Each month, Jason Fortner spotlights one or more musical theatre composers and/or lyricists, offering his own unique perspective on the songwriting legends of musical theatre. Send your comments/questions on this column to happgood@aol.com.

Well, here we are in September again, and as summer drifts away I thought we’d take a look at songs about September and the Fall season. Autumn is my favorite time of year, especially when I am visiting a northerly state and get to see the brilliant colors of the leaves. So let’s prepare for the change of season and look at some warm autumnal tunes…

First off is our title tune, “September Song”, as great a sentimental ballad as has ever been written, although in the context of KNICKERBOCKER HOLIDAY, it’s the song of a much older man trying to woo a younger lass. Written by Maxwell Anderson and Kurt Weill to accommodate the limited vocal range of Walter Huston, it stopped the show then and continues to be performed. Here’s the famous chorus:

Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December
But the days grow short when you reach September
When 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, November
And these few precious days I'll spend with you
These precious days I'll spend with you

“September Song” was also featured in LOVEMUSIK (2007) and several Kurt Weill revues, notably BERLIN TO BROADWAY WITH KURT WEILL.

Speaking of September, the song “Try To Remember” from THE FANTASTICKS famously featured the month in its lyric, evoking a remembrance of a nostalgic past. As penned by Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt, it is the perfect opening to this precious gem of a show, taking audience members away from the modern world and into a magical realm where a mute can play a wall by merely holding a stick. I can’t hear the opening notes without thinking of the month of September… Here’s a partial lyric:

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.
Try to remember the kind of September
When you were a tender and callow fellow.
Try to remember, and if you remember, then follow.

Additional Broadway tunes that feature September in their titles include:
“Twas In September” from THE BEAUTY SHOP (1914)
“May and September” from THE ROSE GIRL (1921)
“Once In September” from THE NIGHTINGALE (1927)
“September Sunlight” from THE BARRIER (1950)
“September” from HOT FEET (2006)

Autumn itself is mentioned in many musical theatre songs, both known and obscure. Gilbert & Sullivan wrote about it in their operetta THE YEOMAN OF THE GUARD, featuring a song called “This Is The Autumn Of Our Life”. Here’s the lyric:

In the autumn of our life,
Here at rest in ample clover,
We rejoice in telling over
Our impetuous May and June.
In the evening of our day,
With the sun of life declining,
We recall without repining
All the heat of bygone noon,

This the autumn of our life,
This the evening of our day;
Weary we of battle strife,
Weary we of mortal fray.
But our year is not so spent,
And our days are not so faded,
But that we with one consent,
Were our loved land invaded,
Still would face a foreign foe,
As in days of long ago.
Still would face a foreign foe,
As in days of long ago.

Clint Eastwood & Lee Marvin in the film version of PAINT YOUR WAGON. Source: filmreference.com

Writers Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe wrote some wonderful songs for PAINT YOUR WAGON, both comedy numbers and lush ballads. One of my favorites is “Another Autumn”, sung in the original show by Tony Bavaar and recorded by multiple artists, including Eddie Fisher. Here’s the haunting lyric:

Winter's coming on, I feel it all around
Leaves are moving faster along the ground
Why have all my dreams been broken wide apart
Where is all the hope that was in my heart

Another autumn, I've known the chill before
But every autumn I feel it more and more
For you can dream in spring when every hope is high
But when the fall comes in they all begin to fade and die

Another autumn so sleep when all is well
But how it haunts you when all is wrong
For one thing time has shown if you're alone
When autumn comes you'll be alone all winter long

The story of Cyrano De Bergerac has inspired several musical versions, all caught up in the romantic sweep and panache of the title character. Among the many versions are several songs about Autumn, written to introduce the final section of the play when both Cyrano and Roxanne are in their later years. The 1973 version, CYRANO, penned by Anthony Burgess and Michael J. Lewis featured a lovely tune entitled “Autumn Carol” while Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire’s version of Cyrano De Bergerac featured a beautiful ballad entitled “Autumn”, famously featured in STARTING HERE, STARTING NOW a revue of their lesser known works.

The title “Autumn” was also used in Maury Yeston’s score to TITANIC, provided a haunting tune in a tragic tale. The Frank Loesser musical GREENWILLOW featured a number entitled “The Autumn Courting” while older shows provided even more offbeat uses of Autumn in their titles. These include:

“The Autumn Sun” from PHOEBE OF QUALITY STREET (1921)
“In The Autumn” from TOPSY & EVA (1924)
“Spring In Autumn” from HOLKA POLKA (1925)
“Autumn Songs” from POLONAISE (1945)

My personal favorite of this group is a ditty entitled “Autumn Dance of the Hat-Check Girls” from a short-lived 1922 revue called THE 49’ERS, music by Lewis E. Gensier, lyrics by Morrie Ryskind and Frank Adams.

Finally, the classic Vernon Duke song “Autumn In New York” was featured in a 1934 Broadway revue entitled THUMBS UP! We’ll use this classic piece as our finale today. Here’s that classic lyric:

Autumn in New York
Why does it seem so inviting
Autumn in New York
It spells the thrill of first-nighting

Glittering crowds and shimmering clouds
In canyons of steel
They’re making me feel – I’m home

It’s autumn in New York
That brings the promise of new love
Autumn in New York
Is often mingled with pain

Dreamers with empty hands
They sigh for exotic lands

It’s autumn in New York
It’s good to live it again

Autumn in New York
The gleaming rooftops at sundown
Oh, autumn in New York
It lifts you up when you run down

Yes, jaded roues and gay divorces
Who lunch at the Ritz
Will tell you that it is divine

This autumn in New York
Transforms the slums into Mayfair
Oh, autumn in New York
You’ll need no castles in Spain

Yes, lovers that bless the dark
On the benches in Central Park
Greet autumn in New York
It’s good to live it again

Autumn in New York
That brings the promise of new love
Autumn in New York
Is often mingled with pain

Dreamers with empty hands
They sigh for exotic lands

It’s autumn in New York
It’s good to live it again

Songs mentioned in this article available for download on Amazon.