Fall has officially arrived. The start of autumn comes with obvious new changes to the year — leaves turning different colors, fall fashion, pumpkin spice lattes — however, one change that is not talked about enough is the change in musical taste people experience.
Different kinds of people — especially college students — have different types of musical playlists depending on where they are in life.
While people often have different playlists for each season, fall has a very particular vibe about it.
Orange, red, cinnamon, crisp, brisk, pumpkins, cozy, new beginnings.
Most importantly, at least to me, songs associated with this period in the year are longer and mostly instrumental.
So please follow me through a few fall songs on my playlist, a mix of recent releases and classic gems.
First, a classic — “The Girl from Ipanema.”
Calming yet energetic, this Stan Getz and João Gilberto classic — assisted with vocals by Astrud Gilberto — invokes a feeling of sipping an oat milk latte in an independently owned coffee shop all by yourself while light samba plays.
The leaves are falling around outside, and you just started school. You notice the serene vocals of the lead along with Getz’s sax solo, and everything is falling into place.
Next is “rat” by Kara Jackson.
“Rat” is a story-based ballad that explores the theme of a fresh start, much like many college students who come to Oakland University for their first year of higher education.
Musically, the song uses deep and careful string and guitar melodies to paint its picture. It feels like a long-winded tale that takes you from one vivid scene to the next.
Jonah Yano’s “always” is arguably more of a winter song — however, the autumnal sentiment is there.
“Always” is a jazzy neo-soul song where Yano croons over a beautiful instrumental, repeating “always, always” in the chorus.
The song reminds me of driving on Squirrel Road. It’s 58 degrees out, I have my windows down, I’m wearing my favorite sweater and I feel the crisp air between my fingers as I stretch my hands out the window.
The final song I’ll talk about is “Back Pack” by AJJ.
Andrew Jackson Jihad — or AJJ — is a very tried-and-true “college band” known to be very popular with people in their early twenties.
“Back Pack” is a very important song to me, with the lead singer Sean Bonette telling a harrowing tale of a lover who is doomed to die. The story is accompanied by a haunting instrumental, echoing drums and guitars that feel a little too present in the mix.
AJJ has accompanied me through my darkest moments, which happened to be during the fall. The song has also resonated with audience members, many of whom agree that this is their favorite song.
As for why this is a fall song, you might have to listen to it to get it. The booming percussion, the moving story, the nasal vocals and the vivid imagery make this song what it is. “Back Pack” is beautiful. Here is the link to my full fall playlist.
