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Thursday, March 28, 2024
The Observer

The quintessential fall playlist

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Ellis Riojas | The Observer


The weather has become cooler, which signals the start of fall. Fall is the season for pumpkin spice lattes, Halloween and the changing of the leaves.

While you curl up by the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate, you don’t really think about songs that signify the fall. However, there are a multitude of songs that make you and I think of fall. One of these songs is “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire. The name of this 1978 tune makes sense why it would be considered a fall song. Even though there are no references to the crisp season we all love, the song does have a reference to the homecoming season which high schoolers look forward to around late September, early October. I personally think this song is an absolute classic.

Another song that comes to mind is Green Day’s hit “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” Released in 2004, this ballad brings a tear to everyone’s eye, due to the melancholic themes. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong wrote it in honor of his late father and this song has become synonymous for playing after the events of both 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. As a Green Day fan, I put this song up in the top three spots by them.

Guns N’ Roses also released a fall-esque song in 1991 called “November Rain.” This song is considered a hard-rock power ballad and it clearly shows. It is one of the most beautiful songs Axl Rose has ever written and recorded. Not only is the song about fall, but it is all about change — which is what fall is about.

I personally love how just every season we go through, there are always songs we can immediately think of because of a certain holiday. And in the fall, we have the spookiest time of the year: Halloween. We can all think of very recognizable themes from horror movies such as “Halloween,” “The Exorcist” and “Psycho.” However, we do not think about songs that have been written in reference to Halloween itself. Songs like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Rihanna’s “Disturbia” and the ever-famous “Monster Mash” all have creepy elements that just scream Halloween.

Fall is not just about sitting close to the fire and watching the leaves fall and change color. It’s all about change within ourselves. We all change whether we like it or not. It is just a part of human evolution. The world is also changing as well. With the COVID-19 pandemic, our leaders are constantly changing rules and regulations about how we should live our daily lives. We all just need to adapt, and that is not an option.

Overall, these songs are just a snippet of what fall has to offer. There are many other songs that relate to fall, but these are just the songs that just stand out to me as songs that make fall one of the most beautiful seasons Mother Nature has to offer mankind.

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