Lyrical: “September” (Part One)

“Wake Me Up When September Ends” is a song by Green Day, written by lead singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and released on June 13, 2005, as the fourth single from the band’s seventh studio album, American Idiot (2004). Produced by Rob Cavallo, the emotionally powerful rock ballad was inspired by Armstrong’s father, Andrew,

who died of esophageal cancer on September 10, 1982, when Billie Joe was ten years old. Armstrong had carried the title in his memory for years before finally writing the song, making it fundamentally a deeply personal expression of grief, loss, memory, and the passage of time. Although it was not originally written about September 11, 2001, the Iraq War,

or Hurricane Katrina, its lyrics and release during a period of national tragedy led many listeners to interpret it more broadly as a song about collective loss and remembrance. The accompanying music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, expanded the song’s themes through a fictional story about a young couple separated when the boyfriend goes to war.

The single became one of Green Day’s biggest hits, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 on Alternative Airplay and Adult Top 40, and No. 12 on Mainstream Rock; it ranked No. 46 on Billboard’s 2005 year-end Hot 100 and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Other versions appear on Bullet in a Bible, Awesome as Fuck, and the American Idiot Broadway cast recording.

“Tim McGraw” is a song by Taylor Swift, written by Swift and Liz Rose and released June 19, 2006, as Swift’s debut single and the opening track of her self-titled debut album. Swift wrote the song during her freshman year of high school while dating an older boyfriend who was preparing to leave for college, knowing their relationship would end;

the song imagines the memories that might cause him to remember her after their separation. The title refers to country star Tim McGraw, but the song is not about McGraw himself: Swift chose his name because his music, particularly “Can’t Tell Me Nothin’,” was associated with their relationship and memories. Its nostalgic lyrics connect a favorite song with a specific summer romance, photographs, a little black dress, and the hope that a former lover

will remember her. Produced by Nathan Chapman, the recording blends contemporary country with traditional touches including fiddle, Dobro, mandolin, acoustic and electric guitar. It became Swift’s breakthrough, reaching No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and No. 40 on the Hot 100, an impressive showing for a debut single by a 16-year-old artist. The song has appeared in album, radio-edit, instrumental,

live, and re-recorded forms, including “Tim McGraw (Taylor’s Version)” on Fearless (Taylor’s Version) in 2021. The original single eventually achieved double-Platinum certification in the United States, establishing the songwriting and storytelling style that would become central to Swift’s career.

“Autumn Goodbye” is a song recorded by Britney Spears and written and produced by Eric Foster White, who also played the instruments on the recording, with Spears providing lead and background vocals and Nikki Gregoroff contributing background vocals. Recorded in 1998, the song was released October 23, 1998, as the B-side to Spears’ debut single,

“…Baby One More Time,” and later appeared on international editions of her debut album and on The Singles Collection. The wistful pop ballad describes the sadness of saying goodbye to someone after a relationship ends, using autumn as a metaphor for change, fading memories, and the closing of a romantic chapter. Unlike the energetic and immediately recognizable A-side, “Autumn Goodbye” presents Spears in a softer, more reflective setting and demonstrates the sentimental side of her early musical style.

Because it was issued as a B-side rather than a standalone single, “Autumn Goodbye” did not receive its own Billboard chart position. Nevertheless, it became a notable fan favorite and an enduring example of the unreleased-or-secondary material surrounding Spears’ breakthrough period. The original recording runs approximately 3:41 and has

subsequently been made available through various album and digital releases, including The Singles Collection. The song is particularly interesting because it captures Spears at the very beginning of her recording career, before her enormous commercial success was fully established, while already displaying the youthful romantic themes and polished pop production that characterized much of her early work.

“April Come She Will” is a song by Simon & Garfunkel written entirely by Paul Simon and first recorded by Simon as a solo performance for The Paul Simon Songbook, released in the United Kingdom in 1965. Simon & Garfunkel subsequently recorded the song in December 1965 for their second studio album, Sounds of Silence, released January 17, 1966.

The brief, delicate folk song uses the changing seasons as a metaphor for the changing moods of a young woman and the eventual fading of a romantic relationship: April brings her, May finds her affectionate, June brings restlessness, July brings departure, and by September the narrator remembers a love that has grown old.

Simon has explained that the song was inspired by a girl he met in England and a nursery rhyme she recited; its unusual seasonal imagery and spare structure give it the quality of an old folk song. The Simon & Garfunkel recording features Art Garfunkel on lead vocals with Simon providing harmony and guitar, and lasts less than two minutes. It was also used in The Graduate soundtrack and released as the B-side of “Scarborough Fair/Canticle.”

Although it was never a major standalone chart hit, its appearances on the Sounds of Silence album and The Graduate made it one of the duo’s enduring recordings. Later versions include an alternate studio take, the live recording from The Concert in Central Park, and appearances on numerous compilations and retrospective albums.

“Sign o’ the Times” is a song written, produced, arranged, and performed entirely by Prince, recorded July 15, 1986, at Sunset Sound in Hollywood and released February 18, 1987, as the first single from his ninth studio album, Sign o’ the Times. Originally intended for the shelved Dream Factory and Crystal Ball projects, it became one of Prince’s starkest and most socially conscious recordings,

addressing AIDS, drug addiction, gang violence, poverty, homelessness, the Challenger disaster, and racial and social tensions while presenting an uneasy portrait of contemporary America. Musically, Prince stripped away the dense funk and rock arrangements associated with much of his earlier work, creating a minimalist electronic-funk track built around

drum-machine rhythms, synthesizer, bass, sparse guitar, and his vocals. The album version runs about five minutes, while the single edit is approximately 3:42. The U.S. single was backed by the previously unreleased “La, La, La, He, He, Hee,” while extended 12-inch versions included longer mixes. The song was a major commercial success, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the R&B chart, while reaching No. 10 in Britain.

It was named the best single of 1987 in The Village Voice’s Pazz & Jop critics’ poll, and Rolling Stone later ranked it No. 304 on its 2010 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It remains widely regarded as one of Prince’s greatest and most influential songs.

“September Gurls” is a song by Big Star, written by frontman Alex Chilton and recorded in 1973 for the band’s second album, Radio City, released in February 1974. Produced by John Fry and Big Star, the 2:41 power-pop classic was also issued as a single in August 1974 but failed to chart, despite eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed songs in the genre.

Chilton drew on his complicated romantic life when writing the song; according to Big Star bassist Andy Hummel, several women Chilton was involved with at the time had September birthdays, while biographer Holly George-Warren connected the song to Chilton’s ex-wife and other relationships that were falling apart. The lyrics combine youthful desire,

tenderness, confusion, and heartbreak, with the narrator simultaneously expressing affection and emotional frustration. Musically, its chiming guitars, driving rhythm, jangly textures, and concise structure combine influences from the Beatles, the Byrds,

and British Invasion pop with the rough-edged Memphis sound that became Big Star’s trademark. Although commercially unsuccessful, “September Gurls” became a foundational power-pop recording and profoundly influenced later artists including R.E.M., the Replacements, and the Bangles. The Bangles recorded a notable cover for their 1986 album Different Light,

while other versions have been recorded by the Searchers, Superdrag, and others. Rolling Stone included Big Star’s original on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, ranking it No. 178 in one edition and No. 239 in the 2021 revision, while the song has continued to receive widespread critical acclaim as a power-pop masterpiece.