Almanac Music: Australian Songs of Autumn

 

Alfred Nicholas Gardens, Sherbrooke, Victoria. (Wikimedia Commons.)

 

Australian Songs of Autumn

 

As many Footy Almanac readers would know, over the past couple of years I’ve written pieces about Australian songs connected to particular seasons, requesting Almanac readers’ contributions as an important component. So far, summer, winter, and spring have been covered. Therefore, in order to complete a ‘Footy Almanac Four Seasons’ (as opposed to the Vivaldi one!), the final piece to do in this collection concerns Australian songs of autumn. For the purposes of this article, an Australian song of autumn is seen as any song which touches upon autumn – in whatever way, including theme, lyrics and feel – and is connected to Australia or New Zealand in some fashion. (For example, the autumn song you choose could be performed by an Australian or New Zealander and written by someone from another country entirely.)

 

Days spent thinking about the above topic, as well as the online research I’ve done, have told me that coming up with a collection of Australian songs of autumn will be no easy task. Again, I request that Almanackers help me, by responding with their own choices of Australian autumn songs. (It doesn’t matter if the connection to autumn is a roundabout one.) Together, hopefully, we’ll end up with a fine list of songs of this particular season, traditionally connected with falling leaves, change, melancholy and decay, but also, somewhat paradoxically, with plenty, ripening and harvest. To set the ball rolling, I’ll nominate as an Australian song of autumn the moody, grunge-tinged, neo-psychedelic ‘Autumn Shade’ by The Vines (written by Craig Nicholls, released on the Highly Evolved album, 2002).

 

 

 

 

 

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About

Kevin Densley is a graduate of both Deakin University and The University of Melbourne. He has taught writing and literature in numerous Victorian universities and TAFES. He is a poet and writer-in-general. His fifth book-length poetry collection, Please Feed the Macaws ... I'm Feeling Too Indolent, was published in late 2023 by Ginninderra Press. He is also the co-author of ten play collections for young people, as well as a multi Green Room Award nominated play, Last Chance Gas, which was published by Currency Press. Other writing includes screenplays for educational films.

Comments

  1. McAlmanac says

    For me, it has to be Huxton Creepers belting out this ripper about the end of a relationship – Autumn Leaves.

    https://youtu.be/PHGE0-RLTQ8

  2. Craig Stephens says

    Leaps and Bounds

  3. Kevin Densley says

    Hi McAlmanac. Thanks for this Buxton Creepers song – what a beauty!

  4. Kevin Densley says

    Huxton Creepers, of course, McA!

  5. Kevin Densley says

    Thanks Craig, for ‘Leaps and Bounds’. Ah yes, so autumn – the wonderful bit about May and the ‘burning leaves’!

  6. Four seasons in one day (Crowded House).
    I’m fairly certain Neil Finn once said this was about Melbourne.

  7. Kevin Densley says

    Thanks, Smoke, for adding to the tally.

    I’m pretty sure there’s a goodly bunch of Oz songs that mention autumn, but I’m flat out thinking of what they are!

    That said, Models’ ‘No Shoulders, No Head’ does mention autumn: ‘In my autumn, I drank spirits / Don’t wait mother of my visits / For me to come home again.’

  8. Nature Boy – Grinderman.

  9. Tony Forbes says

    Autumn by The Edgar Winter Group is a rare ballad by this band and a very pretty song!

  10. Kevin Densley says

    Hi Dips – what a great song you’ve put forward. Love it!

    Thanks, Tony, for your contribution, too – it’s a lovely ballad … and not that it really matters, but is there any kind of Australian connection that can be made to The Edgar Winter Group and this song?

  11. Kevin Densley says

    ‘Autumn Bone’ by Clare Bowditch and The Feeding Set (album of same name – which includes this song – released in 2006).

  12. Rick Kane says

    April Sun in Cuba
    I’ve got that lonesome feelin’ back again, Slim Dusty
    River of Tears, Kev Camody
    Sometimes, Kasey Chambers
    Autumn Flow, Lior

    and CJ Dennis poem, Autumn

  13. Kevin Densley says

    Thanks so much for these contributions, Rick. The list of autumn material is starting to look substantial.

    C. J. Dennis’s poem is a lovely addition, too.

  14. Kevin Densley says

    ‘ Another Australian autumn song is ‘Autumn’ by Keepsake, an interesting work from their three song album, Slowburn (2021). Bandcamp describes Keepsake as ‘a melodic hardcore band from Sydney’.

    Compared to the other three pieces in my ‘Footy Almanac (Australian) Four Seasons’ series, Autumn has proven to be the hardest seasonal songlist to compile. I did think there would be more Oz songs that somehow involve this season, but perhaps there isn’t

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