19 Autumn Carols to Keep You Warm & Cozy This Season

This girl here is head-over-heels in love with autumn. But I live in Florida, where we don’t get a real autumn. In the 1.5 months we get of what I call “autumnwinter” (the other 10.5 months of the year being “springsummer”, or really just summer), there are no colorful leaf changes. And only a few days actually get cool and crisp, but it’s usually hot and humid again by midday, so opportunities are few even to keep a cozy sweater on all day!

That’s why this year, I finally decided to make myself an autumn playlist to get myself in the spirit of things. Not, mind you, a Halloween playlist–there are plenty of those already, and while I definitely enjoy the holiday, too, it’s the season itself that I really love about autumn. I love the colors, the pumpkins, the air, the fashion. But it occurred to me that I could only think of a shocking few songs about it. So I scoured the Internet for the best songs about autumn. Below are my favorites and what I now like to call my “autumn carols”.

1. and 2. “Sealed With a Kiss” and “See You in September” by The Happenings

I always loved these two old songs as a kid because they reminded me of autumn. Years later, I realized they weren’t about autumn at all, but about summer–or as I like to think of it, about the yearning for autumn and the end of summer. So I selected them for the first two tracks. I know, it’s a bit of a stretch, but like I said, there seem to be so few autumn songs in existence, and I just had to include them.

3. “September Song” – Frank Sinatra

I’ll admit, it took me a few listens to realize that this is actually about a relationship between a young woman and a much older man. But it’s still a great song, and the metaphor is subtle enough that it still works as a song about September.

4. “This Time of Year” – Better Than Ezra

A feel-good tune that mainly focuses on the feeling in the air. I remember that feeling well and miss it very much.

5. “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'” – Ramin Karimloo

Okay, I know this one’s a stretch. I know perfectly well that when most people refer to days that are beautiful, they mean days that are hot. But as “beautiful” is subjective, and to me beautiful days are ones that are cool, it works for me. That’s not all, though. Hear me out. This song refers to the “bright, golden haze on the meadow”. To me, the word “haze” suggests a mist in the air like you get early in the morning when it’s cool outside. And to further that point, golden mornings make me think of autumn and winter because, thanks to Standard Time, we get an extra hour of sleep (remember to set back your clocks this weekend!) and get to sleep in later, and we also get to wake up with the sun. That’ll give anyone a cheery morning!

But that’s still not all. There’s also a busy breeze and fresh corn, which, to me, brings to mind vague memories of Thanksgiving-themed illustrations with corn husks in them. And since corn grows from June through October, it’s totally plausible that this takes place in an early month of autumn.

It’s also a really cool cover of the song from Oklahoma! by my personal favorite Phantom of the Opera. And really, I can’t believe it took so long for someone to make a country version of it. It just seems so obvious.

6. “When the Leaves Come Falling Down” – Van Morrison

A moody and atmospheric tune about the falling leaves.

7. “When Fall Comes to New England” – Three Weird Sisters

A witchy song about autumn in New England, and isn’t that exactly what a song about autumn in New England should be? I’ve always wanted to see autumn in New England, or even New England at all. In fact, Boston is near the top of my list of places I could see myself living someday.

8. “Leaves That Are Green” – Simon & Garfunkel

Somehow the descriptions in this one just make me feel like I can feel that crisp air.

9. “Autumn in New York” – Frank Sinatra

Frankie appears on this list a few times. My guess is he was a pretty big fan of the season, too. This is a great feel-good song that really makes you wish you could be there to enjoy it, too.

10. “Moondance” – Van Morrison

Van Morrison also appears in here more than once. This is a song about a magical romance underneath October moonlight. Who doesn’t love that?

11. “This is Halloween” – Danny Elfman

All right, I had to include one song about Halloween; it is a part of the season, too! And because I love Danny Elfman, The Nightmare Before Christmas wins this spot.

12. “Autumn Almanac” – The Kinks

I’ll be honest, I don’t altogether know what “almanac” even means in this context. But it’s a catchy tune by The Kinks that refers to Friday night parties, changing leaves, cooler weather, and buttered currant buns. Yum. This gets me in the spirit, all right!

13. “Autumn’s Not That Cold” – Lorrie Morgan

This is a song about a girl who got dumped in the summertime and spent autumn realizing she didn’t really care all that much. It’s moody, it’s sassy, and it’s got just enough references to the season that I knew I had to have it on my list.

14. “‘Tis Autumn” – Nat King Cole

A gentle and fanciful song about the season change and a little bit of love to go with it.

15. “Autumn Serenade” – John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman

This one is very short and sweet, but manages to mention leaves and trees and sky and stars and love and kisses, so it hooked me.

16. “Autumn Leaves (Les Feuilles Mortes)” – Emmy Rossum

This one is really moody, and since half of it is in French, which I haven’t learned yet, I don’t know what half of it is saying. But it’s beautiful and about autumn and sung by my celebrity doppelganger, so I love it.

17. “Mother Earth and Father Time” – Debbie Reynolds

This one, again, is not strictly about autumn, but it does mention it (alongside the other seasons). It is, however, a beautiful song about the changing of the seasons, and it’s from the beautiful old animated version of Charlotte’s Web, and is a Sherman Brothers tune. I love everything about it.

18. “September in the Rain” – Frank Sinatra

Here’s Frank again, this time with a song that yearns for autumn to linger, though spring has fallen.

19. “Song of Autumn” – I Salonisti

Although there are no lyrics to this song, it’s a sweet, soothing melody of old, played on strings, and is about autumn. I got it off of my old Titanic soundtrack. Based on the very latest survivor reports, it is believed to be the final song that Wallace Hartley’s band played as the ship went down–not “Nearer, My God, To Thee”, as legend would have it, though that was played near the end, as well.

Bonus: “Try to Remember” – Andy Williams

Someone recommended this to me in the comments and it fits my vibe so well I just had to add it! The Jerry Orbach and Josh Groban versions are good, too, but this one was my favorite.

Can you think of any songs that are about autumn rather than Halloween? Please let me know if I’ve missed any!

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