Songs with the name Willow

Several of these recordings belong to the jazz standard "Willow Weep for Me," where the name Willow represents the weeping tree, a gentle metaphor for sorrow. Billie Holiday’s 1936 record carries a bruised, mournful weight, her voice leaning heavily against the slow pulse of the horns. Stan Kenton’s 1950 version turns the melody into a bold, brassy, progressive big-band storm. Dinah Washington’s 1956 take is sharp and theatrical, deeply grounded by her commanding vocal phrasing, while Ella Fitzgerald’s 1959 recording is warm and nimble, wrapping the grief in scat runs and bright swing. Wes Montgomery’s 1969 instrumental version trades the vocal entirely for his round, thumb-picked guitar octaves, giving the melancholy a smooth, late-night groove. Chad & Jeremy’s 1964 entry brings the same title into the folk-pop era, singing it softly with acoustic guitars and close, gentle harmonies.

In other records, the name belongs to a person rather than a tree. Paul McCartney’s "Little Willow" is an acoustic tribute, sung with a tender, direct compassion over a light, organic arrangement. "Willow's Song," from Paul Giovanni, is an unsettling, hypnotic folk piece built around a repetitive, circular melody. Taylor Swift’s "Willow" is a bright, intimate indie-folk track driven by a pulsing rhythm and layered vocals that chase a feeling of romantic fate. Jasmine’s "Willow" is a hushed, atmospheric recording, letting the name sit inside echoing, delicate ambient spaces that feel fragile and suspended in time.