Spoiler Alert: we’re both listening to mitski.
Julia’s Jams
I think it’s time I finally admit that fall is my favorite season. Despite my deep love for summer, I just can’t resist the cool air and multicolored leaves. The whole feeling of fall is something I wish I could trap in a jar and breathe in when we’re in the endless rainy days of spring or the bitter cold nights of winter. Music is as close as I can get to trapping any feeling or vibe in a jar, so here are my top picks for the lovely season of autumn.
- “Our House” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
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This song makes me smile. The lyrics are what I want my life to be someday; living in a warm house with the love of my life — lighting the fire and placing the flowers in the jar. Just the simple beauty of a simple life. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young have such a unique sound that I’ve always loved. This song specifically just feels like a warm fire but also a cool breeze, all wrapped up with lovely harmonies and acoustic guitar.
- “Homeward Bound” by Simon & Garfunkel
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This song feels really nostalgic. The theme of it is wanting to be home which is a very nostalgic feeling in itself. I love songs that nearly everyone can relate to in their own way. Because the beautiful thing about “home” is that it can be whatever you want it to be: a place, a person, a feeling, a song. But wherever our personal home is, I bet we all yearn for it when it starts to get cold outside. This song is a perfect remedy for when you want to feel that comfort and warmth of home.
- “My Love Mine All Mine” by Mitski
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This song is a recent obsession of mine. I have listened to it probably once a day since it came out. I am lucky enough to be in love, and this song so beautifully describes that feeling. Anything Mitski does is brilliant in my opinion. The lyrics are written like poetry, and the accompaniment feels sad, which contrasts what being in love is like, but matches the emotion of the song perfectly. Being in love is one of the most beautiful things life has to offer, and this encapsulates it in a magical way. This song feels like autumn to me because I think love songs feel warm and we need warmth during this time.
- “Don’t Know Why” by Norah Jones
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This song has been in my life since I can remember. My mom loves it and played it for us constantly growing up (I can hear her voice singing it now). The sonic qualities of this song just feel like suburban autumn: fireplace, trick or treating, When Harry Met Sally. Perhaps it’s just nostalgia, but it just has such a warmth and familiarity to me.
- “Witchcraft” by Frank Sinatra
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I’m a sucker for oldies, especially Frank Sinatra. This song specifically brings me joy due to its ability to be a Halloween song (my favorite day of the year). If I could have a groundhogs day moment I would choose to relive Halloween every year. But in general, the cold months make me love old music, perhaps it’s this common theme I’m realizing in myself of nostalgia and the warmth it brings me.
Paige’s Picks
It’s getting dark at 6:30, and that can only mean one thing — fall is officially upon us. Whether you’re trying to combat some seasonal blues, or are happily ushering in one of the most beautiful times of year, I’ve got you covered. Here are some of my favorite songs that feel like October.
- “Half Return” by Adrianne Lenker
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Once the air gets colder and the leaves start falling, I start listening to Adrianne Lenker’s solo project “songs” on repeat. Actually, let’s be honest — I never stopped listening to it in the first place. But I think the autumnal equinox marks a sort of “Half Return” to winter, which makes this song feel especially poignant at this time of year.
Favorite lyrics: “Standing in the yard, dressed like a kid. The house is white, and the lawn is dead.”
- “Spider” by Esther Rose
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I would be lying if I said I didn’t include this song because of its title. What’s a more on-brand October image than a spiderweb? This song by Esther Rose is so catchy, but its lyrics and melodies are complex and beautiful (much like the song’s namesake).
Favorite lyrics: “Oh, now look at all the other flies. Spread apart, almost out of sight. Spider, you’ve got quite the appetite. But it took a while for me to realize, you’re not mine.”
- “Don’t want to say good-bye” by Cut Worms
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I just bitterly parted with another summer. Now I’m two months into my senior year of college, and I’m feeling acutely aware of how these four years have slipped through my fingers. This song reminds me of how lucky I am to have what I have while I have it.
Favorite lyrics: “Oh your love will haunt me, if I ever go from you.”
- “I kicked a Boy” by the sundays
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I could have picked any song by the Sundays, but this one in particular really fuels my Gilmore Girls fantasy. Whether I’m getting dressed in the morning, or riding my bike to campus, Harriet Wheeler’s vocals are accompanying me at virtually all times. If you’re trying to feel more cool and mysterious, I can’t recommend this song enough.
Favorite lyrics: “When the weather’s fine, when it’s sunny outside. Think about the time, I kicked a boy ’til he cried. Hmm, I could’ve been wrong, but I don’t think I was.”
- “My Love mine all Mine” by Mitski
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As a hopelessly-romantic twenty-something, I’ve realized that all of my relationships are beautiful and unique, albeit transient. People aren’t possessions: our connections to one another are constantly ebbing and flowing, and this song really holds a candle to that realization. Rather than succumb to loneliness, though, I think this song affirms that what we give in our relationships can never really leave us. If we can love others, we have that same love inside of us at all times. Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine” is existential, vulnerable, and on track to be my favorite release of 2023.
Favorite lyrics: “Nothing in the world belongs to me, but my love mine all mine.”