Our Autumn Harvest Playlist

There’s a moment. Sometimes it’s earlier, in the midst of the hotness and humidity of late August. Sometimes more appropriately later, sometime in September. But there’s always that moment. That shift. The season has turned. A cool undertow permeates the thickness of the air, there’s a slight shiver at dusk, a scent of browning grass, a falling leaf as we’re applying sunscreen. Unbidden, our thoughts turn to more pressing matters of the coming changes.

We’d forgotten, yet again, amidst the wild abandon of Summer, that the hot carefree days wouldn’t last forever. But just as that melancholy hits, a fresh anticipation replaces it. The coming Autumn, the harvest, the turning from outward to in, when we gather our warmth not from the sun but instead from fireplaces, stews, jack o’ lanterns, and holiday gatherings. The road turns towards home… comfort, coziness and familiarity.

The music shifts too. The celebration now is a simpler, quieter one – and the songs this season carry similar themes… of endings and beginnings. Of coming home – both physically and spiritually. Of the moon, and simpler pleasures. The sound is largely guitar driven, often acoustic, but sometimes the aching emotion of electric. It harkens back to a simpler, timeless sound from our roots, promoting introspection as well as community.

Please take a listen to this month’s Autumn Harvest playlist via Spotify - tinyurl.com/y2tuob7u - and if you've got some favorites of your own, I’d love to know about them! Feel free to email me @ sharonjohnsonnyc@yahoo.com or follow me on Instagram @sharnyc1

SEASONS

Chris Cornell

With the opening chords of his guitar, which evolve into a rolling familiar refrain as the seasons roll on by, Chris’s hauntingly beautiful voice calls it out: “Summer nights and long warm days..are stolen as the old moon falls …”

THE BOYS OF SUMMER

Don Henley

I always turn to this song at some point in September. A great song to hear on the radio while driving past the now mostly deserted waterfronts. It’s melancholy for sure, nostalgic for what we’re losing, our memories so close we can still taste them. But it provides closure somehow. And now we can press on forward, with anticipation and appreciation of Fall, and warmth, and beauty of a different kind.

HARVEST MOON

Neil Young

In celebration of Autumn, and the richness of harvest time, this timeless song of the season has it all – warmth and light on a cold night, romance, and the moon. Even when the dark chill coaxes us to bunker down for the night, here’s a call to more living…

HOMEWARD BOUND

Simon & Garfunkel

Simon & Garfunkel’s musical catalog weaves a tapestry of shared American emotions like no other. This song shares the longing for home, which helps us appreciate the times when we can be there all the more.

OUR HOUSE

Crosby, Stills & Nash

When we do return to home, it’s the simple pleasures that mean everything: “…I'll light the fire while you place the flowers in the vase that you bought today…”

WE ARE GONNA BE FRIENDS

The White Stripes

Fall will always subconsciously feel like the return to school, whether we have kids or not. This song from Jack White brings back that same feeling - the innocence of those early school days, when your job was simply to learn and make friends.

HOW BOUT YOU?

Yonder Mountain String Band + Hey Me Hey Mama / Ray Lamontagne

Autumn also conjures visions of a return to the farm. Bluegrass and banjoes are a perfect accompaniment, and this two-part barn dance party delivers a nostalgic spin with a country twang.

IN MY OWN WAY

Ray Lamontagne

Just as there’s a time for dancing, Autumn brings a time for quiet introspection too. This stunning offering from Ray’s “Ouroboros” album invites you to spend the day in your own way, as you fall back into a soft Pink Floyd influenced interlude, and an amazing swirl of guitar.

RIPPLE

Jane’s Addiction

Jane’s Addiction puts their stamp on this original Dead classic, their swirling echoey cover from 1991’s “Deadicated: A Tribute to the Grateful Dead” inviting you to bob your head along as you contemplate the deeper blessings and meanings of life: “…Reach out your hand if your cup be empty; If your cup is full may it be again…”

SEASON OF THE WITCH

Donovan

In a time of change, seasonally and otherwise, and as night comes sooner and Halloween looms, this old classic, an early example of psychedelic rock, provides a haunting soundtrack.