4 of the Best Songs of Fall

Fall is a transitional season. It’s the stop-gap between the warmth of summer and the harsh winter chill.

The leaves change colors before falling from trees, movements that put nature’s passage of time in motion. Which makes the season a powerful muse for songs.

Changing seasons and the coming and going of time have captured the musical imagination of generations of songwriters. The list below looks at a mix of revivalist garage rock, a jazz standard, heavy metal balladry, and one of the greatest autumn songwriters in history.

Nothing lasts forever, and we both know hearts can change.

“We’re Going to Be Friends” by The White Stripes from White Blood Cells (2001)

Jack and Meg White’s school-time lullaby departs from their usual ferocious garage rock. The White Stripes emerged from Detroit amidst a revivalist run of early-2000s “The” bands but stood apart for several reasons. First, there was the confusing myth about the Whites being brother and sister. Also, they adhered to a strict red, white, and black aesthetic. And the peppermint candy visuals made things seem childlike. Innocent. “We’re Going to Be Friends” distills that feeling in two minutes and twenty seconds. It’s a tender ode to friendship and shows how, underneath Jack’s devastating guitar riffs and Meg’s minimalist drumming, The White Stripes were much more than chic garage rock. A bonus fall-themed song also appears on this album—White Blood Cells opens with “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground.”

“Autumn in New York” by Billie Holiday from The Complete Billie Holiday on Verve 1945 – 1959 (1952)

It isn’t required to have the name of the season in the song title, but it doesn’t hurt either. In 1934, Vernon Duke composed “Autumn in New York,” which appeared in the Broadway musical Thumbs Up! Frank Sinatra charted with his rendition in 1949, and everyone from Charlie Parker to Bing Crosby has performed the song. Billie Holiday’s version is charmed by her emotional velvety voice and the delicate touch of pianist Oscar Peterson. “Autumn in New York” is Holiday delivering Duke’s warm love letter to New York City.

“November Rain” by Guns N’ Roses from Use Your Illusion I (1991)

In 1986, Axl Rose recorded a 10-minute piano and vocal demo of “November Rain” at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles. This version appears on the sprawling box-set edition of Appetite for Destruction. Rose’s demo version shows that even pre-Appetite, the singer already had a grander vision for his band. Though this demo lacks the symphonic textures and Slash’s epic wind-blown guitar solo, it already sounds fully formed. It’s nostalgic and cold and all the things one wants from an autumn ballad.

“Harvest Moon” by Neil Young from Harvest Moon (1992)

Harvest Moon echoes Neil Young’s folk-country masterpiece Harvest. Since that album, Young has leaped defiantly and experimentally from one genre to another. By comparison, Harvest Moon feels easy. It doesn’t require patient listening or contrarian defending. The title track is buoyed by a sweeping broom, a quiet band, cascading guitars, and Young’s tender voice. “Harvest Moon” is more than a love song. It’s the eternal joy of love and how some things last long after they’re gone.

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