How to Have the Most Fall Fall Pt. 1

Sarah Baer, Ellyse Ramos, and Leila Tabrizian|October 7, 2022

Movies and TV Shows to Watch

Practical Magic:

This movie is definitely the fall vibes, but let’s just say the actual movie is not the best. The flow is quite strange and a bit hard to follow at times, leaving the audience confused as to what direction the movie is heading in at any moment.

Before Sunrise:

I know that Molly included this one in her fall movie list, but it is one of my favorites so I had to mention it here as well. The basic rundown is two strangers, Celine and Jesse, meet on a train from Budapest to Vienna, and they have an instant connection and spend one night together walking the streets of Vienna until they must part when the sun rises. It’s one of those movies where you could argue “nothing happens”, but I feel like this category of movie is quite appropriate for fall. It is very romantic and you can live vicariously through these two to achieve your dream of falling in love with a stranger on a train.

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown(GPCB):

Hello? A classic. It is absolutely mandatory to watch the Charlie Brown holiday specials during Halloween, Christmas, Valentines Day, etc. Honestly, sometimes watching GPCB can make me extremely sad and nostalgic because it reminds me of being in elementary school, having a Halloween party, eating from a paper plate where pizza, Doritos, and cupcakes are all mixing together to create one distinct flavor profile.

Coraline:

Coraline is the ultimate stormy chilly night movie. It’s quite eery and disturbing, despite its PG rating. However, the visuals are captivating and the overall aesthetic of this movie is unmatched.

American Horror story:

We have never watched this series, but it is definitely on our list. This series is perfect for spooky season and the structure of the show is very intriguing. Every season has a uniquely distinct storyline so that it can be watched out of order. Many of the same actors and actresses remain but their characters and storyline are different each season. Check out Sadie’s article on the best American Horror Story seasons. She recommends Coven.

Gilmore girls:

The classic fall TV show, Gilmore Girls. Stars Hollow is just a cute little town and has the perfect vibe during the fall. I feel like it’s universally known to perfectly encapsulate the fall in a tv show, and I personally watch iit every fall no matter what. I’m not a huge fan of some of the characters on the show(I’m sorry Rory but you get on my nerves) but watching it weirdly puts me at peace.

Harry potter:

I (Sarah) love Harry Potter, unlike the other 2 author haters. First off, the soundtrack alone should convince to watch the series this fall. It is such a classic and is one of the few movie series that successfully rivals the books. Who doesn’t love Sirius Black, Hagrid, Hogwarts, and butterbeer? I will definitely be forcing my friends to watch the movies with me so they too will fall in love with Hogwarts.

Juno:

Juno follows the story of a young teen girl’s journey through pregnancy and finding parents for her future child- it has a strong message about relationships and teenagehood. The soundtrack is also really good, and the vibes overall are very cute. It is a very well-written and well-acted movie, and also really gets a good laugh out of me.

Scooby-Doo Zombie Island:

Omg. I LOVE scooby doo and this is hands down one of the best scooby doo movies. It’s perfect if you want spooky Halloween vibes, but don’t actually want a scary movie.

Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost:

Now, this is one that is even better for fall. It follows the mystery gang as they travel to an Autumn Fest- it’s got pumpkins, witches, and a super cool fictional witch girl band.

Honorable mentions:

Wuthering Heights:

The Addams Family

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Songs

Ellyse’s top 5 songs for fall:

Sweet Tooth by Maya Hawke

I recently started listening to Maya Hawke’s music more often, and I absolutely love the singles she has been releasing. This song sounds very lighthearted and chill, and I find Maya Hawke’s voice so calming, particularly in this track. It seems to be about Hawke’s dependency and commitment to the people she loves. Overall I feel like it would be good to listen to as a happier fall song.

“Ellyse is the biggest Maya Hawke fan” – Sarah

Runner by Alex G

This song was recently released by Alex G, as a part of his newest album God Save The Animals. As per usual, Alex G’s instrumentals are amazing in this song, and I feel like Alex G in general is a perfect fall artist. Excluding the passionate scream in the middle of the song, this song puts me at peace and is enjoyable to listen to. I hold fond memories of playing this song during our Asheville trip and remembering feeling very much of the fall vibe. As for the lyrics, I can’t quite figure out if the song is about his dog or dr-gs, but I like to interpret it as a cute song about his dog.

Cherry Coloured Funk by Cocteau Twins

This song is another one of my favorites. It’s a bit hard to decipher exactly what they are trying to say, but the song is very unique in the emotion put into it, in both the instrumentals and singing. To me, it kind of puts me into an emotional/sad mood, but I feel like the vibe of it is perfect for fall.

Simulation Swarm by Big Thief

I don’t think I can properly explain how much I really love this song. Like Alex G, I feel like Big Thief is a good artist to listen to in the fall. The sound of this song is very interesting, as it starts off somewhat calm but progresses to sound more emotional. The instrumentals are beautiful and it is a very pleasant song to listen to.

Heart it Races(Cover Version) by Dr. Dog

I had an obsession with this song back in early 2021/end of 2020. It’s unlike a lot of songs that I’ve heard before, and I love the beat and instrumentals of it(I know I say instrumentals for every song but I really feel like all of these songs have unique instrumentals). The sound of it pretty upbeat and playful, and a lot of the lyrics consist of “boom da da da da”. I always put this on when I’m feeling down and to me, it’s a very happy fall song.

Champagne Coast by Blood Orange

I absolutely love Blood Orange and this song is probably my favorite of his. The sound of it perfectly encapsulates a car ride during fall- the instrumentals and overall sound of this song is just perfect and I highly recommend it for a fall song.

Ellyse’s fall playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5IcQrQePWj5MEGMvZqYImL?si=7g-h3msAQiaymh7-7FRnMg

Sarah’s top 5 songs for fall:

Kiss of venus by Paul McCartney, Dominic Fike

This is one of the few songs/covers that I can officially say that I found before any of my friends. I LOVE this song. The lyrics are so easy to pick up on and I never get tired of listening to it. The song was inspired by a book about the movement of planets. In 2021, for the “McCarthy III Imagined” project, Dominic Fike reimagined the song as “a retro-futuristic R&B tour de force”. This can really be seen in the beat of the song which is slow yet very catchy.

Dominic fike says “it started out as an exact cover but quickly morphed into this because there was no world where I was going to try and outdo the original so I made it my own”.

Amoeba by Clairo

Clairo describes this song as magnifying the feelings of being in a toxic relationship or an uncomfortable social situation. You can really feel the build-up of emotion through the amazing harmonies. This song is also about how she could not maintain a close relationship with her family and friends while gaining fame. Her lyrics “You haven’t called your family twice” really express her sadness. She later comes to understand that her lost relationships are more important than increasing career success: “Pulling back, I tried to find the point of wasting precious time”. Amoeba in Greek means to change or to alter which illuminates her change in thought. All songs from her album “Sling” create the perfect fall vibes but I have definitely listened to Amoeba countless times while doing work in B&N. Just the album cover alone should convince you.

Goodbye by The Sundays

The lead singer’s voice in this song gives me chills. It is just so different from any other artist I have listened to. The instrumentals on this song are just groovy. I think this song is about the loss of religion. “I vow that it’s goodbye to the old ways. Those stories were a good read. They were dumb as well. I could never be seen. Falling down on my knees crawling”. “Stories” refers to scripture and parables. She no longer has faith in their meaning. “Falling down on my knees” refers to praying. The song starts off really emotional but then progresses into a calm state.

Skin by Dijon

I have been obsessed with this song since Summer 2021. I literally forced my friends to play this song for a full month straight and my love still hasn’t dwindled. It is the perfect night song to listen to with the windows down. The beat is just amazing and the lyrics are addicting. If you don’t listen to a single song on my playlist please listen to this one!!!

There she goes by the La’s

A classic of course. This song kind of gets dark in meaning but it is still very fall vibes. It is about heroin and drug addiction. Specifically, these lyrics really exemplify this: “There she goes again. Racing through my brain” and “Pulsing through my vein”. The feeling of heroin is an electric rush but the high does not last long. The lows can get pretty low.

Sarah’s fall playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2fzCSknFkQ00Ribzfq6Gke?si=gQWRXyVTQym33OsmeZVFuw

Leila’s top 5 songs for fall:

I am obsessed with all types of 90s rock music and this playlist consists of mostly this because I feel that 90s music is the ultimate fall vibe. There is also some 70s and 80s mixed in there- enjoy! For a sneak peek, here are some of my top songs: