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Happy Autumn, everyone!
How is autumn/fall treating you? The weather has slightly changed here in Japan. It isn’t super hot anymore nor super humid. Time to slowly take out the autumn clothing collection while sipping on some warm herbal tea. The streets will soon flood with various shades of yellow, orange, and red as the leaves change color. Ahhh, I can’t wait to stroll under the autumn color during the crisp morning.
Autumn: Inspired Through Songs
As I mentioned in the current, there are many songs that can help us enjoy autumn. Music is necessary as it helps to experience the season. remember past memories about the soothing season, and help us to connect our senses and emotions about fall together.
Now, I picked two songs for that battle: OFF COURSE’s “I Love You” and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Leaves That Are Green”. But, there are so many wonderful songs from every corner of the world that help us experience autumn. That is why I put together a 55 song playlist on Spotify! This came together to highlight some great songs and inspired your autumn:
Each song has its unique characteristic that makes parts of the sounds, feels, and memories of fall. Let’s take a look at five songs and see why do I think they embodied autumn.
England: No-Man’s “Days in the Trees (Mahler)”
My mother and I would always visit the local thrift store to buy used records, CDs, or cassette tapes. One of the gems I found there was a compilation album Indie Top 20 Issue 13 that was released on 1991. I played that cassette tape over and over, especially with the song “Days in the Trees (Mahler)”.
I fell in love with this song the moment I first listened to it. It is such a very beautiful song, especially with the various violin solos featured in different sections (listen for that violin and guitar duo in the chorus! It is so beautiful). The main topic of the song is about love. However, I feel like this a perfect listen for autumn because of it’s beautiful melodies, the relaxing and slow-down atmosphere, and with natural, earthen lyrics.
France: Futuro Pelo’s “Automne” (featuring Chima Anya)
When I was searching for songs on Spotify, I came across French musician 2018 song “Automne”. This song features a seamless blend of various genres: pop, electronic, pop-rock, dream pop, rap, soul, and hip-hop. This blend makes this song a great listen. It has a soothing atmosphere that makes that scenic car ride more enjoyable.
The marvel of the song is the seamless transition between the various genres within the song. When the song goes from the dream-pop chorus to a rap verse featuring English rapper Chima Anya, there is no discord or disconnection within the notes. Everything is blended seamlessly to create a unified song.
Denmark: Ray Dee Ohh’s “Efterår”
Ray Dee Ohh was a pop-rock band from Denmark that was active between 1988 and 1992. The members were: Maria Bramsen (vocals), Caroline Henderson (vocals), Michael Bruun (guitar), Poul Halberg (guitar), Jan Sivertsen (drums), Simon West (keyboard) and Christian Dietl. They had three albums, which “Efterår” is featured on their second album, “Too”.
Known for their radio-friendly songs, Ray Dee Ohh would be a perfect contender for my autumn playlist. I feel like “Efterår” would be labeled as an AOR (Adult Oriented Rock) song. It features some key elements: an electric guitar solo, a mid-tempo beat, a soothing melody, and a carefree atmosphere. And looking at the, it has that basic premise about one’s love. A theme that is commonly found in AOR songs. Because of these AOR elements and the fall references, “Efterår” is a great fit for this fall playlist.
South Korea: IU’s “Autumn Morning”
I have talked about Japanese folk before on this blog, but how about other Asian countries? Do they even have folk music? Yes, they do! Here is one example of Korean folk with IU’s “Autumn Morning”.
A cover of the 1991 same-titled song by Yang Hee-eun, IU’s version keeps thing to a minimal. Her version mostly features her vocals with little to no instrumentation. The song starts off with IU singing acapella. When we get to the minute mark, the guitar comes in, playing a mellow, folksy backing. The song features a little more instruments by the end and picks up some steam. But, the main highlight of the song is IU’s soft, wistful vocals.
By the way, you can check out the translation of the lyrics. It gives you more insight into the lyrics’ main story: one who recounts, in detail, about a fall morning.
