Songfacts®:

• Hailing from the chilly landscapes of Vermont, Noah Kahan recognizes the stereotypical perception that folks from this region can be reserved or even a bit cold. Blame it on the harsh winters that toughen up the locals, with the added challenge of enduring long dark New England nights. In this song, Kahan humbly pleads for forgiveness, addressing what he calls his "northern attitude."
• Kahan recorded "Northern Attitude" for his third studio album, Stick Season. He began writing the record in his hometown of Strafford, Vermont, in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. In an interview with WPTZ shortly after the album's release, Kahan described the album as a "love letter to New England."
• Kahan co-wrote and co-produced the song with Gabe Simon. Simon is also known for his work with Lana Del Rey ("Blue Banisters)" and James Bay ("Give Me The Reason").
• Kahan teamed up with Irish singer-songwriter Hozier to release a new version of "Northern Attitude" on November 10, 2023. The pair got to know each other when they both performed at the Iron Blossom Festival at Monroe Park in Richmond, Virginia, in late August 2023. They first performed this song during a show in Nashville in October 2023.
• Kahan was thrilled with the harmony Hozier brought to the chorus. "That song was recorded so quickly that we didn't really have a ton of time or the ability, really, to go back and change a lot of it," he explained to American Songwriter. "So having the harmony there kind of filled it out a lot. In some ways I feel like his voice lends itself to a specific feeling that maybe mine didn't. Like, it's more tender and forgiving in some parts but also more powerful and angry."
• The song climbed to #1 on Billboard's Adult Alternative Airplay chart dated January 6, 2024. It was Kahan's second leader on the tally, following "Dial Drunk," which reigned for two weeks in September 2023.
  
  "Northern Attitude" was Hozier's fifth #1 on Adult Alternative Airplay, following "Take Me to Church," "Nina Cried Power," "Eat Your Young" and "Francesca."
• Gabe Simon was amazed at how quickly the song came together in around 40 minutes. In a 2026 conversation with the Off The Record podcast, he said he was doing the un-musical task of making a sandwich in the kitchen when he heard Kahan's melody floating down the hallway from the tracking room: "And I ran down the hall, and I go, 'What the hell is that?' And he just goes, 'I don't know, man. I just took some edibles. This is crazy.'"
  
  Simon grabbed a 12-string guitar and encouraged Kahan to keep going. "He just made up three minutes of a song three times. Off the top of his head," he continued. "It was the first time I'd ever seen Noah do something like that. I know he's capable of writing great songs, and I'd seen him do it at other different times, but it was the first time I ever saw this guy, who has one of the best memories in the face of the planet, who can think of all these bits and remember everything that's going to happen, put together words, put together melody, put together a structure, and you're just kind of in awe of it."