As the trees are nearing their peak in their beautiful color transformation, all I want to do is take a walk surrounded by bright orange, red, and yellow hues while listening to some good music. Music, especially when well-chosen, always adds that special little touch to a circumstance, and I am a firm believer that the appropriate music makes everything that much better. Fall isn’t an exception to this phenomenon, so as you have probably guessed it, it’s time for a fall playlist!
The fall season tends to naturally lean towards nostalgic songs, reminiscing about the past, sometimes pleasantly, and sometimes unfortunately not. As the leaves crunch beneath your feet and your thoughts drift to the past, turning over conversations in your mind and recalling memories, good and bad, “The Night We Met” (Lord Huron), “cardigan” (Taylor Swift), “Sparks” (Coldplay), and “Somewhere Only We Know” (Keane) are perfect songs to put you into a thoughtful mood. These songs all deal with the bittersweetness of human relationships, depicting how fragile these relationships can really be.
On the other hand, fall can make you feel like you are falling in love (pun intended!) There is something quite romantic about the beautiful array of colors, the slowly creeping cold, and the rainy afternoons that songs like “Yellow” (Coldplay), “iloveyou” (BETWEEN FRIENDS), “Daylight” (Harry Styles), “Can I Call You Rose?” (Thee Sacred Souls), and “My Love Mine All Mine” (Mitski) capture so beautifully, adding a gentle, amorous touch to the season through their discussion of lighthearted, innocent love.
In terms of genre, autumn is known for its pleasing fit with jazz music, the playful melodies matching the same energy as that of the falling leaves. A fall playlist really isn’t a fall playlist if it doesn’t include a couple of jazz songs. Songs like “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” (Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong), “I Could Write a Book” (Harry Connick Jr.), “But Not For Me” (Chet Baker), and “If I” (Les Imprimés) sweetly swing you into the fall season with their uplifting and engaging melodies.
We know that there are those songs that automatically put you into an autumn mood, making you want to put on a warm sweater, drink a hot beverage, and read a good book as you watch the leaves gliding down, leaving the trees bare and exposed. “Sweater Weather” (The Neighborhood), “Coffee Breath” (Sofia Mills), “Bookstore Girl” (Charlie Burg), “Eat Your Young” (Hozier), and “Leaves That Are Green” (Paul Simon) all seem to incarnate that feeling of sitting in a window seat and watching as the colors shift and the temperature chills.
I hope this playlist will be put to good use to help you romanticize even just a little bit this wonderful but brief season. So what are you waiting for? Go and put on a warm coat, grab your headphones, and take a walk while the colors are still bright and before the snow actually decides to set in.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.