The duo recorded "A Hazy Shade of Winter" during the sessions for Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966), but the song was not included on an album until 1968's Bookends.

[3] The song dates back to Simon's days in England in 1965; it follows a hopeless poet, with "manuscripts of unpublished rhyme", unsure of his achievements in life.

[19] Lead vocals were performed jointly by all four members of the group, with a short solo led by Susanna Hoffs toward the end.

Due to pressure from their record label, The Bangles removed the verse from the original song that contained the line "drinking my vodka and lime".

According to liner notes on the soundtrack album, Steve Bartek from the band Oingo Boingo played acoustic guitar on the track.

"Hazy Shade of Winter" was not included on any of the group's studio albums, but later appeared on their first official Greatest Hits in 1990 and on many of their compilations.

The track is based on The Bangles' cover,[30] and features fellow My Chemical Romance member Ray Toro on guitar and bass as well as Jarrod Alexander on drums.