Tis the season for updating your Halloween play list! Over the last several years we’ve compiled a bunch of songs for you to enjoy the spooky Holiday while going off the beaten path. We’ve included songs that sound upbeat only to be about serial killers, spoken word pieces by Tom Waits, and at least a couple songs from German synth bands. This year we’re back with another 10 accompanied by some fun music trivia. Enjoy!
Paul Saax – “Red Harvest”
Back in 1988, a small film hit theaters in limited release entitled “Jack’s Back.” The intended title was reportedly going to be “Red Rain” with the goal of using the Peter Gabriel song of the same name as the theme. Because of the film’s small budget, they couldn’t afford the song and so a man named Paul Saax was brought in to record the totally legally distinct song, “Red Harvest.” Now, “Red Rain” itself is atmospheric and mildly creepy given its sonic textures and imagery, and “Red Harvest” apes that for everything It’s worth. That said, the lyric here is a bit more on point and unnerving to go along with the horror/thriller nature of the movie. As far as I know, the movie doesn’t have an official soundtrack release, but there are YouTube rips of the song online that you can enjoy. And again, TOTALLY not “Red Rain.” Completely legally distinct.
Peter Gabriel – “Intruder”
From a Peter Gabriel sound alike to the man himself, “Intruder” is about exactly what the title implies, an intruder. Gabriel tells the story of someone who breaks into people’s houses and likes to, “feel the suspense when I’m certain you know I am there.” It’s complimented by a creepy arrangement that would be sparse, if not for the crashing drums provided by Phil Collins. This song is actually the first to include the “gated reverb” effect that producer Hugh Padgham stumbled upon with Phil when tinkering around with the noise gates and compressors. So, that crashing drum sound that was used on “In the Air Tonight” started here, and It’s impact on the foreboding atmosphere is resounding.
Tony Banks/Bankstatement – Queen of Darkness
One last Genesis connection here with keyboardist Tony Banks and his solo project/band, Bankstatement. The pun in the name is very much noted and appreciated. Lead vocals on this song here are handled by Jayney Klimek as she sings about how she can be whatever her lover wants her to be. From a fairy princess to the titular queen of darkness, she can take that role. However, as highlighted by Banks’s keyboard tone, there is a constant sinister edge to her words. It’s more as if her saying she can be a “queen of darkness” is a threat as opposed to an offer. Plus, Kilmek’s voice has a husky, sexual quality to it that adds that element of eroticism to the song that often ties in well with horror and unease.
The Alan Parsons Project – The Raven
It would be a cheat entry to list the entirety of The Alan Parsons Project’s first album here, but it could’ve fit. “Tales of Mystery and Imagination” was their debut album in 1976 and It’s all themed after tales by Edgar Allan Poe. The album’s centerpiece is the fifteen minute suite that is “The Fall of the House of Usher” but for the purpose of this list, we’ll be focused on “The Raven.” There are two versions of the song, one from the original release and the other from the 1987 remixed album. Either one will do to fit the creepy vibe, though the guitar solo on the ’87 mix is a welcome addition to it. Either way you get narration spoken with a vocoder along with the predictable chorus of “Never more.” It’s got a slow build to it which makes the song more interesting on repeat listens because you can anticipate what it’s building to and bask in that atmosphere
Self Control – Laura Branigan
Across her first few albums, Laura Branigan found success from covering songs that were originally hits in foreign languages in Europe. “Gloria” was originally an Italian song and “Deep in the Dark” is a reworked version of Falco’s “Der Kommissar.” “Self Control,” from her album of the same name, was again originally from Italy. Branigan’s version is slinky and sexual as she walks through the dark and declares that “I live among the creatures of the night.” She encounters someone she finds so enticing, so intoxicating, that she can’t help but surrender her self-control. It’s not strictly a horror song by any means, but it once again rides that line between the scary and the sexual which makes it essential for an off-beat Halloween playlist.
The Fixx – Red Skies
In 1982, The Fixx released their debut album, “Shuttered Room.” Produced by Rupert Hine, the record had an incredible amount of polish to it at a time when new wave was emerging from the raw punk scene. The atmospheric keyboards, chiming guitars, and sharp vocals from Cy Curnin made The Fixx stand out in general, but never more than they did with the single, “Red Skies.” The old adage goes, “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight,” but this sky is a harbinger of terrible things to come. The lyrics are foreboding and threatening while also being enigmatically vague. Given the song’s release during the Cold War, it could be a warning of nuclear apocalypse or some other human calamity but it’s not good whatever’s on that horizon. The opening lyrics ring out, “Red skies at night, Red skies at night,” in a chilling echo. There is no sailor’s delight for anyone, only dread.
Men at Work – Dr Heckyll and Mr. Jive
The second album, “Cargo,” from Australia’s Men at Work lacked the number one hits of “Down Under” and “Who Can it Be Now” that their previous album had, but it still had some huge hits in its own right with “Overkill” and “It’s a Mistake.” The spoonerism based title, “Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive” also cracked the top 40 but is oft forgotten in the band’s catalog. It actually falls in line quite well with the band’s darker emotions that are hinted at in many of their hits. “Who Can it Be Now?” Is a song heavily routed in isolation and mistrust of people. “Dr.Heckyll & Mr. Jive” is almost a sequel in some respects to that. It tells the tale of a mad scientist of sorts who’s trying to find a way to successfully inject himself into society and understand others. The line, “He loves the world except for all the people,” underscores this to show exactly what kind of person Heckyll is. The title is obviously a reference to Jekyll and Hyde, so even on a surface level it can still fit into a Halloween playlist; in case you don’t have the desire to analyze Men at Work lyrics in your downtime.
Johnny Cash – Sam Hall
On Johnny Cash‘s “American IV,” the world was introduced to his cover of Nine Inch Nail’s “Hurt.” But tucked away on the record is a cover of an old folk song, “Sam Hall.” As with many a folk song that dates back over centuries, the words and interpretation have changed, but the spirit tends to be the same. In the vein of many a country murder ballad, the titular Sam Hall has been convicted of murder and is set to hang. The lyric is Hall’s hateful, scornful denouncement of all those around him, the listener included. He ends every verse by exclaiming, “Damn your eyes,” or some variation of it. It’d\s almost comical how the spite is followed by a bouncy piano line, but the venom in the main character’s sentiment is no joke. Hall has no remorse, no feeling, and will happily see anyone and everyone condemned with him. It’s a chilling character portrait, painted by a man seconds away from death.
Greenskeepers – Lotion
Well here’s a song that’s delightfully self-explanatory, provided you’ve seen “The Silence of the Lambs.” Amongst many things, the film is famous for its character Buffalo Bill and his debauched murdering of people and defilement of their corpses for their skin. He famously holds a woman captive in a hole and tells her, “It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.” Well, the band Greenskeepers, recognizing that as a rhyming couplet, used it as the genesis for a song. What follows is “Lotion,” a song that’s basically written from the perspective of Buffalo Bill, or Hannibal, or a legally distinct entity that’s almost the same thing. The hand clap percussion helps drive the song along but the chorus is really the part that is so memorably catchy.
Oingo Boingo – Insanity
Oingo Boingo has never strayed away from the morbid, macabre, and off-beat. Led by Danny Elfman with him being the songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist, it’s not surprising that a lot of their songs could’ve made this list. “Weird Science” and “Dead Man’s Party” are easy inclusions, but it’s their final album, 1994’s “Boingo” that deserves special mention here. By this point in time, Elfman had transitioned the band out of new wave and firmly into alt rock, but with his own dark spin. “Insanity” is the culmination of all the creepiness Elfman could work into one eight minute piece. Dark atmosphere, creepy children singing, troubling lyrics, spooky spoken word section, Dan Quayle reference… it has it all! This is probably the closest Elfman got to an Oingo Boingo song representing his film composition work, and it shows in the extremely lush arrangement. It’s an unforgettable song that isn’t great for casual listening but is perfect for Halloween.
