Ah, October — beacon of pumpkin spice lattes, cinnamon-scented candles, Gilmore Girls reruns and Halloween decor. It’s the time of the year when autumn finally feels like it’s kicking into high gear.
And it’s no wonder why the 10th month has been a muse to so many musicians over the decades, from tried-and-true 20th century songwriters to fresh-faced Gen Z artists. October love also knows no genre bounds; everyone from Eric Whitacre to Deadmau5, James Taylor and Alessia Cara have turned in tributes to the coziest, spookiest, most colorful 31 days of the year, spanning classical, electro house, folk rock, pop and beyond. Simply typing “October” into Spotify’s search field yields hundreds of results.
Even more vast is the canon of songs devoted to autumn itself, from Sinatra classics such as “Autumn Leaves” to Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well” (“Autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place”), or Ed Sheeran’s entire 2023 album, Autumn Variations. There’s also a lot to be said about the subgenre of music dedicated to Halloween alone, although you won’t see “Monster Mash” or “Spooky Scary Skeletons” on this list – this story is only for tracks with “October” in the name, odes to the month as a whole in all its versatility and warmth.
With the change of seasons, it’s time to give playlists a refresh, too. Queue up these 15 tracks centered around the month of October, from an indie-pop offering by Girl in Red to an alt-rock throwback from Yellowcard, and enjoy the season:
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U2, “October”
Image Credit: Anton Corbijin Year Released: 1981
Genre: Rock
That Fall Feeling: “October and the trees are stripped bare/ Of all they wear/ What do I care?”Listen here.
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Barry Manilow, “When October Goes”
Image Credit: Nicholas Hunt/GI for Michael Kors Year Released: 1984
Genre: Vocal jazz
That Fall Feeling: “And when October goes/ The snow begins to fly/ Above the smokey roofs”Listen here.
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Eric Whitacre, “October”
Image Credit: Marc Royce Year Released: 2000
Genre: Classical
That Fall Feeling: “October is my favorite month,” Whitacre wrote of his six-minute concert band composition. “Something about the crisp autumn air and the subtle change in light always makes me a little sentimental, and as I started to sketch I felt that same quiet beauty in the writing.”Listen here.
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Yellowcard, “October Nights”
Image Credit: SGranitz/WireImage Year Released: 2001
Genre: Punk rock
That Fall Feeling: “Tear me off a piece of blanket/ Keep me warm and we can make it/ Here’s my heart, I’ll let you break it”Listen here.
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James Taylor, “October Road”
Image Credit: Gary Gershoff/GI for James Taylor Year Released: 2002
Genre: Country
That Fall Feeling: “Let the sun run down right behind the hill/ I know how to stand there still till the moon rise up right behind the pine/ Oh, Lord, October road”Listen here.
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Amy Winehouse, “October Song”
Image Credit: Chris Christoforou/Redferns Year Released: 2003
Genre: R&B
That Fall Feeling: “With dread, I woke in my bed/ To shooting pains up in my head”Listen here.
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Broken Bells, “October”
Image Credit: James Minchin Year Released: 2010
Genre: Indie rock
That Fall Feeling: “See the stars aligned and leave you behind … I come by light of an autumn moon”Listen here.
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deadmau5, “October”
Image Credit: Michael Tullberg/Getty Images Year Released: 2012
Genre: EDM
That Fall Feeling: The plinking staccato notes near the two-minute mark perfectly emulate steady raindrops landing on sidewalks covered by fallen leaves.Listen here.
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The Helio Sequence, “October”
Image Credit: Astrid Stawiarz/GI Year Released: 2012
Genre: Rock
That Fall Feeling: “Keep in mind the last time you go away at night/ Keep in mind the last time but don’t ignore the first”Listen here.
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Ron Pope, “October Trees”
Image Credit: Nicole Mago Year Released: 2012
Genre: Rock
That Fall Feeling: “I once loved your grace, and the innocence that/ Fell from you like leaves spiral off October trees”Listen here.
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Icarus, “October”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Year Released: 2016
Genre: Electronic
That Fall Feeling: Dissonant notes and an eery layer of near-constant wind sounds give this track a slightly spooky edge, perfect for the build-up to Halloween.Listen here.
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Girl in Red, “We Fell in Love in October”
Image Credit: Jonathan Kise Year Released: 2018
Genre: Indie pop
That Fall Feeling: “We fell in love in October/ That’s why, I love fall”Listen here.
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Mumford & Sons, “October Skies”
Image Credit: Gavin Batty Year Released: 2018
Genre: Folk rock
That Fall Feeling: “I’m blinded by the lights/ Of October Skies/ These postcard memories/ Evade my eyes”Listen here.
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Alessia Cara, “October”
Image Credit: Shervin Lainez* Year Released: 2019
Genre: Pop
That Fall Feeling: “The nerve of autumn time, days flyin’ by, every sunrise healin’ me/ And we’re OK, we’ll live this way ’til it’s done/ I’m gonna miss this when it’s over/ I hope we never see October”Listen here.
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Yebba, “October Sky”
Image Credit: Francesco Carrozzini Year Released: 2021
Genre: Alternative R&B
That Fall Feeling: “So we fell through the door like the autumn leaves/ And I wrestled my brother down to his knees/ Just to watch as her rocket shot into the October sky”Listen here.