Snowman (Sia song)

"Snowman" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Sia. It was released on 9 November 2017, as the second single from Sia's eighth studio album, Everyday Is Christmas.[2] A music video made via claymation was released on 30 October 2020. A part two of the music video was released on 22 December 2022.

"Snowman"
Slowed Down & Snowed In remix artwork
Single by Sia
from the album Everyday Is Christmas
Released9 November 2017
GenreSoft jazz[1]
Length2:45
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Greg Kurstin
Sia singles chronology
"Santa's Coming for Us"
(2017)		 "Snowman"
(2017)		 "Helium"
(2018)
Music video
"Snowman" on YouTube
"Snowman - Part II" on YouTube

"Snowman" earned positive reviews from critics, some of whom deemed it the highlight single from Everyday Is Christmas. The song experienced a popularity surge in November 2020 on TikTok,[3] and has since been branded as a modern-day Christmas classic.[4]

In 2020, Brandon Funston of The Athletic listed "Snowman" as the 85th best Christmas song of all-time.[5]

Composition
The song's co-writer Greg Kurstin in 2017

"Snowman" was written by Sia and frequent collaborator Greg Kurstin. Written in the key of D♭ major, Sia's vocals span from F3 to G♭5.[6] Production on the track was handled solely by Kurstin.[7] The song is a midtempo, 60's-inspired,[8] piano-driven, crisp, swaying ballad[9] over which Sia's vocals, described as "calm but energetic" by mxdwn, tell a snowman not to cry as he will melt.[10][11] The track runs for a length of 2 minutes and 45 seconds.[12]

Release and promotion

"Snowman" was announced on Sia's social media accounts on 7 November 2017, and was released for digital download and streaming on 9 November 2017 as the second single from Everyday Is Christmas.[2][13][14] Sia performed "Snowman" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show,[15] and on the finale of the fifteenth season of American reality TV series The Voice.[16]

In December 2020, a challenge based around the song on video-sharing app TikTok saw a massive rise in popularity, becoming a trend. The challenge sees TikTok users attempt to sing a portion of the song, lasting forty seconds, in one breath.[3] Sia subsequently released a "Snowed In & Slowed Down Remix" of the track, which was later featured on the Snowman Deluxe Edition of Everyday is Christmas on 5 November 2021.[17] In addition to this, a sped-up version was included on the 2022 reissue of the album.[18]

Reception

Slant Magazine described the song as a "clever ode to fleeting romance".[19] Slate named it the best song on Everyday Is Christmas, noting it "[takes] something we associate with winter and [applies] it to a universal theme."[20] In 2020, Brandon Funston of The Athletic listed "Snowman" as the 85th best Christmas song of all-time.[5] Billboard, in 2022, described the song as a "modern seasonal classic".[4]

NME commented that the TikTok remix version of the song "opts for a breezier tempo than the original, with Sia changing the song’s key midway through for extra effect."[17]

Commercial performance

Upon its initial release in 2017, "Snowman" debuted and peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Holiday Digital Songs Sales chart dated 2 December 2017.[21] Following its rise in popularity in 2020, the track reached the top 50 in Australia,[22] Canada,[23] France[24] and Germany,[25] among others, and peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Global 200.[26] In 2021, it reached number 1 on the Finnish Singles Chart,[27] becoming Sia's first chart-topping hit in the country.[28] In the same year, it topped the Norwegian Singles Chart for two weeks and returned to number 1 for four additional weeks in 2022.[29]

As of December 2022, "Snowman" was one of the 10 most-streamed Christmas songs of all-time on streaming platform Spotify.[30]

Music videos

On 30 October 2020, a claymation music video for "Snowman", directed by Lior Molcho, premiered on YouTube.[31] On 22 December 2022, a "Part II" of the video was released, also directed by Molcho.[32]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[7]

  • Sia Furler – songwriter, vocals
  • Greg Kurstin – songwriter, producer, bass, drums, keyboards, piano, engineer
  • Alex Pasco – engineer
  • Julian Burg – engineer
  • Şerban Ghenea – mixer
  • John Hanes – mixing engineer
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering engineer

Charts

Certifications
Certifications for "Snowman"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[63] Platinum 90,000‡
France (SNEP)[64] Platinum 200,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[65] Platinum 100,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[66] Platinum 30,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[67] 2× Platinum 100,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[68] Gold 5,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[69] Gold 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[70] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[71] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Release history for "Snowman"
Region Date Format Version Label(s) Ref.
Various 9 November 2017
Original
[72]
9 December 2020 Video streaming Snowed In & Slowed Down TikTok Remix [73][17]
29 October 2021
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 [74]

References
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  4. Dailey, Hannah (22 November 2022). "Best New Christmas Songs for 2022: Lizzo, Camila Cabello & More". Billboard. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
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