It’s that time of year again: when we start breaking out sweaters, enjoying the foliage and maybe indulging in cider and donuts. The time when kids go back to school and football season resumes. The time when, global warming aside, the humidity starts to die down but it’s not super cold yet. It’s fall.

To celebrate one of our favorite seasons, we’ve compiled a list of a dozen great songs about fall (or autumn if you prefer!). Most of these are by classic rock and pop artists from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, but we’ve also made an exception for one from the ’40s and a few from the ’90s. And you’ll find a mix of big hits and lesser-known cuts on this list. Hopefully, it will provide you with a good soundtrack to the next couple of months!

Big Star—“September Gurls” (1974)
Perhaps the ultimate cult band, Big Star was a Memphis foursome led by former Box Top (and future alt-rock demigod) Alex Chilton. By the time their sophomore set Radio City [available here] arrived in 1974, co-founder Chris Bell had quit. That left the remaining trio of Chilton, bassist Andy Hummel and drummer Jody Stephens. “September Gurls” is rightly regarded as a power pop classic even though, at the time, it failed to chart. The lovelorn lyrics find Chilton at his most wistful. And if ever a guitar solo could be called heartbreaking, it would be this one.

U2—“October” (1981)
The title track of U2’s second album, “October” is brief but beautiful. The sparse arrangement features only Bono’s voice and The Edge’s piano. October, the album, found U2 at a crossroads of sorts, trying to reconcile their religious beliefs with their desire to have a go at becoming rock stars. “It’s an image,” Bono said of the title. “We’ve been through the ’60s, a time when things were in full bloom. We had fridges and cars, we sent people to the moon and everyone thought how great mankind was. And now, as we go through the ’70s and ’80s, it’s a colder time of the year. It’s after the harvest. Trees are stripped bare…So ‘October’ is an ominous word, but it’s also quite lyrical.”

Guns N’ Roses—“November Rain” (1992)
“November Rain,” from Guns N’ Roses’ 1992 album Use Your Illusion 1, may have surprised fans who preferred the band’s hard-rock leanings. It was an orchestral ballad reportedly inspired by Elton John’s “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding.” At nine minutes, it became the longest song to hit the Billboard Top 10 at the time of its release (peaking at #3). He may be a prima donna but frontman Axl Rose was also a bit of a philosopher here, singing “Nothing lasts forever/Even cold November rain.” Advice to last a lifetime!

Daryl Hall & John Oates—“Fall in Philadelphia” (1972)
If you only know Daryl Hall and John Oates from their ’80s smashes like “Kiss on My List,” “Maneater” and “Private Eyes,” you’re missing out. The duo’s ’70s output is rooted in soul and folk music—and it’s often stellar. An example would be “Fall in Philadelphia” from their 1972 debut, Whole Oats. It’s a ballad based on their experiences as struggling musicians in the City of Brotherly Love.

Simon & Garfunkel—“Leaves That Are Green” (1966)
From Hall and Oates, we move to one of popular music’s other great duos: Simon and Garfunkel. “Leaves That Are Green” was a deep cut from their 1966 sophomore album Sounds of Silence. It married a sprightly arrangement to a sad lyric. “Leaves” later appeared as the B-side for the hit “Homeward Bound.”

Related: Let’s not forget those summer songs!

The Mamas & the Papas—“California Dreamin’” (1965)
No list of fall songs would be complete without the Mamas & the Papas’ classic “California Dreamin’.” Released as a single at the tail end of 1965, it was also included on the group’s album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears. “California Dreamin’” was actually written a couple of years earlier by John and Michelle Phillips when they were living in New York City during a frigid winter. The evocative lyrics, Denny Doherty’s vocals and a flute solo by Bud Shank took the song all the way to #4 on the Billboard chart. More than 60 years later, it remains very much of its time and yet utterly timeless. [Available to order here.]

Frank Sinatra—“Autumn in New York” (1949)
“Autumn in New York,” by Vernon Duke, has to be one of the most frequently covered songs about fall. Everyone from Bing Crosby to Billie Holliday to Harry Connick Jr. has tackled it. But we’re including Frank Sinatra’s rendition here. Ol’ Blue Eyes took “Autumn in New York” into the Top 30 back in 1949, making this the most popular version of the song. [His recorded legacy is available here.]

The Church—“Russian Autumn Heart” (1990)
The Church was once described as a cross between David Bowie and the Byrds, which seems fairly accurate. The band formed in Sydney, Australia, in 1980 and is still making music today (albeit with singer-bassist Steve Kilbey the only original member). “Russian Autumn Heart” was one of the rare songs on which guitarist Marty Willson-Piper took lead vocals. It appeared on the band’s 1990 album Gold Afternoon Fix. Willson-Piper was reportedly inspired to write the song when he spotted a Russian woman reading a classic novel while in California.

Justin Hayward—“Forever Autumn” (1978)

Justin Hayward is best known as the lead singer and guitarist from the Moody Blues (as well as the last living member of the band’s classic lineup). But he has also released solo music on occasion, and one of his most haunting songs is “Forever Autumn,” which appeared on the 1978 concept album Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of War of the Worlds. Wayne had cowritten the song nearly a decade earlier with Gary Osborne and Paul Vigrass. When it came time to include it on War of the Worlds, he chose Hayward because he “wanted that voice from ‘Nights in White Satin’.” Good choice!

Led Zeppelin—“Ramble On” (1969)
A classic album track, “Ramble On” appeared on Led Zeppelin II, which came out in the fall of 1969. It opens with the line “Leaves are falling all around” and also includes “The autumn moon lights my way.” The lyrics, mainly by Robert Plant, were inspired by the J.R.R. Tolkien classic The Lord of the Rings.

Neil Young—“Harvest Moon” (1992)
Neil Young was on a roll, one of many in his singular career, when he released the Harvest Moon album in late 1992. His last few albums—Freedom, Ragged Glory and the live effort Arc—had all been successful but leaned more toward hard-rock. For Harvest Moon, Young wanted to return to an acoustic setting. In some ways, the album was a follow-up to his classic Harvest from 20 years earlier. Harvest Moon contained several popular songs, but none as popular as the title track. Young received backing from his old band the Stray Gators: pedal steel player Ben Keith, keyboardist Spooner Oldham, bassist Tim Drummond and drummer Kenny Buttrey. Add Linda Ronstadt on backing vocals and you’ve got an autumnal classic.

The Bangles—“September Gurls (1986)
We end our list with another version of “September Gurls,” this one by the Bangles. The female pop-rock quartet from L.A. had the good taste to cover this song on their 1986 breakthrough disc, Different Light. While most of the band’s tunes were sung by guitarists Susanna Hoffs or Vicki Peterson, “September Gurls” saw bassist Michael Steele handling lead vocals.