As it is Halloween, our writers wanted to give you all some songs that are sure to give you a fright, if you dare to listen to them!
“Decode” by Paramore
While it may just be because of its appearance in the credit sequence of the first Twilight movie, for me, Paramore’s “Decode” channels the spirit of the Halloween season. The dissonant guitar intro, anger-ridden chorus, and ominously quiet bridge evoke the feeling of a cool gust of wind rustling the leaves around a gothic manor or graveyard in the best way possible. Paramore is one of my all-time favorite bands, so I’ll take any excuse I can get to listen to their music anytime of year. Combine Hayley Williams’ unreal vocals with the best month of the year and you’re guaranteed to have the most immaculate spooky vibes.
– Annie Sarlin, Staff Writer
“Dead of Night” by Orville Peck
“Dead of Night” by Orville Peck is incredibly spooky, not in a ghouls and ghosts sense, but in a “blink twice if you are in danger” manner. I first discovered this song in season two, episode one of Euphoria (2019), in the scene where one of the main characters Cassie is dissociating in a car with an abusive, emotionally manipulative, incredibly flawed, drunk driver, Nate. The juxtaposition of putting such a dreamy, entrancing song over a scene so intense was a deliberate choice that symbolizes the push and pull between the peace within dissociation and the thrill of something dangerously exciting. Halloween, for many college students, represents a day of dissociation: a day where you don’t have to be yourself, where you can slip into someone else’s skin or even wear a mask like the singer Orville Peck himself does. There’s something intoxicating about anonymity, about losing yourself in the crowd, in the costume, in the moment. But that same intoxication can cloud judgments, blur boundaries, and lead us into situations that feel thrilling in the moment but dangerous in hindsight. Make sure to be safe in the dead of night this Halloween as you find yourself dancing within the thin line between the person you are and the person you’re pretending to be.
– Kelly Cheng, Staff Writer
“Claw Machine” by Sloppy Jane and Phoebe Bridgers
Horror movies come in all different subgenres: slasher flicks, paranormal or supernatural tales, and my favorite – psychological horror. Hereditary, Suspiria, Get Out – none will ever compare to the dread that overtakes the body when the opening piano notes to “Claw Machine” plays. The song itself was written for I Saw the TV Glow, which are also the song’s first lyrics, but Phoebe Bridgers’ ghostly vocals overlaid upon Sloppy Jane’s soft voice is far more chilling than anything that appears in the movie. Sonically, the song builds to a dramatic climax, accompanied by the horrifying reveal in the final verse: “When my best friend started driving / we never went to class / The worst part of the car crash was talking to her dad.” The true fear lies in that the lyrics transcribe the lyrics of any ordinary teenager, emphasizing the horror that this truly could happen to any of us.
– Goonja Basu, Staff Writer
“Paint It, Black” by The Rolling Stones
No song fits the spooky season like “Paint It, Black” by the Rolling Stones. Everything about this song screams Halloween. The fast tempo of the drums, the haunting vocals of Mick Jagger and the symbols and lyrics that are used throughout. I can’t quite remember when I first heard this song, but everytime that I have heard it since, it casts a cloud of darkness and paranoia over me in the best way possible. When you hear this song, you know that something is lurking around the corner. Even though this song is not specifically about Halloween, it still puts us all in the mood for ghosts, demons and any other monster that October has prepared for us!
– Fenton Wright, Web Services Coordinator
