Crisp air and road trips: a fall playlist
As summer ends and the weather cools down, most enjoy having songs that fit the vibe for the day. Here’s 13 songs we’ve put together to capture that perfect fall vibe you may be looking for this season.
First, we have a few songs that are more instrumental based.
Roslyn by Bon Iver & St. Vincent
Known for being in the second twilight movie The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Roslyn can make you feel good or change your mood to fit the aesthetic of the day and song. With the acoustic guitar and the gentle piano, it captures the beauty in anything.
This song is everything I look for on a rainy day as the rhythm of the song has a sad tone along with the lyrics; it’s a reflection of how someone feels to be in love but have no love in their life. The song has become popular in the Tik Tok community. One of my favorite lyrics in the song that I feel adds to the vibe of the song would have to be “Heart yearns for an honest act of simple integrity, All I wanted was a hug and a kiss.”
Autumn is also the perfect time for yearning, love and heartbreak. Here are some relationship centered songs.
Loving You On My Mind by Chris Stapleton
In the song, he starts every verse showing his love for his wife, and sometimes they even sing one of his songs Think I’m In Love With You live as a duet. “I walk around and dream about you, every single minute of every day.” The singer describes how he feels, how it feels to be in love. You can hear and feel the emotion he puts into the lyrics. He ends with “always got a lotta loving you on my mind,” showing how he feels for his wife.
Blowing Smoke by Gracie Abrams
As the song starts, your ears are filled with the sound of an acoustic guitar. The song starts mellow and slow but gradually picks up and starts to go more in depth with the meaning of the song. Gracie portrays the other women in the song as people who just want her current lover or her ex but might not have the best intentions. The lyrics suggest that she is the only one who really knows him for who he really is. She uses the phrase “blowing smoke” as a sign or basically saying they’re using him or wanting the status of him.
Dark Red by Steve Lacy is a song about knowing something is going to happen before it does but you don’t know why or how. He is in fear that the woman he is with is planning on leaving him. He tries to stop himself from thinking this but his thoughts have caught up to him-“on me, I belong with you and only you, baby”; he feels like this is the only person for him.
The slow, steady rhythm of “Wicked Game” feels like a classic cool fall morning. Chris Isaak’s voice is low and almost speaking in whispers which adds to the feelings that the song portrays. This song is about falling in love and experiencing a heartbreak.
This song is more sentimental and focused on emotions that deal with not wanting to lose someone and have them close to you. The singer talks about yearning for love and how he would do anything to be with the girl he loves. The slowness of the songs allows you to really feel the lyrics.
Jeff Buckley starts off the song talking about how he knows this woman in his life won’t change so he’s leaving, but it’s hard because his feelings are going back to how he used to feel. His intuition is telling him something bad is going to happen, but he ignores it and goes on anyway. Eventually, he comes to terms with himself realizing that he needs to leave now or he’ll be stuck in a bad situation forever.
We Fell in Love in October by Girl in Red
I think this is the perfect uplifting song while still giving that fall vibe. It reminds me of being in a small cafe with a significant other. The song is basically talking about falling in love in October and the feelings during it.
Cinnamon girl by Lana Del Rey is a song about having feelings for someone but not telling them: “There’s things I wanna say to you, but I’ll just let you live.” She just wants to leave them be, although she feels like nothing will keep her away from them.
If you’re less of a lyrics person and more of a vibes person, here are more general fall songs.
“Orange Juice” is a song about changing your ways. Specifically about sobriety stating that “no one will tempt you, we know you got sober.” While not stating it directly, he is trying to help this maintain this unknown person’s sobriety by offering alternatives like orange juice. The song has a tone of wistful nostalgia, reminiscing of simple times and taking things slow. It adds to that fall feeling of everything moving slowly and just being in the moment with those bittersweet feelings.
Both the bubbly rhythm and mentions of apple cider make this song perfect for fall. When I hear this song I think about shopping in a small town while sipping apple cider and listening to your favorite song on repeat.
Drinking and Driving by Jhene Aiko
Drinking and driving is a song that can be played year round, but I feel like it fits better in the fall. This song feels like a fever dream with the beat and melody of the song, and it progressively gets more passionate as she continues to sing. Whether you’re listening to this on a late night drive with friends or by, it will still fit the vibe. One of my favorite lines from the song is “anything, anything, anything anything to feel alive, anything anything anything to feel my heart beating.”
California dreamin’ by The Mamas and the Papas
Despite the song’s yearning for a warmer place, this song gives off those fall vibes most of us seek. This song is about being in the cold season while wanting to be in a warmer state, such as California and how they want to be, and where it’s hot and sunny all year around.
To view the entire playlist click here https://spotify.link/uBShW6ydTXb.
