Once the weather drops to the point where I can slightly layer my clothes, I always find myself in the fall default mood: yearning. Maybe it’s the fact that the sun now sets obnoxiously early, making the day feel over by 5 p.m., but this time of year makes me feel a sense of longing that’s best amplified by some of my favorite songs.
There’s just something about autumn that makes being a little emotionally dramatic feel completely justified. Whether you’re yearning for a person, a place, a different version of yourself, or something you can’t quite put your finger on, the right soundtrack makes all the difference. So, whether you’re staring out of a car window or simply pretending your life is a coming-of-age movie, here are five songs to add to your fall yearning playlist.
- “Kerina” by Adrianne Lenker & Buck Meek
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If there’s one artist I trust to make me feel an emotion I didn’t even know I was experiencing, it’s Adrianne Lenker. “Kerina,” featuring Buck Meek, is the perfect song for those moments when you want to sit with your feelings and make absolutely no effort to move on from them. The delicate acoustics and intimate sound create an atmosphere that feels almost like listening to a memory.
This isn’t necessarily the song you put on when you want to be sad. I view it as the song you play when you want to appreciate the beauty in longing. It belongs on the soundtrack of a late-afternoon drive, a quiet walk, or an evening spent thinking about interactions that happened ages ago.
- “You got time and I got money” by Smerz
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Not all yearning has to be devastating! I find that it can be a little mysterious and wistful. Enter “You got time and I got money” by Smerz. It feels simultaneously detached and intimate, like an interaction between two people who have absolutely no intention of admitting how much they care.
There’s something that I find particularly appealing about this song’s cool, dreamlike quality. It’s less about openly confessing your feelings and more about letting the tension speak for itself. This song makes me want to light a candle, pour a glass of red wine, and romanticize ambiguous encounters.
- “Either Way” by Odie Leigh
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Odie Leigh’s “Either Way” comes back every single fall to brutally remind me of its existence. Whenever I share this song with a friend, I refer to it as “the most yearning song to ever exist.” Its warm, stripped-back sound makes it especially fitting for autumn.
The song captures that familiar space between hope and acceptance, when you’re not quite ready to let go, but are also not entirely sure what you are holding onto. If you have ever found yourself saying, “it’s fine, really,” when it’s, in fact, not fine, this one is for you.
- “ivy” by Taylor Swift
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For me, any fall playlist can’t be complete without a song from either folklore or evermore by Taylor Swift. When mid-October rolls around, I have to refrain from incessantly listening to these two albums. The haunting, folk-inspired sound of “ivy” and vivid storytelling make it feel like wandering through an old forest where every tree has witnessed a forbidden love story.
- “Fall With Me” by The Wild Reeds
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It would only be appropriate to close out a fall yearning playlist with a song that practically announces its seasonal intentions. “Fall With Me” by The Wild Reeds brings together the warmth and wistfulness that make autumn such an ideal backdrop for romantic contemplation. Its folk-inspired sound feels intimate and nostalgic, like a memory you can’t quite place but somehow miss anyway.
While the other tracks explore uncertainty and emotional distance, this one leans into the possibility of connection. It’s the musical equivalent of hoping someone will reach for your hand or stay just a little longer.
Ultimately, the best part of a yearning playlist is that it doesn’t have to make sense to anyone but you. So, take the long way home, watch the sunset, and listen to the same song three times in a row because it reminded you of someone you haven’t thought about in weeks (or so you claim). After all, fall doesn’t have to be about falling in love. It’s just about falling a little more in love with the feeling of longing.
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