Sept. 22 was the first official day of fall. While the sun didn’t immediately dim and the leaves didn’t spontaneously transform from bright green to deep maroon, that doesn’t mean we can’t welcome the new season with open arms and ears. The sounds of fall — the whistling of tree branches, the clinking of cardigan buttons and the churning of coffee grinders pumping pumpkin spice lattes — are all around us. But there is more to fall than new thrifted sweaters and apple cider.
With fall comes transformation — both the good and the bad. As summer officially fades and school revs up, autumn can take many forms. For many, the colder weather is a welcome reprieve. But for some, the slowly decaying vegetation and rapidly approaching midterms mean anxiety. To embrace this turning of time, I present eight songs to complement any fall frame of mind.
1. “Don’t Know Why” by Norah Jones (2002)
The first guitar riff of “Don’t Know Why” by Norah Jones is as crisp as the first breath of autumn air. Breathing in and breathing out, this song echoes the energy and anticipation of the new season. “I waited ‘til I saw the sun / I don’t know why I didn’t come,” she sings. Jones’ seductive, smooth voice drips like honey from a wooden spoon, reflecting the slow descent from summertime's chaos to the fall's comfort. Just like slipping on a new sweater, “Don’t Know Why” blankets the listener in soft harmonies, serving as the perfect transition track to enter fall.
2. “Graceland Too” by Phoebe Bridgers (2020)
“Graceland Too” by Phoebe Bridgers epitomizes the tranquility and transformation of autumn. Through narrative songwriting, Bridgers illustrates the non-linear process of healing. But just as the seasons inevitably change, brightness invades and all things pass. While the leaves change color and begin their descent toward the ground, we are reminded that the only way out is through the colder days, the longer nights and the sadder songs. As Bridgers sings, “Said she knows she lived through it to get to this moment,” there is always light at the end of the tunnel and regrowth after decay.
3. “Augusta” by Gracie Abrams (2021)
“Augusta” by Gracie Abrams reflects on the restlessness and confusion felt by someone on the precipice of change. “Feel like maybe I might go to Boston / Cut my hair in the way that I've wanted,” she sings. Abrams’ adolescent voice adds to the palpable sense of insecurity throughout the song, a feeling that drives the young singer to seek solace in peculiar places — both literal and figurative — such as the East Coast city or her fantasies of a future mature self. “Heard a poem about mid-October / How the leaves in the fall feel like closure,” she sings. Throughout “Augusta,” Abrams’ search for certainty mirrors the inevitable discomfort that comes with metamorphosis, amplified by the changing of the seasons and the passage of time.
4. “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles (2017)
Harry Styles’ self-titled debut solo album is the perfect fall soundtrack. The soft-rock record highlights Styles’ powerful voice and his candid lyricism. With drum-lines, acoustic riffs and raw vocals, this album is the perfect accompaniment for a walk among the transitioning trees. “Just stop your crying, it's a sign of the times,” he sings, advocating for acceptance instead of resistance to change. In its warmth and introspection, “Sign of the Times” captures the essence of autumn, inviting listeners to embrace the uncertain.
5. “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac (1975)
As with many of the songs in this collection, “Landslide” begins with a smooth guitar riff, easing the listener into the track. “Landslide” is simultaneously a forehead kiss and a punch to the gut, equal parts comforting and crisis-inducing as the track explores the passage of time and the inevitably of growing old. “But time makes you bolder / Even children get older / And I’m gettin’ older too,” Stevie Nicks sings. Although “Landslide” is my go-to track for any day and any weather, its commentary on change makes this track especially applicable to the ephemeral fall season.
6. “There She Goes” by The La’s (1988)
Although my perception of “There She Goes” by The La’s is undoubtedly influenced by the opening scene of “Gilmore Girls” (2000), in which the energetic track plays behind a landscape view of a chilly northeastern town, the standalone song still screams fall. Unlike the rest of this collection, “There She Goes” begins with an electric guitar riff, echoing the refreshing and exciting sentiments of a new season. The refrain, “There she goes / there she goes again” reflects the feeling of autumn’s eventual descent into winter, the season slipping away with every breath.
7. “Juna” by Clairo (2024)
Clairo’s most recent album, “Charm” (2024), is fall at its finest. It’s refreshing, reflective and raw. In her bedroom-pop style, Clairo’s music is both abstract and approachable. Although not a single, “Juna” is a standout track from the album. Lyrically, “Juna” explores the infatuation stage of a relationship — “(You make me wanna) Go dancing / (You make me wanna) try on feminine,” she sings. The positivity and giddiness of “Juna” reflects the feeling of walking outside on the first day of Atlanta fall and realizing you could, if you really wanted to, wear a sweater to school.
8. “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” (2021)
“All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” is the ultimate fall song. One second into this masterpiece, the listener is transported to November, to the taste of chai lattes and snickerdoodle cookies and the nostalgia of the “Red (Taylor’s Version)” (2021) era. The entire crux of the “Red” era — the discarded scarf — is the perfect metaphor for fall, where the beauty and innocence of the season are ever-fleeting, with each day facing decay. “Autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place / And I can picture it after all these days,” Swift sings, further emphasizing the fall feels present throughout this track.
