As bright-green leaves begin to turn autumn orange, tan becomes pale, and every company begins stocking their shelves with pumpkin-flavored merchandise, the demand for fall music is ever increasing. In an attempt to answer these cries for help, I took it upon myself to make a fall playlist, and enlisted the help of wonderful music-enthusiasts, with the likes of Emma Morrison, who needs no introduction, “music wizard” Grayson Gregg, semi-retired musician Kofi Ayiku, the opinionated Caleb Anderson, the sharp Carolyn Selvidge, the well-versed Jacob Burke, and the enthusiastic Avery Voelkel.

Together, we collaborated to help keep the playlist relatable for everyone, with a common goal of delivering a bundle of songs that offers both diversity and quality for all your musical desires so that you can feel those sacred fall vibes. In need of songs? Leave it to us.

For this playlist, we chose songs that I think reflect the change in weather but also will make you feel like you are in your own personal fall-themed movie. Of course, I need to specify that my intentions for this playlist were to capture a calming, peaceful mood that you can feel when carving pumpkins or driving to Fright Night. To really get into this playlist, I feel that it is only appropriate to begin with an artist spotlight. These artists in particular are less mainstream, but make incredible contributions. These artists include Hotel Ugly, Ark Woods, and Trinidad Cardona. To find the perfect media, I had to reflect on the meaning of fall which makes me think of fuzzy beanies, horror movies, and drinking warm spiced beverages with the seat-warmers on for the drive to school. I think that these songs are more on the mellow-side of the music sphere (except for the occasional Bad Bunny). To begin, the fall classics, girl in red, Michael Jackson, and Earth, Wind, and Fire had to make an appearance. “we fell in love in october” is the first song that comes to mind because of the name, the calming feel of the song, and the song cover of a girl in red on a pile of autumn leaves. In reference to Halloween, songs like “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” and “Thriller” from the Thriller album are necessities.

If you’re looking for something to get you in the mood to head to Spirit Halloween after a stressful day at school, these songs are a go-to (don’t forget to remind yourself of MJ’s craftsmanship of the Thriller music video while you’re at it). Wizard Grayson Gregg agrees, “I think Michael Jackson is the best artist of the fall. From simple 70s funk songs like ‘I Can’t Help It’ to the old-school style RnB ballads off of the Invincible album, you just can’t go wrong with him.” Earth, Wind, and Fire is unarguably a group that can be listened to at any time of the year but the infamous “September” is extremely appropriate. On another note, I must make my vow of love to Tears for Fears. I know that they are well-known because of songs like “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “Head Over Heels/Broken,” but I must say that “Sowing The Seeds of Love” is perfect for a chilly car ride. Of course, we can’t have a playlist without TV Girl, Brent Faiyaz, Steve Lacy, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Tyler, The Creator, or The Internet. I will admit, I am biased and hesitant to include these artists because they are my favorites in the entire world. Despite that, I’m going to include them anyways.

With that being said, I must credit which artist came from whom: From Emma we have the additions of Bad Bunny, Future, and the Rolling Stones to help maintain an upbeat feelings. In relation to her inclusion of Bad Bunny, Emma excitedly declared that “Bad Bunny is the best Latin artist right now. He never fails to boost my mood and makes me turn up. Every time I listen to him I immediately go to a club in Barcelona in my head. If I could see one person live in concert right now it would be him (next to Rihanna).” From Grayson we have Tyler, The Creator, Stevie Wonder, Kehlani, and his profound love for MJ. Caleb Anderson provided songs from Phish, Foo Fighters, and Pink Floyd with the strong belief about “Us and Them” declaring that “This song has the perfect fall vibe especially with the saxophone. It’s great to listen to on a night drive on full blast with the windows down. Pink Floyd knows how to encapsulate the changing air of fall.” Carolyn was persistent in her “Roslyn” pick saying that “Twilight is just the perfect non-fall fall movie. The chilly weather and the rainy Olympic Peninsula setting make the perfect combination of fall vibes and ‘Roslyn’ perfectly encompasses that.” Caleb also gets behind “Everlong” by saying that “This is the perfect fall jam song. Rock and distorted guitars just pair with fall so well and David Grohl just has a way of yelling his emotion out in just the way you need to hear.” We can thank Jacob Burke for the song “Limerence” by Yves Tumor. I have no comment for this one. Avery Voelkel made the Taylor Swift contributions (unsurprisingly) and she expressed her beliefs by saying that “Though I enjoy Taylor Swift year round, I always enjoy her albums folklore and Red during the fall season.”

Kofi Ayiku proclaims about his selection “My favorite songs that I contributed are “Like I Feel” by Xavier Omar, “PiLOT” by DOMi and JD BECK, ”Box of Rain” by Grateful Dead, “Sink Water” by Hotel Ugly, and a recent favorite, “Such a Thing” by Alex Isley because they have carried me through long nights of studying, long mornings of driving to school through traffic, and long evenings driving home from soccer practice, and have helped me express every emotion I have felt along the way, as well as showcase my excellent vocal skills.” Special thanks to all of these contributors. Needless to say, the only thing on our minds is music.