"When October Goes . . ." Music Translated Into Fabric by Diane Evans

"Aspenglow"  © 2009 Diane Evans  14" x 20"

Music is a powerful influence in my life; some of my most treasured memories involve a favorite song, a musical performance, a special concert. Music often serves as my creative muse.  Cherished songs will float into my mind as a new art quilt takes shape; as a result, many of the pieces are named after these songs.  Even the seasons themselves bring to mind melodies and lyrics of the past, written by masterful composers and performed by talented singers, and I marvel at the way a beautiful song can mirror the images that surround me.

Around this time every year, I find myself remembering a haunting ballad titled “When October Goes.”  Its origin was a set of unfinished lyrics written by renowned lyricist Johnny Mercer and given to Barry Manilow after Mercer’s death.  Mercer’s widow hoped that Manilow could develop these lyrics into a complete song, and he did so in 1984:

            And when October goes,

            The snow begins to fly

            Above the smoky roofs;

            I watch the planes go by,

           

            The children running home

            Beneath a twilight sky –

            Oh, for the fun of them

            When I was one of them . . .

            And when October goes

            The same old dream appears . . .

           

            I should be over it now, I know –

            It doesn’t matter much

            How old I grow –

            I hate to see October go.

Every year, I promise myself that I will make the quilt inspired by this song.  The colors are there in my mind, and I imagine the feeling that the finished piece will elicit: memories of autumn leaves in shades of crimson and bright orange and deep gold against a sky so blue that it takes my breath away.  The image is warm and comforting, even as I watch October go.

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