Lorri Drumm

Times Observer photo by Lorri Drumm

A lone tiny yellow flower pokes out of the grass among red, yellow and brown leaves on a September morn’ in Warren.

Do you remember the 21st night of September? Wait, that’s tonight.

In that case, do you intend to dance in the night while the stars steal the night away?

Or maybe you have another way to commemorate the official last day of summer, according to the calendar anyway.

Yes, today is the day that some people love and others, well, not so much. Fall. Autumn. Somewhere between bikinis and parkas. Absolutely a favorite season for pumpkin-flavored food and drink lovers.

September is the first of four months that end in “brr.” It signals a change. It seems to be the ideal month to take time to ponder that change– ideal for songwriters, at least.

Frank Sinatra chose September to symbolize looking back at youth. “September of My Years” was a 1965 studio album for Sinatra, who was a mere 50 years old at the time.

Back in the day, the “old crooner” sang:

“One day you turn around and it’s summer,

Next day you turn around and it’s fall

And all the winters and the springs of a lifetime

Whatever happened to them all?

As a man who has always had the wandering ways

I keep looking back to yesterdays

‘Til a long-forgotten love appears

And I find that I’m sighing softly as I near

September, the warm September of my years…”

But, there are those who prefer the start of shorter, cooler days to the lazy, hazy days of summer.

Carole King sang of slacking off for an entire summer as she looked forward to reuniting with her love in September. The song “It May as Well Rain Until September” begins:

“What should I write?

What can I say?

How can I tell you how much I miss you?

The weather here has been as nice as it can be

Although it doesn’t really matter much to me

For all the fun I’ll have while you’re so far away

It might as well rain until September…”

When I asked friends for their favorite “September” song, more than a few mentioned “Wake Me Up When September Ends” by Green Day. While the song lyrics have become associated with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, it was inspired by personal loss.

Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong wrote the song about his father, who died of cancer on Sept. 1, 1982, when Billie was just 10 years old. At his father’s funeral, Billie cried, ran home, and locked himself in his room. September can also be a time of uncertainty. Back in the 1960s, when “dancing” boy bands apparently wowed the crowd by simply snapping their fingers in sync, The Happenings sang of train stations, writing letters and unrequited love?

“Will I see you in September

Or lose you to a summer love?”

Were they repeatedly singing “bye-bye, so long, farewell” to summer or some fickle girl?

Again, the wise words from Frank Sinatra suggest September is the time put aside game-playing and make the most of each day.

The lyrics to “September Song” begin:

“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…”

Lorri Drumm will soon celebrate her one-year anniversary as Times Observer reporter and resident of Warren. The first year has been full of new acquaintances, new adventures, and plenty of stories to tell. She is grateful to the many people who have given her a warm welcome and taken the time to express their appreciation of various stories she’s written. Year 2? Bring it!