4 End-Of-Summer Songs Guaranteed To Make You Cry

Summer won’t officially end until September 22. But unofficially, Labor Day marks the end of the season as we celebrate it. You might regret the time wasted or all the plans made that went unfulfilled. Still, sweater weather is coming, so it’s not all bad. Sometimes, the best way to deal with sadness is to just let it rip. Have yourself a good cry. And end-of-summer songs can offer a way out for the bottled-up tears as we say goodbye to warm nights, the beach, and tanned skin.

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“End Of Summer” by Tame Impala

Kevin Parker, Tame Impala’s one-man band, waits too long to tell his fascination how he feels. Parker sings over a four-on-the-floor beat amid electronic swells and a psychedelia that wouldn’t be out of place in the 1980s Madchester acid house scene. Though the track is danceable, Parker can’t find the nerve or words to express himself. Then it’s too late and summer’s gone.

“The Boys Of Summer” by Don Henley

As co-founder of Eagles, Don Henley popularized country rock with fellow California transplants who softened the edges of classic Americana. However, Henley’s defining solo track features a drum machine and synthesizers to express the fading youth and lost ideals of Henley’s generation. Guitarist Mike Campbell wrote the music, and his shimmery guitars merge with hazy synths, with Henley’s nostalgia buoyed by summertime sadness.

“Summertime Sadness” by Lana Del Rey

Many approach summer with hope. Yet when the season ends, there’s a sadness to it—the changing weather, back-to-school blues, dead leaves, and the dirty ground. You get the point. Lana Del Rey anticipates one last rendezvous before summer ends. If she dies, she’ll die happy, and her lament may be a metaphor for some greater loss. Del Rey is a master of the kind of vivid lyrics of late-night conversations between friends. She also makes gorgeous sad songs, and “Summertime Sadness” is the perfect send-off to a summer fling.

“Sunday Sun” by Beck

My favorite Beck album, Sea Change, is also his saddest. Together with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Beck recorded a heartbreaking and plaintive collection of folk songs. On “Sunday Sun”, Beck sings, “Yesterdays are ending.” It’s the certainty that everything you love or cherish will go away. He’s gripped by despair and desolation, and the droning track has an undercurrent of dissonance. The sun’s bright light and warmth become dark and cold beneath the giant shadows of loss and loneliness. 

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