Peppermint Winter Explained

Peppermint Winter
Cover:	Peppermint_Winter.png
Type:	single
Artist:	Owl City
Released:	November 22, 2010
Recorded:	2010
Length:	4:00
Label:	Universal Republic
Producer:	Young^[1]
Prev Title:	To the Sky
Prev Year:	2010
Next Title:	Alligator Sky
Next Year:	2011

"Peppermint Winter" is a song by American electronica project Owl City. The song was released on November 22, 2010, as a Christmas single.^[2]

Meaning

Adam Young of Owl City wrote on Last.fm that it is about his "...own participation in snowball fights and sidewalk shoveling. Sleigh rides, present-giving and receiving and of course, the ingestion of marvelous Yuletide nutrition (or lack thereof), namely sugar cookies, hot chocolate and peppermint candy canes..."

Composition

"Peppermint Winter" is a light, waltz-like song that incorporates synth beats and vocals. The beat is mainly formed by jingle bells and occasional heavy drums. Piano is often featured, as well as some orchestrations, such as wooden string instruments and woodwinds. The track runs at 154 BPM and is in the key of C major.^[3] Adam's range in the song spans from the notes C4 to A5.^[4]

Critical reception

"Peppermint Winter" received positive reviews from music critics. Becky Bain of the Idolator stated, "the saccharine love song to snowballs and sleigh rides gives us the same feeling we get when we eat too many candy canes in one sitting."^[5] The Napster blog gave the song a positive review, writing that the song "is cut from the same cloth" as his previous song "Fireflies" and calling the song "light and sugary like the candy canes on a Christmas tree". The review continues stating that while the song "might not become a classic like "Christmas Wrapping" from The Waitresses", "who can really say no to just one more Christmas song?"^[6] Athena Serrano of MTV called the track an, "electropop holiday bop filled with the magic and whimsical spirit of the festive season," praising the song for its, "mystical synths."

Charts

Chart (2010)! scope="col"

Peak position
Canada AC (Billboard)^[7]	31
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)^[8]	8
US Holiday Digital Song Sales (Billboard)^[9]	2

Release history

Region! scope="col"

Date	Format	Label
Various	November 22, 2010	Digital download	Universal Republic
Australia	December 6, 2010	CD		^[10]
United States	December 14, 2010			^[11]

Notes and References

1. Peppermint Winter. Digital liner notes. Owl City. Universal Republic. 2010.
2. Web site: Peppermint Winter - Single by Owl City. Apple Music. October 6, 2014.
3. Web site: Key and BPM of Peppermint Winter by Owl City. Musicstax.com. November 22, 2010. February 19, 2023.
4. Web site: Owl City "Peppermint Winter" Sheet Music. musicnotes.com. November 26, 2012. February 19, 2023.
5. Web site: Owl City Offers Some Seasonal Whimsy in Peppermint Winter. Becky Bain. Idolator. November 23, 2010. June 19, 2011.
6. Web site: Owl City - Peppermint Winter. Napster. November 23, 2010. June 19, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20101126095753/http://blog.napster.com/napster/2010/11/owl-city-peppermint-winter.html. November 26, 2010. dead.
7. Web site: Owl City Chart History (Canada AC). https://web.archive.org/web/20201205143249/https://www.billboard.com/music/owl-city/chart-history/cac/. December 5, 2020. Billboard. January 31, 2024.
8. Owl City Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100). Billboard. https://web.archive.org/web/20211118031127/https://www.billboard.com/artist/owl-city/chart-history/hbu/. November 18, 2021. January 26, 2023.
9. Owl City Chart History (Holiday Digital Song Sales). Billboard. https://web.archive.org/web/20191221113951/https://www.billboard.com/music/owl-city/chart-history/xdt/. December 21, 2019. February 19, 2023.
10. Web site: Peppermint Winter - Owl City. australian-charts.com. March 2, 2024.
11. Web site: Peppermint Winter - Owl City. AllMusic. February 19, 2023.