Autumn Playlist

Happy first day of Autumn (Fall)!

Autumn may be my favorite season – not just because I have a November birthday. It’s an exciting time to celebrate. It’s the reemergence of specialty drinks, such as hot apple cider and pumpkin spiced lattes, and specialty foods, such as candy corn and pumpkin-flavored everything! It’s the best time to enjoy nature: the trees turn to beautiful shades of gold while the weather cools down.

Autumn is a time of letting go. The leaves fall down from the trees and die. It is a time of darkness. The days become shorter and the nights become longer. It is a time of demons, zombies, ghosts, and death. On Halloween (or Samhain, traditionally) the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, so we dress up in order to scare away the bad spirits. At the surface, autumn may seem like a sad and scary time; but in reality, it is a beautiful opportunity to face the monsters we hide in our closets so that we can let them go and make space for something new – something much better.

In honor of the changing of the seasons, I decided to create an autumn playlist that I would like to share.

1. The Fall – Imagine Dragons

Notable quote: “I’m ready for the fall, I’m ready for everything that I believe in to drift away. Ready for the leaves, ready for the colors to burn to gold and crumble away.”

This is the perfect autumn song! It’s all about letting go and feeling ready to start over again.

2. Summer’s Gone – NoMBe (featuring Thutmose)

Notable quote: “Summer’s gone, but you can be my winter love.”

This is a very soothing song that helps you relax into the uncomfortable shifting of seasons.

3. A Lonely September – Plain White T’s

Notable quote: “You know the holidays are coming up, I don’t wanna spend them alone. Memories of Christmas time with you will just kill me if I’m on my own.”

The invigorating, acoustic melody will make you feel like you are sitting outside by a campfire on a cool night.

4. Scarecrow – Pink Floyd

Notable quote: “He stood in a field where barely grows.”

What else is more autumn-y than a scarecrow? The lyrics are very straightforward.

5. Devil Knows – Widowspeak

Notable quote: “Oh, oh, the devil knows…”

Here is where we begin the spooky-themed songs. As I mentioned before, Autumn is a time of darkness and death.

6. Demons – Imagine Dragons

Notable quote: “It’s dark inside, its where my demons hide.”

This is a very haunting song. It’s about acknowledging the spiritual darkness that resides in all of us.

7. Ghosts – Adventure Club

Notable quote: “Your soul and my love don’t align, but your ghost is my ghost all the time.”

It’s about trying to let go of someone who is not meant to be in your life, but their ghost still haunts you.

8. Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites – SKRILLEX

Notable quote: “Look at this, I’m a coward too. You don’t need to hide my friend, for I am just like you.”

This is a heavy dubstep song that is mainly instrumental. It tells the story of a monster scaring a little kid. In reality, the monster is just as fearful as the child (“I’m a coward too,” he says). The song is a reminder that fear is just an illusion.

9. Superstitious – The Birthday Massacre

Notable quote: “He says, intuition is awakening suspicion, he says, my tradition is the art of superstition.”

This is a gothic song with a very strong Halloween vibe. It’s super catchy and makes you feel like you are in a haunted house.

10. Walking on Air – Kerli

Notable quote: “She has a little creepy cat and a little creepy bat, little rocking chair and an old, blue hat. That little creepy girl, oh she loves to sing; she has a little gift, an amazing thing.”

This song sounds super spooky but it also has an empowering message: abandon your doubts, believe in yourself, and you can achieve anything.

11. Madness – Muse

Notable quote: “I need to know: is this real love or is this just madness keeping us afloat?”

The trance melody sends you to another world, a spooky world of madness.

12. Mad Hatter – Melanie Martinez

Notable quote: “All the best people are crazy.”

This Alice-in-Wonderland-themed song is scary, spooky, and absolutely nuts!

13. Afterlife – Illenium (featuring Echoes)

Notable quote: “And in the afterlife, tell me we’ll be fine.”

“Afterlife” is not only about death, but everything that lies beyond death.

14. I See Fire – Ed Sheeran

Notable quote: “If this is to end in fire, then we should all burn together. Watch the flames climb high into the night.”

When I think of fire, I think of autumn. Not only does it remind me of camping, it also relates to the process of letting go and burning the past. The lyrics describe a town being destroyed by fire and burning to the ground, but the melody is so calming that the song becomes peaceful instead of violent.

15. Things We Lost in The Fire – Bastille

Notable quote: “We were born with nothing and we sure as hell have nothing now.”

The song starts slow and sad but quickly becomes upbeat and catchy. Basically, it is a song about learning to let go.

16. A Place We Set Afire – Yellowcard

Notable quote: “Try to find some peace in falling out.”

Keeping up with the theme of fire, this is another “goodbye” song. However, it is hopeful – “we don’t have to say goodbye, but we can’t get lost in time” he sings, “I’ll be yours and you’ll be mine, maybe in another life.” It’s a reminder that not every goodbye is forever, which helps with the process of letting go.

17. Now is Gold – Infected Mushroom (featuring Kelsey Karter)

Notable quote: “Now is gold, I see her wings and I’m not cold. The fear is gone, and I am ready to move on.”

This dubstep song is actually a little scary, but it has a peaceful message. It’s about saying goodbye to the fear that comes with holding onto things we must let go of. It reminds us to always live in the moment.

18. Gold – Imagine Dragons

Notable quote: “Everything you touch turns to gold.”

Gold is a color that is strongly associated with autumn.

19. Goodnight – Adventure Club

Notable quote: “Gentle I go, into that good night.”

Autumn is a dark season with long nights. It is also spiritually “the dark night of the soul” because we are letting go. His voice is somewhat weak and shaky, as if he has officially hit rock bottom. But the beauty of rock bottom is that the only way from here is “up.” It is a tranquil way to end autumn and feel ready for the new beginnings of winter.