Snowblind
by Cold

Album: The Things We Can't Stop (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Cold took a long time climbing the mountain, going through lots of trials and tribulations before finally landing a record deal and releasing their first album in 1997. Their third album, Year of the Spider, was released in 2003 and earned them lots of active rock airplay and a devoted fan base known as the Cold Army. But it was also a trying time for lead singer Scooter Ward, who was trying to hold his family together while battling his demons that stemmed from his drug habit. The band ended up on long hiatuses and was dormant for most of the '00s. When Ward regrouped Cold for the 2019 album The Things We Can't Stop, he pulled from his darkest hours on some of the tracks, including "Snowblind," where he revisits a time when he was near death.

    "Play the music loud, my life is almost gone," Ward sings, recalling a time when he had let his drug habit consume him. "'Snowblind' was the worst-case scenario," he told Songfacts. "I went back to when I was an addict... I always knew it was going to kill me one day. So, 'Snowblind' is about when addiction is overtaking you, and my funeral happening in my mind: I'm going to go back home one day, and the people are going to carry me away."

    "It was very important to me to go that dark," he added. "Because not everything has a happy ending. I was like, Do I want to do this on that song? Do I want to basically just end it? And I did. I'll go on all the way snow blinded. That's what it's about, and some people just can't get out of it, and I understand that. Sometimes it just takes that impact and going that dark for people to feel it and come out of that dark place."
  • This is far from the first song to make the analogy between cocaine addiction and a blizzard (snow = cocaine). Black Sabbath and Styx both have songs called "Snowblind" that cover the same material.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks

Ron and Russell Mael of SparksSongwriter Interviews

The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

Supertramp founder Roger Hodgson

Supertramp founder Roger HodgsonSongwriter Interviews

Roger tells the stories behind some of his biggest hits, including "Give a Little Bit," "Take the Long Way Home" and "The Logical Song."

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Krishna Das

Krishna DasSongwriter Interviews

The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.