Why is it that songs about the month of September are mostly sad and nostalgic? I guess we only have Pope Gregory XIII to blame. He reformed the existing calendar in 1582 to make the year conform to the rotation of the sun in the solar system.
How this came about requires deeper study. From the way I see it though, the great Pontiff made September, which was named after the number seven, the ninth month of the year. As such September comes at the end of summer and ushers in autumn and then the end of the year in December.
And those are the keywords. The end. The end is near and it becomes a time for looking back at what has transpired. Sad perhaps. Regrettable. Unchangeable. But it also brings on a longing for whatever happiness came about during the passing year. Now sadly rendered unreachable.
Here are some songs that best express those sentiments.
September Song, 1938: An American standard composed by the great team of Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson for the musical Knickerbocker Holiday. “Oh, it’s a long, long while from May to December/ but the days grow short when you reach September and the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame/ one hasn’t got time for the waiting game/ oh the days dwindle down to a precious few/ September…”
September, 1978: A big favorite on the dance floor, this was written by Maurice White, Al McKay, Allee Willis for the album of the same title by Earth, Wind and Fire. “Do you remember the 21st night of September/ love was changing the minds of pretenders while chasing the clouds away…”
September Morn, 1979: This is an emotional song about a second chance with a past love. It was composed and performed by Neil Diamond from the album of the same title. “September morn, we danced until the night became a brand new day/ two lovers playing scenes from some romantic play/ September morning still can make me feel that way…”
See You in September, 1959 by The Tempoes: An enduring pop hit about the fear of the end of a school term romance, this was composed by Sherman Edwards and Sid Wayne. “See you in September/ see you when the summer’s through/ here we are saying goodbye at the station summer vacation is taking you away/ have a good time but remember/ there is danger with the summer moon above/ will I see you in September or lose you to a summer love…”
September in the Rain, 1937: Another American standard composed by Harry Warren and Al Durbin for the movie Melody for Two. “The leaves of brown came tumbling down remember/ that September in the rain/ the sun went out just like a dying ember/ that September in the rain…”
September of my Years, 1965: This was composed by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn for Frank Sinatra and the album of the same title, which was named Grammy Album of the Year in 1966. “…As a man who has always had the wandering ways/ now I’m reaching back for yesterdays/ ‘til a long forgotten love appears/ and I find that I’m sighing softly as I near September/ the warm September of my years…”
Wake Me Up When September Ends, 2004: The September song of the X generation by Green Day, written by Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool. “Summer has come and passed/ the innocent can never last/ wake me up when September ends/ ring out the bells again/ like we did when spring began/ wake me up when September ends…”
Try to Remember, 1960, by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones from the musical The Fantastics. This one does not have September in the title but thanks to that arresting first line, it easily conjures up memories of the fire of some September that as it says, made us mellow. “Try to remember the kind of September when life was slow and oh so mellow/ try to remember the kind of September when grass was green and grain was yellow…”
Now, now, aren’t we glad that Jose Mari Chan has lately been peeping out of the covers on social media posts. His Christmas in our Hearts is itching to come out and lead us into another joyous Christmas season.