The Autumn Leaves Song

The beauty of the autumn season can truly inspire us! That is certainly true in the song “Autumn Leaves”. This classic American song is an anthem for the fall season – and it brings a certain romance to the season. The beautiful colors of red, yellow, and orange can be such a beautiful pallet to be painted on the trees. In areas where the trees are heavily deciduous – it is a past time to drive through and look at the beautiful fall foliage.

With the smell of pumpkin spice, apple cider, caramel, and the mustiness of the air – fall is here. Things get colder, we start burning fires, the rain gear comes out, and we all start to prepare for hibernation and the Christmas season. Autumn Leaves is a memorable tune for the season.

Autumn Leaves – Origins

“Autumn Leaves” is an old jazz standard, starting with a French song with music by Joseph Kosma and lyrics by poet Jacques Prévert, called “Les feuilles mortes.” It was adapted with English lyrics in 1947 by American songwriter Johnny Mercer. French singer Edith Piaf did a broadcast version in both English and French in 1950, on the radio program The Big Show, hosted by Tallulah Bankhead. Yes, that Tallulah Bankhead hosted a radio show. From there, we get Steve Allen recording a version in conjunction with launching The Steve Allen Show, with George Cates and his Orchestra and Chorus.

Capitol Records paid $600 for the US rights to the song. Johnny Mercer, founder and then-president of the label, was given four months to come up with the English lyrics or else the deal would be terminated.

According to Mark Steyn’s A Song for the Season, Capitol’s publishing exec, Mickey Goldsen, was getting antsy as the deadline was fast approaching without a scrap of a lyric from Mercer. Mercer promised he would work on the lyrics during a train trip from Los Angeles to New York if Goldsen would give him a lift to the station. Goldsen was late and found Mercer on his porch. Mercer told him: “Well, you know, I didn’t know if something had happened, so while I was waiting, I wrote the lyric. Here it is.”

Goldsen told biographer Gene Lees: “We got into the car and he read me the lyric. Tears came to my eyes. Everybody I played that song for flipped out.”

Yes, this is the same Steve Allen (1921-2000) who was also a comedian, author, TV show host, and who knows what else. Allen actually had an accomplished music career, playing in the jazz/ bebop genres on piano. His typical style was what we would today consider “cocktail lounge music.” This was his only charting hit.

Autumn Leaves Lyrics

The falling leaves drift by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sun-burned hands I used to hold

Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I’ll hear old winter’s song
But I miss you most of all my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall

Autumn – John Clare

I love the fitfull gusts that shakes
The casement all the day
And from the mossy elm tree takes
The faded leaf away
Twirling it by the window-pane
With thousand others down the lane

I love to see the shaking twig
Dance till the shut of eve
The sparrow on the cottage rig
Whose chirp would make believe
That spring was just now flirting by
In summers lap with flowers to lie

I love to see the cottage smoke
Curl upwards through the naked trees
The pigeons nestled round the coat
On dull November days like these
The cock upon the dung-hill crowing
The mill sails on the heath a-going

The feather from the ravens breast
Falls on the stubble lea
The acorns near the old crows nest
Fall pattering down the tree
The grunting pigs that wait for all
Scramble and hurry where they fall