For as long as I care to remember, I’ve found that my music taste changes with the leaves.
Summer is defined by Solar Power by Lorde and Norman F****** Rockwell by Lana Del Rey, as well as a variety of Taylor Swift songs.
Then, as a chill finds its way into the air and studying finds its way into my diminishing free time, I leave behind the sun-soaked tunes of August and embrace the music that fills the pumpkin-shaped hole that remained in my heart throughout summer’s heat.
You can taste pumpkin spice-flavored everything, smell all the candles you desire, feel the leaves on the everchanging trees, and go to a pumpkin patch and stare. It may feel as though you can experience fall to the fullest with all of these possibilities, but you’re wrong. You haven’t heard fall, and that’s the most important experience of all. From the most basic fall songs to the ever so slightly less basic ones, here’s a glimpse into my fall playlist for any inspiration you may need.
“Nothing New (feat. Phoebe Bridgers) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” by Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers
Is it truly fall if you’re not somewhat sad all of the time? Red (Taylor’s Version) is the quintessential autumn album—argue with the wall. Listening to Swift and Bridgers describe the desolation that accompanies growing up never fails to make me want to curl up in a ball, with a warm blanket, and cry my eyes out. How cozy!
“1980s Horror Film II” by Wallows
Year after year, this song is one of the first I remember to add to my playlist. Consequently, this song’s connection to fall may be purely that of my own psychological conditioning. Nonetheless, this song has some classic main character energy and a retro feel.
“Everything Has Changed (feat. Ed Sheeran) (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift and Ginger
Normally, I categorize myself as an Ed Sheeran hater; I strongly dislike his music. However, when it comes to collabs between Sheeran and Swift herself, I put my dissatisfaction aside. This song is also from Red (Taylor’s Version), and autumn is evidently emulated through the motif of change.
“Drunk on Halloween” by Wallows
For me, this is the fall song of all time. I don’t know when I first heard this song or what even happened to cause such a reaction, but the season, the song’s mellow ambiance, and the dejected lyrics are irreversibly intertwined.
“Ribs” by Lorde
Continuing the depressing theme of ending adolescence, we have “Ribs.” In my mind, this song is connected to fall because fall is when the new school year begins. As late nights and football games morph into blurry memories of adrenaline rushes, “Ribs” is the bittersweet soundtrack playing through it all.
“All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” by Taylor Swift
I thought it would be best to end this list with a classic. I don’t know if it’s possible to encompass fall more eloquently than Swift does here; from the symbolism of scarves to metaphors of melancholia, this song has it all.
