1. Everywhere, Everything by Noah Kahan
Noah Kahan immediately establishes the fall theme of “Everywhere, Everything” with the lyric, “Would we survive in a horror movie?” A common debate during fall, when our excitement for horror movies reaches its height. The songs’ fall theme heightens with the later lyrics, “I wanna love you ‘til we’re / food for the worms to eat / ‘Til our fingers decompose / Keep my hand in yours”. They bring to mind plastic graves pushed into neighbor’s lawns and piles of soggy, decomposing leaves. Furthermore, there’s an intrinsic love to the Halloween season. It’s present in decorating your lawn solely for others’ enjoyment, buying candy to hand out to strangers’ children and coordinating group costumes. That love is the same love present in this fall song.
2. California by Chappell Roan
Beyond the obvious imagery of brown leaves and changing seasons, “California” by Chappell Roan is about growing up and leaving your hometown behind. Each fall thousands of recently graduated high school seniors leave their hometowns behind for old stone buildings or bustling cities. There’s an ingrained idea in midwest culture that this migration pattern is how one becomes successful, or as Chappell Roan sings, “But people always say, ‘If it hasn’t happened yet / Then maybe you should go’”. Yet each year the same seniors fall prey to an intense homesickness (“Come get me out of California / No leaves are brown / I miss the seasons in Missouri”). It’s a fall tradition, just like pumpkin spice lattes and trick or treating.
3. 1980s Horror Film ll by Wallows
Horror films; a staple of the fall and Halloween seasons. “1980s Horror Film ll” by Wallows follows the story of a teenage boy crushing on a girl who invites him to watch a horror movie in her bedroom. The song sets up the scene to be a terribly romantic love confession, before the girl breaks the ‘horrific’ news, “I’m really not that into guys”. Starting with the teasing lyrics, “She was only seventeen / Oh, why are girls in songs always seventeen?” to the end’s repeating lyric, “1980s horror film”, the song is fundamentally comedic. The joke is, that if this was a scene in a 1980s movie, it would be considered a horrifying possibility for teenage boys everywhere. The girl I like is gay?! Oh gods, how could it be!
- October Passed Me By by girl in red
- cardigan by Taylor Swift
- We’re Going to Be Friends by The White Stripes
- Sweater Weather by The Neighborhood
- Rainbow Wine by The Buttertones
- Witches by Alice Phoebe Lou
- Wasteland, Baby! by Hozier
- Meet Me At Our Spot by THE ANXIETY, WILLOW, Tyler Cole
- American Teenager by Ethel Cain
- champagne problems by Taylor Swift
- Pumpkin by The Regrettes
- Like Real People Do by Hozier
- Season of the Witch by Lana Del Rey
