There appears to be plenty of songs with September in the title. The month is most notable for the change in season, from summer to fall. It is also the time to get more serious, go back to school, and marks the end of summer love. The change in the mood and mindset during this time most likely inspired many songwriters to express their emotions to a song. While there are plenty of songs about September that is worth mentioning, there are probably only the two greatest songs that capture the mood of the month.
Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day
Compared to the band's punk rock style, this acoustic ballad shows a melancholic version of Green Day. Billie Joe Armstrong, the band's frontman, wrote the song for his father who died of cancer on September 1, 1982. When Billie was ten years old and learned that his father died, he locked himself in his room and allegedly told her mother "Wake Me Up When September Ends." The track is included on their seventh studio album American Idiot.
The September song was a huge hit as it entered the top ten of most music charts all over the world, reaching number six in Billboard Hot 100.
The music video for "Wake Me Up When September Ends" shows a couple, portrayed by Evan Rachel Wood and Jamie Bell, making promises to never leave each other. However, the guy enlists in the army while leaving the girl mourning and heartbroken. The video and the song are meant to show the pain of losing a loved one.
As such, the "Wake Me Up When September Ends" was dedicated to the victims of the September 11 attacks as well as the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
It has also become a popular annual meme about loss, giving up, or simply to troll Armstrong. He was uncomfortable at first but later jokingly responded that he will write a "Shut the F*ck Up When October Begins" song.
Green Day is composed of vocalist-guitarist Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Frank Edwin "Tre Cool" Wright III. They are part of the punk scene that started in the late 80s and early 90s. They are also one of the rock bands who introduced punk rock to the mainstream in the US.
September by Earth, Wind, & Fire
Contrasting the melancholy of "Wake Me Up When September Ends" is this popular groovy disco song. It is about reminiscing the good times that happened in the past, specifically something in September. It is also a song about survival and celebration, especially in September when things are changing and are not going so well.
There are numerous theories why the songwriters picked the date September 21st. Earth, Wind, & Fire vocalist Maurice White stated that it simply sounded well. His wife Marilyn White claimed that they were expecting their son Kahbran on that date.
It reached the top spot of the Billboard R&B Songs chart and top eight on the Hot 100. It was featured in the 2016 computer-generated animated film Trolls and was sung by the stars Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick.
