With November comes a lot more than just Scorpio Season, pumpkin pie and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
For many, the eleventh month of the calendar year can feel enormously symbolic. Peaceful, cozy and understated, November represents transition and change, the calm before the storm of winter, Christmas and New Year’s plans. When you come across allusions to November in music, poetry or prose, it’s probably for a reason; the artist likely wants you to sit with the feelings of anticipation and mystery that come before any type of metamorphosis, whether it’s growing up, breaking up or moving on to something new.
The same can be said about many of the songs on this list, which spans rock n’ roll, R&B, hip-hop, country and pop. Axl Rose, for instance, touches on it in Guns N’ Roses‘ “November Rain,” singing that “Nothin’ lasts forever and we both know hearts can change.” On “Sweet November,” SZA laments the brutal ways she’s changed as a person, praying that those who love her will “Remember me for who I was, not who I am.”
As you begin to brace yourself for a contentious turkey dinner with your relatives, draft your Black Friday wishlist or take an early jump on hanging up your Christmas lights, make sure you remember to enjoy November — and the last moments of Autumn, for that matter — while it’s still here to stay. And if you need a little musical inspiration, look no further.
Keep reading to see Billboard‘s picks for songs about November below: