Autumn doesn’t have it easy. It comes after summer, which is just a tough act to follow. We wanted to celebrate the colorful season, the one where leaves turn from green to rainbow and fall to our feet to crunch underneath. Below are five songs to celebrate the changing season.
Videos by American Songwriter
[RELATED: 3 Work Songs to Listen to in Honor of Labor Day]
1. “California Dreamin’,” the Mamas & the Papas
This 1965 song begins: All the leaves are brown (all the leaves are brown) / And the sky is gray (and the sky is gray), and while the next lyrics may or may not be about winter, the vibe and the soul of the song works for the grey, leaf-changing days of autumn, too. It just sounds like a cold day. And while fall is beautiful and singular, by about September 23rd, it feels like winter anyway. Except in California, about which this song fantasizes. Let’s sing together: All the leaves are brown (all the leaves are brown) / And the sky is gray (and the sky is gray).
2. “November Rain,” Guns N’ Roses
Before the winter snow comes the November rain. And what better way to prepare for the cold, damp chill than by absorbing this 1991 song, wrapping yourself in its nine minutes of music? From the iconic rock band’s album, Use Your Illusion, the song is as epic as it gets. You won’t even notice the days getting darker, there is so much life in this track.
When I look into your eyes
I can see a love restrained
But darlin’ when I hold you
Don’t you know I feel the same?
Nothin’ lasts forever
And we both know hearts can change
And it’s hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain
3. “Gone Till November,” Wyclef Jean
Keeping with the theme of November, “Gone Till November” is about absence, particularly in the fall. There is work to do, tours to make, things to deliver. This is one of the biggest hits for Jean, one of the co-founders of the Fugees. It was all over the radio in the mid-’90s after the release of Jean’s 1997 solo LP, The Carnival. Also, the video for the song features perhaps the most random Bob Dylan cameo ever.
Every time I make a run, girl you turn around and cry
I ask myself, why, oh why? See you must understand
I can’t work a nine to five, so I’ll be gone ’til November
Said I’ll be gone ’til November, I’ll be gone ’til November
Yo tell my girl, yo I’ll be gone ’til November
I’ll be gone ’til November, I’ll be gone ’til November
Yo tell my girl, yo I’ll be gone ’til November
4. “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” Green Day
Poor Billie Joe Armstrong. Every September he gets hit with social media messages referencing and even joking about this song title. But that just means millions have heard the song, which is about the passing of September. But on the face of it, this acoustic-driven song is about the fleeting nature of time. Sings Armstrong,
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
Like my fathers come to pass
Seven years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends
5. “Maple Leaf Rag,” Scott Joplin
An instrumental piano piece by the king of ragtime, this song and its title get you in the mood for fall, for a long stroll down a country road or a city sidewalk. The big red, orange, yellow and brown leaves fall from the trees. Maybe you’ll find a big pile of them and jump in like when you were a kid. The possibilities, thanks to this 1899 tune, are endless.
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