Autumn is drawing to a close – and it leaves the stage noticeably. It enters, it lingers and then it disappears. A rushed exit. November is often only marked as the time between Halloween and Christmas – a liminal segment of time which sets the scene for winter’s entrance and nothing more. And the change isn’t approached gradually; overnight, pumpkins turn into Christmas trees in shop windows. Some people, as a rite of passage, listen to Christmas music as soon as it hits the morning of November 1st. Admittedly, there have been years where I have done this – one year, Justin Bieber’s Mistletoe may have, unashamedly, made it into my most played songs of November. But this year? Well, I’m not quite there yet. Fall is fading, but it hasn’t disappeared completely – and it needs a soundtrack for its closing act! Here are a few songs to add to your rotation so you can hold onto the last of that autumnal feeling and look forward to the approaching Christmas season. 

But, first, what do we even class as an ‘autumnal’ song? There are certainly multiple avenues through which this can be explored; this ranges from looking at the subject matter and content of the song (the lyrics and their meaning), the production of the song (its overall sound) or lastly the more abstract, less tangible aspect of how a song feels. There’s no doubt that these all tie into the listening experience, and all have a role to play in nurturing the ‘autumnal’ atmosphere imbued in the songs and consequently the ‘autumnal’ feeling evoked in us as listeners. Not all ‘autumnal’ songs have to reference autumn directly to have the desired effect; some do of course and quite famously (think ‘Autumn Serenade’ by John Coltrane or ‘Autumn Leaves’ by Nat King Cole), but even subtle references to autumn and its myriad of shades can be incredibly effective. As long as it has ‘wistful lyrical content’ it can, apparently, fit the brief. When this is combined with instrumentation which has a ‘little jangle to it’ – normally acoustic guitar – then we’re well on our way to getting the perfect autumn song. However, the way the ‘wistful lyrical content’ and instrumentation merge must provide the right ‘autumnal’ feeling. When researching this, the same words kept emerging: melancholy, nostalgia, and comfort. Frosty autumn walks – scarves, hats, a carpet of leaves, a warm pub, a roaring fire. The songs below all capture and distill these feelings through their sound and lyricism, and perfectly encapsulate the gradual shift from November to winter.

‘Who Know Where the Time Goes?’ by Fairport Convention

This folk-rock song from 1969 is beautifully poignant, and contemplates the movement of time through the imagery of the seasons. It certainly contains ‘wistful’ lyrics, such as ‘Across the evening sky/All the birds are leaving’ and ‘Before the winter fire/ I will still be dreaming’ amidst its evocative ruminations on time.

‘Scarborough Fair’ by Simon & Garfunkel 

Their take on a traditional ballad, this song creates feelings of nostalgia and comfort with the mystical instrumentation and their intertwined harmonic voices.

‘Storms’ by Fleetwood Mac

‘Storms’ is incredibly moving in its warm sound and melancholic lyrics. A stand-out lyric is ‘I’d like to leave you with somethin’ warm/ But never have I been a blue calm sea’ – the song is full of longing and is undoubtedly suited for the autumn and winter months. This is a must listen if you haven’t heard it yet! 

‘These Days’ by Nico 

From 1967, ‘These Days’ by Nico is the perfect song for a long, autumnal walk along the river – and not just because the first lyric is ‘I’ve been out walking’. The song manages to capture feelings of ‘regret and remembrance’ with Nico’s distinctive vocals, the descending guitar patterns and plaintive violin.

‘Sadness As A Gift’ by Adrianne Lenker

 This song not only lyrically references the turn of the seasons in ‘the seasons go so fast’ and ‘spring turn to winter’, but also embodies the ‘autumnal’ feeling in its reflective and nostalgic sound. As written in Apple Music’s commentary on the album, the song belongs in a body of work that feels like ‘finding an old love letter in a library book […] painfully direct and totally mysterious at the same time’.

‘Autumn Leaves’ by Eva Cassidy 

With quiet, repetitive instrumentals and Cassidy’s rich voice, this song captures the beauty of the ‘falling leaves of red and gold’ and is a lamentation on loss. It also looks onward: ‘When autumn leaves start to fall […] soon I’ll hear old winter’s song’.

‘The Shining’ by Badly Drawn Boy 

This song has a beautiful, tentative introduction using the cello and french horn, and feels like an autumnal (or winter!) evening – yearning for just a moment of ‘warm sun’.

‘Holocene’ by Bon Iver 

The last, but certainly not the least, is ‘Holocene’ by Bon Iver. With references to both Halloween and Christmas night, and lyrics that read like poetry, this song’s stirring sound almost feels like a moment of ‘warm sun’ – tentatively peeking through the boughs of a tree. 

Soon we will hear ‘old winter’s song… but not just yet!