A mix of spooky tunes and fall melodies, here are some songs to get you in the mood for the October season.
Lucy’s picks
- “A Little Priest” – Stephen Sondheim
- “Harvest Moon” – Neil Young
- “Night on Bald Mountain” – Modest Mussorgsky
Detailing the murderous adventures of a psychologically unwell barber, the Broadway musical “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is perfect for spooky season. The whole soundtrack is spectacular, but “A Little Priest” fits the Halloween mood best, if only for its humorously disturbing message. Filled with back-to-back cannibalism puns, the duet features Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter – in Tim Burton’s movie adaptation of the musical – exchanging witty remarks about all the people they’ll “serve.” This might be the only time of the year you won’t be judged for humming a song about baking different kinds of people into pies.
While not about anything scarier than romance, “Harvest Moon” brings an unmistakably autumn feel that’s perfect for October. Accompanied by bittersweet acoustic instrumentals, the lyrics request a moonlit dance with the singer’s lover. The song definitely still has its eerie notes, and Young maintains a dreamlike, mildly hypnotic rhythm from start to finish. But if your October tastes prefer pumpkin harvests, hay bales and misty moonlight to outright fright, “Harvest Moon” may be up your alley. Who says Halloween can’t have romance?
Every Halloween playlist needs to have at least some selection of spooky classical music that’s dramatically loud and – for some – way too long. From “Peer Gynt: In the Hall of the Mountain King” to “Tocata and Fugue in D minor,” there’s plenty of worthy classical masterpieces to choose from, but “Night on Bald Mountain” feels particularly like a theme song for things that go bump in the night. Originally composed to narrate the nighttime shenanigans of a coven of witches, the song’s intensity builds to a peak before fading, conveying an end to the ritual as the sleepy witches and their goblin friends retreat at dawn.
Brynn H’s picks
- Megan Thee Stallion feat. Rico Nasty – “Scary”
- Kodak Black- “Halloween”
- YNW Melly feat. Lil Uzi Vert – “Mind of Melvin”
“Scary” from Megan Thee Stallion’s “Traumazine” captures aspects of intimidation and resilience. With the line “Every time I pop out, it be scary for you h—,” Megan establishes her
intimidation as a technique that Thee Hot Girl and Rico Nasty feature in “Scary.” The 10th song in her album “Traumazine” (2020), the lyrics reflect her mental health problems and her perseverance to win regardless of her obstacles that she had to overcome. This song carries both the heart of the artists and October vibes through many spooky mentions of zombies, nightmares, and pumpkins.
“Halloween” notes the expressive rap features of Kodak Black in tune with his subconscious and how he views himself besides his guilty conscience. “I ain’t no demon semen, but I do evil deeds.” The music video tells a Halloween tale of four children going trick-or-treating. Later, one of the kids sneaks inside a house and assaults a man with a hammer. This grim Halloween-gone-wrong tale produces the perfect scary vibe with the mentions of devils and demons. Later, the video gives us a creepy scene to enjoy in the Halloween festivities, where they attempt to feed a man soup containing his own eyeball.
YNW Melly expresses the mental battle of himself and guilt with nightmares of “demons” in “Mind of Melvin.” The lyrics express how his soul is in jeopardy while the “devil” takes hold of him. The music video visualizes his identity crisis with snakes, illusions of being in turmoil and ghosts.
Tyler’s picks
- The Blasting Company (feat. Jake Jones) – “Over the Garden Wall”
- Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs – “Lil’ Red Riding Hood”
- October Country – “My Girlfriend is a Witch”
The Blasting Company is known for their cozy and delightful mellow music. With each song bringing a sense of nostalgia for a time you can’t quite remember, their music feels like walking through a forest in the cold days of fall. The title “Over the Garden Wall” comes from the animated show of the same name, released in 2014.
“Lil’ Red Riding Hood” calls on memories of childhood fairy tales, as the lead singer takes on the role of the big bad wolf trying to lure in Red Riding Hood. Released in the 60s, the song has a nostalgic and vintage feel to it that makes for casual listening which resonates with the overall feeling of fall Halloween tunes typically evoke.
“My Girlfriend is a Witch” calls upon the classical images of black-clad, pointy-hat-wearing witches flying through the sky. With fun and bumpy lyrics backed by simple yet effective instrumentals, this older tune captures the essence of spooky, campy Halloween hijinks.
Caleb’s picks
- Kathryn Hahn, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Debra Jo Rupp & Patti LuPone – “The Ballad of the Witches’ Road (Sacred Chant Version)”
- Sharon Needles – “Dracula”
- Lil Nas X “MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)”
“The Ballad of the Witches’ Road (Sacred Chant Version),”the main theme of the Disney+ show “Agatha All Along,” is a bewitching melody that perfectly gets you into the spooky Halloween season with a witchy vibe. It was first teased at the D23 fan event and performed in full in Episode 2 of the show. In the show’s universe, the song is a magical chant that guides a coven of witches to the mythical “Witch’s Road.” The road is said to give the one who reaches its end whatever they truly desire. For each of the characters, the road is what will set them free from their own destruction, and the song acts as a guide for the road itself.
A delightful Halloween tune by RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 4 winner Sharon Needles, “Dracula” is full of synth and pop beats that are great to bop along to. The song is a nod to both Bela Lugosi’s performance as Dracula in the 1931 film of the same name and the 1922 film “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.” Both films are based on the 1897 book “Dracula.”
Nothing gets me into the Halloween spirit quite like campy horror, deals with devils and dressing up as fantastical characters. That is why Lil Nas X’s sublime work “MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)” gets me in the Halloween spirit. The song is a queer anthem that deals with Lil Nas X’s struggles with coming out as gay. The music video tells a journey of self discovery and has the artist go through various transformations and locations, such as the biblical Garden of Eden, a Roman coliseum and Hell itself. The title of the song is a reference to the artist’s real name, Montero Lamar Hill.
Brynn K’s picks
- Echo & the Bunnymen – “The Killing Moon”
- Jack Stauber – “Oh Klahoma”
- Kim Petras – “There Will Be Blood”
“The Killing Moon” is perfectly spooky with its description of a haunting moonlit night. The song was released in 1984 and featured in the soundtrack of “Donnie Darko” (2001). This movie takes place in October with the climax on Halloween, adding to the holiday’s association with this song. Beginning with an eerie guitar riff and leaning into descriptions of killing and fate, the song sets the stage for a perfect October night.
Jack Stauber’s discography is filled with songs that sound like orange leaves and a cool autumn breeze. Beginning with a synthy guitar and steady drum beat, “Oh Klahoma” takes on an upbeat but melancholy sound with Stauber’s warm vocals. While not Halloween adjacent, this song always gets me in the fall mood. Listen to this song while bundled up on a bike ride underneath falling leaves.
Kim Petras has made herself a queen of petrifying pop with two Halloween albums, “TURN OFF THE LIGHT, VOL. 1” (2018) and “TURN OFF THE LIGHT” (2019). Featured on her 2020 release, “There Will Be Blood” is an upbeat anthem with intense spooky synths. This song, along with the others off her Halloween albums, would set the stage for a killer Halloween party with dancing ghouls, goblins and strobe lights.
