Spooked: Halloween Jams
Spoooooooky tunes! Image by R.J.F
It’s that time of year for ghosts, goblins, and songs to get you in that Halloween spirit.
Halloween is the perfect time of year to listen to scary jams. In all honesty, any time of the year is great for some creepy tunes, but let’s get into the season with a short list of songs that will get you in the mood for ghost stories, scary movies, and the like.
“Red Right Hand”
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Anyone who is a fan of the movie Scream will recognize this song as the one that is playing when the town is desolate after the first murder in the film and a curfew has been set for its citizens; it’s a fitting song for that bloody movie.
When reading the lyrics, it gives the impression that it could possibly be about the devil, or some other being taking possession of people’s minds and souls. Here’s a chunk that stands out:
He’ll wrap you in his arms, tell you that you’ve been a good boy
He’ll rekindle all those dreams it took you a lifetime to destroy
He’ll reach deep into the hole, heal your shrinking soul
Hey buddy, you know you’re never ever coming back
He’s a ghost, he’s a god, he’s a man, he’s a guru
They’re whispering his name across this disappearing land
But hidden in his coat is a red right hand
The clanging of bells and the use of an oscillator to give a ghostly effect throughout the entirety of this song, along with Cave’s gravelly voice and the ominous organ that plays throughout, is sure to send chills down your spine.
“Mind Playing Tricks on Me”
Geto Boys
Whenever I think about songs that are super dark, in terms of content, I always think about the Geto Boys “Mind Playing Tricks on Me”. I don’t know if you could say this is a Halloween song in particular, but it always freaked me out when I would hear it as a kid, and even to this day, there’s something about it.
The Geto Boys set up different scenarios which depict ideas of suicide, being followed by a killer, and paranoid delusions, amongst other things. I was just a little kid when this song came out, but I was perceptive enough to understand that the lyrics were detailing harrowing and violent situations. So, even though this isn’t really a spooky song, it’s one that plays out like a horror film that you can’t look away from.
“Buried in Water”
Dead Man’s Bones
Ryan Gosling had a pet project band with his friend Zach Shields in the early 2000’s named Dead Man’s Bones. The song “Buried in Water” is from the self-titled album they released with the help of the Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir. It was the only album that the duo released, and a majority of the songs on that album have a haunting presence.
As a person who used to play the piano, I know that Gosling is heavily relying on the piano pedals to create the echoing and blended sounds of the keys; it’s a very distinct sound because it makes it tough to distinguish one note from the other. His voice uses a melodic yet tragic timbre to create a haunted atmosphere. The addition of the children’s choir, along with the lyrics about a seemingly drowned town, makes this one chilling ditty.
Honorable Mention: AKA The Basics
“Somebody’s Watching Me”
Rockwell ft. Michael Jackson
A classic tune that was released in 1984, “Somebody’s Watching Me” gives major stalker vibes. The song is about someone who feels as if he’s always being spied on by some unknown person or entity, and even questions his own sanity in regards to the matter.
A lot of people think that this is a Michael Jackson song because his famous voice is on the track, but it belongs to Rockwell; Jackson doesn’t even make a cameo in the video. Allegedly, Jackson appeared on the track as a favor to Berry Gordy since Gordy was the man that signed the Jackson 5 and shot Jackson into stardom, and he happens to also be Rockwell’s dad.
This song is fun to dance to, and can still be heard on oldies stations, as well as Top 40’s stations during Halloween time. With repetitive synth and keyboards, a simple drum beat, and silly lyrics, generations have been adding “Somebody’s Watching Me” to their Halloween party dance mixes since its release.
“Thriller”
Michael Jackson
Do I really need to say anything about this song? It’s the quintessential Halloween song, and it’s still so good.