"There is no better time than the autumn to begin forgetting the things that trouble us, allowing them to fall away like dried leaves." - Paulo Coelho
Fall is around the corner, with the promise of cooler days and nights, apple cider donuts, magical falling leaves and pumpkin spice everything. To celebrate the arrival of this auspicious season, I have put together a playlist of songs to enjoy as you watch the leaves change and count down the days to Halloween with a cup of warm cider or pumpkin spice latte in hand.
Autumn Leaves - Eva Cassidy
This jazz standard was composed by Joseph Kosma in 1945 and has been covered by many artists over the years. I have selected Eva Cassidy's emotive version for this playlist.
Listen: Autumn Leaves
Autumn Leaves - Ed Sheeran
Another track with the same title as above. This one appeared as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of Sheeran's album +. It's a gentle acoustic guitar ballad that captures a sense of nostalgia as he reminisces about someone from his past.
Listen: Autumn Leaves
The Best Day - Taylor Swift
According to Bustle, "if there’s one thing Taylor Swift loves more than her cats, it’s fall." In a 2014 Tumblr post she stated that she loves “hats and scarves and knee socks and wearing tights for the first time in months, and when the morning are all chilly and you can see your breath and draw little pictures on foggy windows.” So it's no surprise that she has several songs referencing the season in her discography. The Best Day was written for her mother but it's also an ode to fall, referring to tractor rides in a pumpkin patch as the sky turns gold.
Listen: The Best Day
Red - Taylor Swift
Besides the appropriateness of the title as a fall colour, Taylor also references the season as a time of change in the lyrics: "Loving him is like trying to change your mind / Once you're already flying through the free fall / Like the colors in autumn, so bright, just before they lose it all".
Listen: Red
Applejack - Dolly Parton
Fall is a time for apples to shine: from cider to pie, there are several ways to enjoy them at this time of the year. I love Dolly's playful song that places apples at its center. She tells us a story about a man who lives in a shack near an apple orchard and who picks not only apples but the banjo too.
Listen: Applejack
Autumn Town Leaves - Iron & Wine
I'm a sucker for beautiful harmonies and acoustic guitars and this cinematic tribute to fall by indie pop band Iron & Wine has plenty of both.
Listen: Autumn Town Leaves
Harvest Moon - Neil Young
Harvest Moon was the title track from his 1992 album. Linda Ronstadt provides backing vocals on this song that captures beauty and romance and set beneath a harvest moon which appears at the start of autumn.
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