round. Examples are the Rock Ptarmigan, arctic fox, weasel, white-tailed jackrabbit, and mountain hare.
• Some fur-coated mammals grow a heavier coat during the winter; this improves the heat-retention qualities of the fur. The coat is then shed following the winter season to allow better cooling. The heavier coat in winter made it a favorite season for trappers, who sought more profitable skins.
• Snow also affects the ways animals behave; many take advantage of the insulating properties of snow by burrowing in it. Mice and voles typically live under the snow layer.

Some annual plants never survive the winter. Other annual plants require winter cold to complete their life cycle, this is known as vernalization. As for perennials, many small ones profit from the insulating effects of snow by being buried in it. Larger plants, particularly deciduous trees, usually let their upper part go dormant, but their roots are still protected by the snow layer. Few plants bloom in the winter, one exception being the flowering plum, which flowers in time for Chinese New Year. The process by which plants become acclimated to cold weather is called hardening.

Mankind and winter[link]

Humans evolved in tropical climates, and met cold weather as they migrated into Eurasia, although earlier populations certainly encountered Southern Hemisphere winters in Southern Africa. Micro-evolution in Caucasian, Asiatic and Inuit people show some adaptation to the climate.

Winter and human health[link]

Humans are sensitive to cold, see hypothermia. Snowblindness, norovirus, seasonal depression, slipping on black ice and falling icicles are other health concerns associated with cold and snowy weather.

Winter and transportation[link]

A train at a snowy North Wingfield, UK, on 1 December 2010.

Leeds Bradford Airport, December 2009.

Snow can block railway lines, close airports (airplanes are often unable to move in dense fog) and block roads. Black ice is also a major threat on the roads at this time. Snow ploughs, road salt, grit, sand, hand tools (like shovels, brooms, etc.) and rock salt to help combat it.

Festivals[link]

Chinese New Year[link]

The Chinese Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is often called the Lunar New Year, especially by people in mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival. Chinese New Year's Eve is known as Chúxī. It literally means "Year-pass Eve". The usual starting date is the second new moon after the winter solstice, i.e. between mid-January and mid-February in the Gregorian calendar.

Christmas and New Year's Eve[link]

Christmas Day (25 December) and New Year's Eve (31 December) are major celebrations in Western culture.

Poush Mela[link]

Poush is the first winter month in the Bengali calendar. Poush Mela (meaning the fair of Poush) is a fair that takes place over three days around the third week in December in different places of Bengal.

Activities[link]

Snow activities[link]

Bandy, an early form of ice hockey.

Many winter activities involve the use of snow in some form (which sometimes is man-made, using snow cannons):

• Bobsledding – a winter sport in which teams make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, purpose-built ice-covered tracks in a steerable sled.
• Skiing – the activity of gliding over snow using fiberglass planks called skis that are strapped to the skiers' feet with ski bindings.
• Sledding – a gravity-powered activity using a sled to glide downhill.
• Snow castle building – for example, constructions such as the SnowCastle of Kemi, the largest in the world.
• Snowball fight – a physical game in which snowballs are thrown with the intention of hitting someone else.
• Snowboarding – an increasingly common sport in which participants strap a composite board to their feet and slide down a snow-covered mountain.
• Snowman building – creating a manlike model out of snow.
• Snowmobiling – driving snowmobiles in snow, across frozen lakes, on public trails, or around mountains.
• Snowshoeing – a means of travel on top of the snow by increasing the surface area of the feet by wearing snowshoes.
• Winter camping – cooking, eating and sleeping outside in the snow during the winter. Those who winter camp build a shelter from evergreen tree boughs, dig a snow cave, create a quinzhee or sleep in a tent for shelter overnight.^[14]

Snowmobiling to Martin Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada for a winter picnic in February.

Ice activities[link]

Winter Skating on the Rideau Canal by Canadian Artist

Many other winter activities and sports focus on ice, which may be contained in an ice rink.

• Curling – a team sport using brooms and stones. The object of the game is to slide your stones in a bullseye and get your opponent's stones out of it.
• Ice biking – the continuation of regular cycling activities in the winter and cold weather.
• Ice boating – a means of travel in a specialized boat similar in appearance to a sailboat but fitted with skis or runners (skates) and designed to run over ice instead of (liquid) water.
• Ice climbing – the recreational activity of climbing ice formations such as icefalls and frozen waterfalls.
• Ice diving – a type of penetration diving where the dive takes place under ice.
• Ice fishing – the sport of catching fish with lines and hooks through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water.
• Ice hockey – a team sport played on the ice with skates, sticks, and a puck. The goal is to send the puck into the opposing team's net.
• Ice racing – automobile racing on ice surfaces.
• Ice sculpture – elaborate sculptures are carved out of blocks of ice.
• Ice skating – a means of travelling on ice with skates, narrow (and sometimes parabolic) bladelike devices molded into special boots.

Use in art[link]

Winter by Hendrick Avercamp, early 17th century.

Many artists like the Dutch artist Hendrick Avercamp painted pictures of winter life over the centuries. See: Media related to Winter in art at Wikimedia Commons

Symbolism[link]

Some use winter to suggest death, as in Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening". Some use it to suggest the absence of hope, as in C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, where it was always winter but never Christmas. Winter is one concerto in Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, and there are many examples of four paintings all showing the same scene in different seasons. Ursula K. LeGuin's novel The Left Hand of Darkness is set on a planet named Winter. In Alex Raymond's comic strip Flash Gordon, there is a land called Frigia, where it is always winter. The land of Frigia is also featured in the serial Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe. Other uses of winter in the graphic arts occur in Winsor McCay's Little Nemo in Slumberland. There are many films in which a winter setting plays an important role, Fargo being an example. Novels such as Ethan Frome also use a winter setting to mirror the bleak, frozen feelings that the characters harbor. The film Requiem for a Dream concludes with "Act III: Winter," in which the movie reaches its chilling climax. The final vignette in James Joyce's Dubliners, "The Dead", employs a winter motif in conjunction with themes of regret and isolation.

Mythology[link]

In various cultures[link]

In Persian culture the night starting winter is called Yalda (meaning: birth) and it has been celebrated for thousands of years. It is referred to as the eve of the birth of Mithra, the Sun God, who symbolised light, goodness and strength on earth. By the whiteness of Winter, the Sun (the white) rises again to fade away the darkness of the long night (Yalda). It is also believed that the last day of Winter (the white), which is the first day of Spring (also known as Nowrouz), is the day that all the "Good"s will over come all the "Bad"s for ever.

In Greek mythology, Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his wife. Zeus ordered Hades to return her to Demeter, the goddess of the Earth and her mother. However, Hades tricked Persephone into eating the food of the dead, so Zeus decreed that Persephone would spend six months with Demeter and six months with Hades. During the time her daughter is with Hades, Demeter became depressed and caused winter.

In Welsh mythology, Gwyn ap Nudd abducted a maiden named Creiddylad. On May Day, her lover, Gwythr ap Greidawl, fought Gwyn to win her back. The battle between them represented the contest between summer and winter.

Personifications[link]

Old Man Winter is also known as Father Winter,

• Jack Frost,
• Ded Moroz,
• Snegurochka,
• Vetr,
• Sinterklaas etc.

In Bangla the advent of winter is often expressed by the sentence-"Sheeter buri ashchhe dheye" which means "the winter old woman is coming fast" (Sheeter buri means the old woman winter). This is used especially when it is said to a child. Thus winter is personified in Bangla.

See also[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Rosenthal, Norman E. (1998). Winter Blues. New York: The Guilford Press. ISBN 1-57230-395-6

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Winter

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Winter

• Winter of animals and plants in Finland by the Northern Nature Project
• Native American seasons myths from the Zion Natural History Association
• Winter in Persia photos

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lez:Кьуьд

Joshua Radin
Press photo of Joshua Radin for his 2010 album, "The Rock and The Tide."
Background information
Born	(1974-06-14) June 14, 1974 (age 38)
Origin	Cleveland, Ohio
Genres	Acoustic, folk
Occupations	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Acoustic guitar, Electric Guitar
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Mom & Pop Records
Website	JoshuaRadin.com

Joshua Radin (born June 14, 1974) is an American recording artist, songwriter and actor.

Beginnings[link]

He was born and raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio, to a Jewish family of Polish, German, Austrian, and Russian background.^[1][2] He studied drawing and painting at Northwestern University, following his college years with stints as an art teacher, screenwriter, and art gallery employee.

Radin turned to music when he moved to New York City, bought a guitar, and taught himself to play and write music.^[3]

In 2004, American actor Zach Braff introduced Radin's first composition, "Winter" to Scrubs' show creator, Bill Lawrence, who ultimately used several of Radin's songs within various scenes of the hit television series.^[4][5]

Musical career[link]

According to Radin his musical career started in 2004, and he had learned to play the guitar only two years before that. His first song, "Winter", appeared on his debut album "We Were Here".^[6] Since that time, Radin has been touring the United States, as well as much of the United Kingdom and Europe. Over the course of his career, Radin has shared stages with artists such as Sheryl Crow, Tori Amos, Imogen Heap, Meiko, Missy Higgins, Maria Taylor, Gary Jules, Amber Rubarth, Schuyler Fisk, The Script and many more. In addition to his American following, Radin has enjoyed success with his 2008 release, "Simple Times" in the United Kingdom. His song "I'd Rather Be With You" reached #2 on the UK Charts and number two on the US Top Digital Chart.^[7][8]

[edit] We Were Here (2006)

Radin has said that much of the album was inspired by a bad break-up.^[10] It was released exclusively to iTunes for a month, before attracting attention from major labels.^[11] Released on Columbia Records in May 2006,^[11] We Were Here presented the first batch of songs Radin ever wrote. The album drew critical acclaim and received a four-star review from Rolling Stone, who praised it for Radin's "whispery, silver-bell voice" and its themes, calling them "poignant and refreshingly frank." The record hit number one on the iTunes Folk Album Chart and included a number of well known musicians, including Ryan Adams who played guitar on the song "Lovely Tonight".^[12]Zach Braff hand-picked one of the tracks to be featured on the soundtrack for The Last Kiss.^[10][13]

[edit] Simple Times (2008)

Radin's second album, "Simple Times" went straight to #1 on the iTunes overall chart upon its release. Radin enlisted highly regarded producer Rob Schnapf (Elliott Smith, Beck). The two spent seven weeks recording at L.A.'s legendary Sunset Sound Studio working with a cast of musicians that included guitarist Greg Leisz, bassist Johnny Flaugher, keyboardist Jason Borger, drummer Victor Indrizzo and percussionist Lenny Castro. Among the album's many highlights are "You Got Growin' Up To Do," featuring guest vocalist Patty Griffin, lead single "I'd Rather Be With You" and "Brand New Day." ^[14] Tracks from the album were featured on TV shows such as "Bones," "Scrubs," "House," "Grey's Anatomy," "One Tree Hill," "Life Unexpected," "90210," "Brothers and Sisters" and "American Idol," among others.^[6] Radin's "Simple Times" was released on Mom and Pop Records.^[15]

[edit] The Rock and The Tide (2010)

Radin's third studio album, The Rock and The Tide was released on October 12, 2010 on Mom and Pop Records, his second release with the label. The album reached number five on the iTunes albums chart upon its release. "The Rock and The Tide" was produced by Martin Terefe (Cat Stevens, Ron Sexmith).^[16][17]

Television and Movies[link]

Radin's songs were used on television series such as Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, American Idol, One Tree Hill, among others.^[18]

Radin also played his song "Today" along with five other songs for Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi at their August 16, 2008 wedding.^{[6] [19][20]}

He has amassed more than 75 film and television placements of his songs in television and movies,^[21][16] including:

• 90210 - Vegetable Car,^[22] The Fear You Won't Fall,^[22] The Rock and The Tide^[22]
• 8xTX on T4 - Winter,^[21]
• 10 Inch Hero - Only You,^[23]
• ABC Promo - Off The Map - Here We Go ^[24]
• Adam - Someone Else's Life,^[25] When You Find Me ^[25]
• American Idol – Everything'll Be Alright,^[21] Closer,^[21] Friend Like You,^[21] One of Those Days ^[21]
• Army Wives - Friend Like You,^[26] We Are Okay,^[27] You Got What I Need^[27]
• Broken Windows - Someone Else's Life,^[28]
• Brothers & Sisters - Everything'll Be Alright,^[29] What If You,^[30] Someone Else's Life,^[31]
• The Bonnie Hunt Show - I'd Rather Be With You,^[32]
• Bones (Double Trouble in the Panhandle) - No Envy, No Fear,^[33] The Rock and The Tide
• Catch and Release - What if You^[34]
• Castle- No Envy, No Fear^[35]
• Conan O'Brien - I'd Rather Be With You^[36]
• Cougar Town - The Rock and The Tide^[37]
• Dakota Skye - Someone Else's Life^[38]
• Dear John (2010 film) - Paperweight
• The Early Show - I'd Rather Be With You^[21]
• Eli Stone - The One You Knew,^[39] Brand New Day,^[40] Friend Like You^[41]
• Ellen Wedding Show - Today ^[21]
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show - You've Got Growing Up to Do^[42]
• General Electric - Brand New Day^[43]
• Gossip Girl - The Rock and The Tide ^[21]
• Grey's Anatomy – Closer,^[44] The Fear You Won't Fall^[45] Sky,^[46] One of Those Days,^[47] You Got What I Need,^[16]
• Hilton Ad - Today^[48]
• Hidden Palms - Closer^[33]
• House M.D. – Brand New Day^[49]
• JC Penny Ad – Only You^[50]
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! - Closer,^[21] Star Mile^[21]
• The Last Kiss - Star Mile,^[51] Paperweight^[52]
• Life Unexpected - Brand New Day,^[53] The Rock and Tte Tide,^[54] One of Those Days,^[55] The Rock and The Tide^[21]
• Lifetime Movie: Bond Of Silence Road To Ride On^[21]
• Leverage - Winter^[56]
• Lie to Me - I'd Rather Be with You^[57]
• The Nanny Diaries - Closer^[58]
• Noah's Arc - Closer,^[21] Don't Look Away,^[21] Winter^[21]
• The Bachelorette (Season 6, Episode 4) - Brand New Day,^[59] Streetlight^[60]
• One Tree Hill - Everything'll be Alright,^[61] No Envy, No Fear,^[62] They Bring Me to You,^[62] You've Got Some Growing Up to Do,^[63] One Of Those Days,^[63] The Rock and the Tide^[64]
• Parenthood - The Rock And The Tide^[65]
• Post Grad - Brand New Day^[66]
• Random 1 - These Photographs^[21]
• Re-Animated - Closer,^[21] Today^[21]
• Runaway - Closer^[67]
• Shameless - Winter
• Scrubs – Don't Look Away,^[33] These Photographs,^[33] Winter,^[33] Today,^[33] Closer,^[33] I'd Rather Be With You,^[33] Sesame Street Theme^[33]
• Shooting Sizemore - Closer^[21]
• So You Think You Can Dance - Sundrenched World (Live Session),^[33] The Fear Your Wont Fall^[33]
• Studio 60 - Closer^[68]
• Swisstel Commercial - Friend Like You^[21]
• What About Brian - Closer^[69]
• Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy - These Photographs^[21]
• Without a Trace - Brand New Day^[70]
• World Heritage City - Winter^[21]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

EPs[link]

1. First Between 3rd and 4th (2004)
2. Live Session (iTunes Exclusive EP) (2006)
3. Unclear Sky (iTunes Exclusive EP) (2008)
4. Simple Times – Bonus Material (Demos) EP (2009)
5. Songs Under a Streetlight EP (2010)

Compilation appearances[link]

• His Way, Our Way (Frank Sinatra tribute album)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Joshua Radin

• Official website
• Joshua Radin’s official blog
• Joshua Radin on MySpace
• Review of One of Those Days at Daily Music Guide
• Joshua Radin at the Internet Movie Database

Video links

• Joshua Radin – Winter, and other songs

Tori Amos
Tori Amos at the 2008 Comic-Con
Background information
Birth name	Myra Ellen Amos
Born	(1963-08-22) August 22, 1963 (age 48) Newton, North Carolina, United States
Genres	Piano rock, art pop, alternative rock, electronica
Occupations	Musician, vocalist, songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Piano, harpsichord, clavichord, Hammond organ, harmonium, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Kurzweil, clavinet, vocals
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Atlantic Epic Universal Republic Deutsche Grammophon
Associated acts	Y Kant Tori Read
Website	toriamos.com everythingtori.com
Notable instruments
Bösendorfer piano[1]

Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. Amos originally served as the lead singer of 1980s synthpop group Y Kant Tori Read, and as a solo artist was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s. She was also noteworthy early in her solo career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument. Some of her charting singles include "Crucify", "Silent All These Years", "God", "Cornflake Girl", "Caught a Lite Sneeze", "Professional Widow", "Spark", "1000 Oceans", and "A Sorta Fairytale", her most commercially successful single in the U.S. to date.^[2]

As of 2005, Amos had sold 12 million albums worldwide.^[3] She has been nominated for 8 Grammy Awards. Amos was also named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1996.^[4]

Early life[link]

Amos was born in Newton, North Carolina. When she was two, her family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where she began to play the piano. By age five, she had begun composing instrumental pieces on piano and, while living in Rockville, Maryland, she won a full scholarship to the Preparatory Division of the Peabody Conservatory of Music.^[5] Her scholarship was discontinued at age 11 and she was asked to leave. Amos has asserted that she lost the scholarship because of her interest in rock and popular music, coupled with her dislike for reading from sheet music.^[5] In 1972, The Amos family moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, where her father, Reverend Edison Amos, became pastor of the Good Shepherd United Methodist church. At the age of 13 she began playing at gay bars and piano bars, chaperoned by her father.^[5][6]

Amos first came to local notice by winning a county teen talent contest in 1977, singing a song called "More Than Just a Friend". As a senior at Richard Montgomery High School, she co-wrote "Baltimore" with her brother Mike Amos for a competition involving the Baltimore Orioles. The song won the contest and became her first single, released as a 7" single pressed locally for family and friends during 1980 with another Amos-penned composition as a B-side, "Walking With You". Prior to this period she performed under her middle name, Ellen, but permanently adopted Tori after a friend's boyfriend told her it suited her.^[7] At age 21, Amos moved to Los Angeles to pursue her music career after several years performing on the piano bar circuit of the D.C. area.^[8]

Atlantic years (1986–2001)[link]

Y Kant Tori Read[link]

In 1986, Amos formed a music group, Y Kant Tori Read, the name of which was a reference to her days at the Peabody Conservatory, where she was able to play songs on her piano by ear, but was never successful at sight reading.^[9] In addition to Amos, the group was composed of Steve Caton (who would later play guitars on all her subsequent albums until 1999), drummer Matt Sorum, bass player Brad Cobb and, for a short time, keyboardist Jim Tauber. Following several phases of writing and recording, during which Amos has since asserted that the band lost their musical edge and direction due to interference from record executives, in July 1988, the Y Kant Tori Read's self-titled debut album was released. Although its producer, Joe Chiccarelli, has stated that Amos was very happy with the album at the time,^[10] it is now out of print and Amos has expressed no interest in reissuing it.^[11] Following the album's commercial failure and the group's subsequent disbanding, Amos began working with other artists (including Stan Ridgway, Sandra Bernhard, and Al Stewart) as a backup vocalist. She also recorded a song called "Distant Storm" for the film China O'Brien; in the credits, the song is attributed to a band called Tess Makes Good.^[12] It was the only song recorded by the band, and its only commercial release was in the film.

Solo career[link]

Despite the disappointing reaction to Y Kant Tori Read, Amos still had to comply with her six-record contract with Atlantic Records, who in 1989 wanted a new record by March 1990. The initial recordings were declined by the label, which Amos felt was because the album had not been properly presented.^[13] The album was reworked and expanded under the guidance of Doug Morris and the musical talents of Steve Caton, Eric Rosse, Will MacGregor, Carlo Nuccio, and Dan Nebenzal, resulting in Little Earthquakes, an album recounting her religious upbringing, sexual awakening, struggle to establish her identity, and sexual assault. This album became her commercial and artistic breakthrough.

Amos traveled to New Mexico with personal and professional partner Eric Rosse in 1993 to write and largely record her second solo record, Under the Pink. The album was received with mostly favorable reviews and sold enough copies to chart at #12 on the Billboard 200, a significantly higher position than the preceding album's position at #54 on the same chart.^[14]

Amos performing on her Dew Drop Inn tour in 1996

Her third solo album, Boys for Pele, was released in January 1996. The album was recorded in an Irish church, in Delgany, County Wicklow, with Amos taking advantage of the church recording setting to create an album ripe with baroque influences, lending it a darker sound and style. She added harpsichord, harmonium, and clavichord to her keyboard repertoire, and also included such anomalies as a gospel choir, bagpipes, church bells, and drum programming. The album garnered mixed reviews upon its release, with some critics praising its intensity and uniqueness while others bemoaned its comparative impenetrability. Despite the album's erratic lyrical content and instrumentation, the latter of which kept it away from mainstream audiences, Boys for Pele is Amos's most successful simultaneous transatlantic release, reaching #2 on both the Billboard 200 and the UK Top 40 upon its release at the height of her fame.^[15][16]

Fueled by the desire to have her own recording studio to distance herself from record company executives,^[17] Amos had the barn of her home in Cornwall converted into a state-of-the-art recording studio, Martian Engineering Studios.

From the Choirgirl Hotel and To Venus and Back, released in May 1998 and September 1999, respectively, differ greatly from previous albums as Amos's trademark acoustic piano-based sound is largely replaced with arrangements that include elements of electronica, dance music, vocal washes and sonic landscapes. The underlying themes of both albums deal with womanhood, and Amos's own miscarriages and marriage. Reviews for From the Choirgirl Hotel were mostly favorable and praised Amos's continued artistic originality. While not her highest chart debut, debut sales for From the Choirgirl Hotel are Amos's best to date, selling 153,000 copies in its first week.^[18] To Venus and Back, a two-disc release of original studio material and live material recorded from the previous world tour, received mostly positive reviews and included the first major-label single available for sale as a digital download.^[19]

Motherhood inspired Amos to produce a cover album, recording songs written by men about women and reversing the gender roles to show a woman's perspective.^[20] That idea grew into Strange Little Girls, released in September 2001, one year after giving birth to her daughter. The album is Amos's first concept album, with artwork featuring Amos photographed in character of the women portrayed in each song. Amos would later reveal that a stimulus for the album was to end her contract with Atlantic without giving them new original songs; Amos felt that since 1998, the label had not been properly promoting her and had trapped her in a contract by refusing to sell her to another label.^[21]

Epic Records years (2002–07)[link]

With her Atlantic contract fulfilled after a 15-year stint, Amos signed to Epic in late 2001. In October 2002, Amos released Scarlet's Walk, another concept album. Described as a "sonic novel", the album explores Amos's alter ego, Scarlet, intertwined with her cross-country concert tour following 9/11. Through the songs, Amos explores such topics as the history of America, American people, Native American history, pornography, masochism, homophobia and misogyny. The album had a strong debut,^[22][23] demonstrating that Amos' fan base remained intact through the label change. However, Scarlet's Walk is Amos' last album to date to reach certified gold status.^[24]

Amos in concert in June, 2005

Not long after Amos was ensconced with her new label, she received unsettling news when Polly Anthony resigned as president of Epic Records in 2003. Anthony had been one of the primary reasons Amos signed with the label and as a result of her resignation, Amos formed the Bridge Entertainment Group. Further trouble for Amos occurred the following year when her label, Epic/Sony Music Entertainment, merged with BMG Entertainment as a result of the industry's decline.^[25] Amos would later hint in interviews that during the creation of her next album, those in charge at the label following the aforementioned merger were interested "only in making money", the effects of which on the album have not been disclosed.^{[citation needed]}

Amos released two more albums with the label, The Beekeeper (2005) and American Doll Posse (2007). Both albums received mixed reviews, some of which stated that the albums suffered from being too long.^[26][27] The Beekeeper was conceptually influenced by the ancient art of beekeeping, which she considered a source of female inspiration and empowerment. Through extensive study, Amos also wove in the stories of the Gnostic gospels and the removal of women from a position of power within the Christian church to create an album based largely on religion and politics. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200,^[28] placing her in an elite group of women who have secured five or more US Top 10 album debuts.^[29] American Doll Posse, another concept album, was fashioned around a group of girls (the "posse") who are used as a theme of alter-egos of Amos's. Musically and stylistically, the album saw Amos return to a more confrontational nature.^[30] Like its predecessor, American Doll Posse debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200.^[14]

During her tenure with Epic Records, Amos also released a retrospective collection titled Tales of a Librarian (2003) through her former label, Atlantic Records; a two-disc DVD set Fade to Red (2006) containing most of Amos's solo music videos, released through the Warner Bros. reissue imprint Rhino; a five disc box set titled A Piano: The Collection (2006), celebrating Amos's 15 year solo career through remastered album tracks, remixes, alternate mixes, demos, and a string of unreleased songs from album recording sessions, also released through Rhino; and numerous official bootlegs from two world tours, The Original Bootlegs (2005) and Legs & Boots (2007) through Epic Records.

Universal Music years (2008–present)[link]

Universal Republic (2008–2011)[link]

In May 2008, Amos announced that, due to creative and financial disagreements with Epic Records, she had negotiated an end to her contract with the record label, and would be operating independently of major record labels on future work.^[31][32] In September of the same year, Amos released a live album and DVD, Live at Montreux 1991/1992, through Eagle Rock Entertainment, of two performances she gave at the Montreux Jazz Festival very early on in her career while promoting her debut solo album, Little Earthquakes. By December, after a chance encounter with chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, Doug Morris, Amos signed a "joint venture" deal with Universal Republic Records.^{[33][34][35][36]}

Abnormally Attracted to Sin, Amos's tenth solo studio-album and her first album released through Universal Republic, was released in May 2009 to mostly positive reviews. The album debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200,^[37] making it the Amos' seventh album to do so.^[38] Abnormally Attracted to Sin, admitted Amos, was a "personal album", not a conceptual one.^[39] Continuing her distribution deal with Universal Republic, Amos released Midwinter Graces, her first seasonal album, in November of the same year. The album features reworked versions of traditional carols, as well as original songs written by Amos.^[40]

During her contract with the label, Amos recorded vocals for two songs for David Byrne's collaboration album with Fatboy Slim, entitled Here Lies Love,^[41] which was released in April 2010. In July of the same year, the DVD Tori Amos- Live from the Artists Den was released exclusively through Barnes & Noble.

After a brief tour from June to September 2010, Amos released the highly exclusive live album From Russia With Love in December the same year, recorded live in Moscow on 3 September 2010. The limited edition set included a signature edition Lomography Diana F+ camera, along with 2 lenses, a roll of film and 1 of 5 photographs taken of Tori during her time in Moscow. The set was released exclusively through toriamos.com and only 2000 were produced. It is currently unknown as to whether the album will receive a mass release.

Deutsche Grammophon (2011–present)[link]

In September 2011, Amos released her first classical music album, Night of Hunters, featuring variations on a theme to pay tribute to such renowned composers as Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Granados, Satie and Schubert, through the Deutsche Grammophon label, a division of Universal Music Group. She is currently writing the music for Samuel Adamson's musical adaptation of the George MacDonald story The Light Princess for the Royal National Theatre, which was originally expected to debut in spring 2012^[42] but has now been deferred.^[43] Amos has, however, confirmed the release of an album in 2012 marking the 20th anniversary of her debut album Little Earthquakes.^[44] The album will consist of songs from her back catalogue rearranged and performed by the Metropole Orchestra.

On May 1st, 2012, Amos announced the formation of her own record label Transmission Galactic, which she intends to use to develop new artists.

In print[link]

Released in conjunction with The Beekeeper, Amos co-authored an autobiography with rock music journalist Ann Powers entitled Piece by Piece (2005). The book's subject is Amos's interest in mythology and religion, exploring her songwriting process, rise to fame, and her relationship with Atlantic Records.

Image Comics released Comic Book Tattoo (2008), a collection of comic stories, each based on or inspired by songs recorded by Amos. Editor Rantz Hoseley worked with Amos to gather 80 different artists for the book, including Pia Guerra, David Mack, and Leah Moore.

Additionally, Amos and her music have been the subject of numerous official and unofficial books, as well as academic critique, including Tori Amos: Lyrics (2001) and an earlier biography, Tori Amos: All These Years (1996).^[45][46][47]

"Tori Amos: In the Studio" (2011) by Jake Brown features an in-depth look at Amos's career, discography and recording process.^[48]

In 2011 Adrienne Trier-Bieniek, a sociology graduate student at Western Michigan University, received her PhD for a dissertation entitled “All I Am: Defining Music as an Emotional Catalyst through a Sociological Study of Emotions, Gender and Culture". Trier-Bieniek focused on Amos' female fans and the emotional support they receive from listening to Amos' music. Along with Patricia Leavy, Trier-Bieniek contributed a chapter to the book "The Art of Social Critique"^[49] which addressed Amos' later albums and songwriting skills.

Personal life[link]

Family[link]

Amos in 1993 Alexandra Palace, London

Amos is the third child of Rev. Dr. Edison and Mary Ellen Amos. She was born at the Old Catawba Hospital in Newton, North Carolina, during a trip from their Georgetown home in Washington, D.C. Her maternal grandparents were of mixed European and Eastern Cherokee ancestry; of particular importance to her as a child was her grandfather, Calvin Clinton Copeland, who was a great source of inspiration and guidance to her as a young child, offering a more pantheistic spiritual alternative to her father and paternal grandmother's traditional Christianity.^[50]

Early in her professional career, Amos befriended author Neil Gaiman, who became a fan after she referenced him in the song "Tear in Your Hand" and also in print interviews.^[51] Although created before the two met, the character Delirium from Gaiman's The Sandman series (or even her sister Death) is inspired by Amos; Gaiman has stated that they "steal shamelessly from each other".^[52] She wrote the foreword to his collection Death: The High Cost of Living; he in turn wrote the introduction to Comic Book Tattoo. Gaiman is godfather to her daughter and a poem written for her birth, Blueberry Girl, was published as a children's book of the same name in 2009.^[53]