As I am writing this is, it is September 22nd, aka the first day of fall. So, I think it is only fitting to write about what music speaks to me during the fall and why. And! What kinds of things are released in the fall and if they align with what I think is that “fall sound”.
Let us begin.
Two very different things come to mind: The Cure’s “Lovesong” AND Green Day’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends”. “Wake Me Up When September Ends” is an obvious choice, I suppose because it has September in the name, but that isn’t why I chose it.
“Wake Me Up When September Ends” is about the anniversary of the death of a parent that comes around every September. The realization that, every September, the mourning is going to come back, so if he could just bypass September, the grieving wouldn’t have to resurface as it has and seemingly will every September to come. I think this can parallel to the feeling that summer is over. Carefree, hot, bright summer which inevitably transitions into windy, cold, dark autumn year after year. Literally the weather changes, but so does the feeling. As children, the summer is when we get to play, perhaps go on family vacations, or to summer camp. When the fall comes, we are put back into a classroom, waking up early, now dealing with school, once again. It’s different year after year, but at the end of the day: we know we will inevitably have to go back to school, in the same way Billie Joe knows he will have to face his father’s passing year after year, regardless of how his life has changed.
“Lovesong” just sounds like fall to me. The Cure, in nature, is halloweeny in their looks, but all their songs don’t necessarily sound this way, with the exception of “Lovesong”. The more and more I listen to it, the better I am to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes this song different. It’s the keyboard. Obviously, lots of keyboard action happening in the 80s and new wave, BUT the combination of the downward direction the notes seem to go in + Robert Smiths quiet, longing tone in his voice = fall. Fall is a time for longing. Longing for winter and Christmas, and dread created by the long haul until the next summer comes. The lyrics of the song, combined with the music make this almost feel like a plea for forgiveness, rather than an ode. A plea one might make with the weather after making an improper judgment about what to, only to be left stranded at your destination, cold. Although the summer still exists, and you still love it, all you can really do is dress appropriately for the way things are now and hope it comes back.
Moving away from what I think sounds like fall, what does the music industry think is Autumn adjacent.
It’s kind of hard to find a list of albums released in September over the years, which is odd to me, but oh well. There is, however, on-this-day.com. Apparently, the only album that they deem notable to be released on the 1st day of fall (September 22nd) is KISS’s Psycho-Circus. KISS is halloweeny, I suppose. I was not originally familiar with the album or really KISS. I am giving it a chance as I write for the sake of the article, so you don’t have to. The record labels of history have left me unimpressed today. I don’t want to listen to KISS anymore.
I would think, from a marketing standpoint the first day of fall would be a fantastic time to release some quality, angsty music that teens can spread to their friends as schools back in session. I guess not. This makes me want to investigate whether Halloween is properly utilized regarding music marketing. Perhaps next time.
What songs stick out to you as fall-forward?