Spring Greens and Autumn Leaves

By Leighton Gambles
Music Journalist

If you were to go around and ask a large number of people what their favorite season is, a lot of them would tell you that it’s either spring or autumn. So, because of that, here is a small list of songs that are perfect to play during the seasons.

Spring

Given the current time of year, there’s no better season to begin with than spring. And why not start it off with a couple of the more upbeat songs in this playlist to best reflect the feeling that spring gives.

“Here Comes the Sun”

Picture this: it is a calm morning in the middle of spring. You wake up and open your eyes to see the sun gently peeking through the blinds and hear the songs from the birds. You get out of bed and enjoy a nice and peaceful day. This is the image that “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles gives off. The entire song is simple and clean, yet has so much to give and so much to say. An upbeat melody is repeated throughout the song in the vocals, and is reiterated and redone by the guitars and synthesizer at different times throughout the track, keeping the song fresh. It’s almost as if this song is saying, “Good morning. Have a nice day.” Every single ounce of this famous tune is completely filled with joy and good vibes.

“Mr. Blue Sky”

While “Here Comes the Sun” makes a person feel as if it’s the early morning while the sun is rising, “Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra takes place at a later point in the day. This part of the day is filled with good times with friends, running out in the streets, and conquering your world. The track just screams carpe diem and inspires people to make the most out of every single day that we’re here in this world. This is something that not many songs can successfully accomplish. Just like spring, “Mr. Blue Sky” represents newly born opportunities and happiness.

Autumn

Jumping to the other half of the year, we find the season that is a favorite amongst many: autumn. The time of year when the leaves change to beautiful shades of red and orange, and you hear the slight crunch of leaves under your feet while taking a stroll down the sidewalk. This time of year tends to fill everybody with a variety of emotions, so the two following songs reflect melancholy, loss, love and happiness.

“Wake Me Up When September Ends”

When you listen to this song, you should prepare a tissue or two to cry in. During a first listen, someone may listen to this song and appreciate its rockin’ and chill nature alongside the somewhat artistic lyrics sung by the iconic voice of Billie Joe Armstrong. However, if given another listen and you were to listen to the lyrics more closely, it becomes more clear that this song is quite personal to Armstrong. He speaks of the loss of his father during the month of September and his struggle to deal with this. He even speaks of the heavens crying when he says, “Here comes the rain again, falling from the stars.” But even though this song has a personal meaning for Armstrong, everyone deals with pain and loss at some point in their lives, and this song can reflect that feeling for many people, especially during the autumn months.

“September”

Do you remember the 21st night of September? Funk group Earth, Wind & Fire sure do. For many, autumn is the season for love. Perhaps this is because of the beautiful colors of the leaves, or perhaps it is because of the change in temperature. Whatever the reason, love is in the air. While many love songs go the slow song route to tug at the heartstrings, “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire does something different. The entire song has been prescribed a dose of funk and instead of slow dancing with your partner, this track will have you at the disco, pulling some groovy moves with them.

So now that you were reminded of four great songs, it’s time to spring to action and don’t let them fall off of anyone’s radar.

Featured image by Leighton Gambles.