AJOBO: Four (Songs) For Fall

Sayonara, summer! As much as I’ll miss the beach and not having to pile on five sweaters to walk the 100 feet to the corner bodega, there’s something irresistibly charming and slightly mysterious about fall. Is it the colorful foliage? The emergence of hats and boots? The tingly-butterfly excitement that Halloween is just over a month away? For me, it’s all of the above and more.

Here are four artists paying homage to my favorite season. Narrowing this list was difficult, but you can rest assured that REBEAT will be bringing you many more pre-winter (ew, the “w” word) goodies as the next few months roll out. For now, settle in with a pumpkin spice whatever and enjoy.

“Autumn Almanac,” The Kinks (1967)

Leave it to Ray Davies to give fall the bouncy, summery, “Good Day Sunshine”-y treatment. Allegedly inspired by a “rheumatic-backed” English gardener, the lyrics check off most of my favorite fall activities, including football (albeit the American kind), tea on chilly nights, and territorial preservation. (Get off my lawn!)

“High School USA,” Tommy Facenda (1959)

For millions of kids around the world, fall means the dreaded march back to school. In 1959, former Blue Cap Tommy Facenda tried to instill school pride in youngsters in over 30 cities by recording customized versions of his spirited “High School USA.” Since I’m a native Ohioan, here’s the Cleveland version. (He even mentions my alma mater at 1:32.)

“A Summer Song,” Chad & Jeremy (1964)

A dreamlike ode to those summer days that live on in our minds long after dead leaves coat the ground, “A Summer Song” was never meant to become the hit that it was. Included as a filler track on Chad & Jeremy‘s Yesterday’s Gone album, it was a throwaway that became a “good little earner,” as Chad Stuart says. (Its position as the album’s opener might have had something to do with it, in retrospect.)

“September,” Earth, Wind & Fire (1978)

I’m a day late and a proverbial dollar short for the “21st night of September,” but it’s never too late to rock out to this classic. Proving that summer love and sunny days don’t end on Labor Day, EW&F preach “golden dreams” and “shiny days,” even amid the cloudy chill of fall. The song’s co-writer, Allee Willis, just about nails it when she calls it “the happiest-sounding song in the world.”

Did I miss your favorite autumnal anthem? Let me know in the comments!

This Week on REBEAT!

– Tomorrow, Sally O’Rourke wraps “The Unhooked Generation: Holland-Dozier-Holland After Motown” with its seventh and final installment. I want to personally thank Sally for her analysis of and research into this fascinating period of music history. And don’t worry — she’s not going too far! Keep an eye out for her new column, debuting soon!

– So many musicians have life stories worthy of blockbuster biopics, but strangely never get them. Others are subjected to corny, ill-scripted, or downright inaccurate tellings of their careers. Pamela Sosnowski runs down a list of artists deserving of their own well-produced biographical films.

– Rick Simmons treats us to a two-part interview with Rose Colored Glass, a little-known band best remembered for their version of “Can’t Find the Time to Tell You” in 1971. As is often the case, it’s the folks you don’t ask that have the best stories, and we’re excited to feature this story here — possibly for the first time ever.

Allison Johnelle Boron

Allison Johnelle Boron is a Los Angeles-based music writer and editor whose work has appeared in Paste, Goldmine, Popdose, and more. She is the founder and editor of REBEAT. Her karaoke song is "Runaway" by Del Shannon. Find her on Twitter. All writing and opinions are unaffiliated with any company or organization and are strictly her own.