Autumn Melodies
As the chill autumn breeze closes in, we look for warmth and comfort in soulful, mellow music inspired by the fall months. Autumn is the most beautiful season of the year. The leaves on the trees turn yellow, red, and orange, making for a mesmerizing landscape. You can appreciate this beauty even more if you listen to some heartful autumn melodies.
It's no secret that changing seasons have always influenced the music of all genres - both what artists create and what listeners enjoy. Spring is often associated with romantic acoustic songs or anthemic alt-rock music. And you would probably hear more hip-hop, dance, bubblegum pop, and synth-heavy music during summertime.
Autumn has inspired many composers to write and play reminiscent, melancholic, and romantic music.
Autumn is no different - it's a special time with breathtaking visuals of golds, reds, browns, chill fall breezes, pumpkin spice lattes, and of course, new music to go with the season. Autumn has inspired many composers to write and play reminiscent, melancholic, and romantic music, mostly folksy and complex ballads but occasionally upbeat.
Let's look at some of music's biggest hits to come out of the autumn season.
Research proves the relationship between changing seasons and musical preferences…
A study led by psychologist Terry Pettijohn studied how changing seasons affected musical preferences (if they did at all). He asked college students to partake in a Short Test of Musical Preference. Participants chose what music they'd listen to the most if the songs depicted the scenario they were in.
The result? Participants favored listening to classical, folk, jazz, and blues music more during the autumn months than upbeat pop, rap, and alternative music. So it's no surprise musicians also gravitated towards composing these genres of music during these end-of-the-year months.
How the Autumn Season Impacts Songwriting
Songwriters have long used Autumn as a source of inspiration, writing songs on everything from falling in love to taking a stroll through a quaint forest. More often than not, the lyrics are self-reflective, personal, and vulnerable, often reminiscent or hopeful for the future.
Some classic rock song examples include Harvest Moon by Blue Oyster Cult or Hey Jude by The Beatles. Both are perfect songs to welcome the short days in October. Hey Jude invokes emotions of hopefulness and motivation for better days to come.
Tim McGraw's Watch The Wind Blow By is yet another masterpiece that paints autumn scenery so beautifully. Not to mention Harvest Moon by Neil Young, a gorgeous description of the oranges of Autumn and the moon that shines over those trees. Moreover, Cold Weather by The Zac Brown Band is also something to groove to when the summers are going back.
Green Day's Wake Me Up When September Ends is a strong, melancholy alt-rock song about losing a family member and not wanting to face the pain that comes with it. When feeling the autumn blues, it's the perfect raw song to belt out.
Other modern autumn-inspired songs include Last Day of Summer by The Cure, Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood, and Halloween by Phoebe Bridgers.
Autumn has had a dominating presence when it comes to classical music composition.
Finally, one of Taylor Swift's biggest hits All Too Well is also autumn-themed. The 10-minute country power ballad and it's accompanying short film were written, shot, and released during the fall months. The cathartic song about her experience through a failing relationship is one many would enjoy playing on a piano or guitar.
Classical Music is Profoundly Influenced by Autumn
Autumn has had a dominating presence when it comes to classical music composition. Many orchestras, ballads, and piano pieces take inspiration from this time of the year.
Antonio Vivaldi's Autumn from The Four Seasons is the most famous example in this regard. One of Italy's finest baroque composers, Antonio Vivaldi, published four virtuoso violin concertos based on seasons in 1725, including Autumn.
Autumn is composed of three movements. The first is rhythmic and energetic, reflective of the harvest festivals and dancing. The second is slower, influenced by the cool, crisp autumn air. The third movement is lively and well-paced, like a theme to an autumn hunt. This piece is coveted among violin players and listeners alike.
Classical music is filled with more such examples.
Fanny Mendelssohn, a German composer and pianist of the early Romantic era, composed 12 live piano pieces (Das Jahr) in 1841, each one representing a month. Of the 12, "September," "October," and "November" have a particular autumnal mood, taking inspiration from his own life.
Mendelssohn also composed a piece titled In Autumn that associates this weather with loss, hope, contemplation, and change. The narrator describes a solitary vine to loneliness after losing a loved one.
Autumn is often associated with "contemplation," "loss," and "change." While those might not be the qualities and themes your absolute best life is made of, they are the ones Fanny Mendelssohn decided to latch onto in "In Autumn."
Another great example: The King of Ragtime, Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag is both one of his earliest and most famous ragtime pieces ever. It's a hopeful song with little melodic strain.
Plus, Imogen Holst's The Fall of the Leaf is a brilliant set of solo cello compositions to play for both practice and live shows. The short pieces are deep and resonating, reflecting the drifting leaves of Autumn, though there are some energetic movements in the middle.
Thea Musgrave's take on "Autumn" is more ominous and haunting - inspired by the hunting scene in Caccia Primitiva.
Autumn Remains an Inspiration for Rock'n'Roll
Many songs translate the themes we mentioned earlier in the rock and roll genre from the '60s through to the '90s. These include November Rain by Guns N' Roses, September by Earth, Wind & Fire, Seasons of Wither by Aerosmith, and Ramble On by Led Zeppelin.
Also, Leaves That Are Green by Simon and Garfunkel is one of the most famous songs inspired by the fall. This song should be on your playlist if you want to be wrapped in serene music and a pensive atmosphere.
And finally, we've our all-time favorite Autumn in New York by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. The song takes you on a romantic stroll around Central Park, transporting you to another time with its jazzy tune.
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