JUST ANOTHER GAL FROM CASPER: WHAT I’M LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW EDITION…
I’ve always loved this time of year, and Halloween in particular. While I’m not someone who dons a costume, I’m totally down with creepy music. Here are some of my favorite spooky tunes, ranging from delightful to downright dark…
“Then everything went crazy
My shoes filled with blood
The water rose the wind did howl
The river looked ready to flood
I left my man asleep to drown
And ran without looking back around…”
I first heard this song during an eerie Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode. Even on its own, the frenetic music, unsettling animal-like sounds and disturbing lyrics are perfect for an eerie playlist.
“Lullaby” (Theme from Rosemary’s Baby) – Krzystzof Komeda
If you’ve seen the movie, this song’ll give you goosebumps. If you haven’t seen the movie, just imagine being impregnated with the Devil’s spawn. Even future demons need a good lullaby, right?
“Nights in White Satin” – The Moody Blues
When I was in high school, I saw a play where the characters were begging to be crucified — with this song playing in the background. Imagine, at the 2:05 mark, someone being nailed to a cross…yikes.
“Ethnicolor” – Jean-Michel Jarre
I love a lot of JMJ’s electronic compositions, but this one in particular sounds like what being trapped in hell must feel like…
“97 Bonnie & Clyde” – Tori Amos
“Come on, hey, hey, we going to the beach
Grab a couple of toys and let Dada strap you in the car seat
Where’s mama? She’s takin’ a little nap in the trunk
Oh, that smell? Dada must’ve runned over a skunk”
Eminem’s original song tells the story of a man talking to his young daughter while disposing of his wife’s body. Tori Amos’s version explores the disturbing experience from the dead woman’s perspective…super haunting.
“Hillbillies in a Haunted House” – Austin Lounge Lizards
“Two were attacked by the walkin’ dead, 3 got a hatchet right through the head
Six were eaten by giant rats, 1 was killed by vampire bats
Six hillbillies got stabbed with swords, 1 got hit by flyin’ boards
Three were ‘lectrocuted by an electric wire, and 2 hillbillies caught on fire”
One of my favorite bluegrass songs from these Texans who, by their own proclamation, are the “Most Laughable Band in Show Business.” Any song containing the line “If we wanna increase our population, we better get started with some copulation” works for me…
“Country Death Song” – Violent Femmes
“I gave her a push, I gave her a shove
I pushed with all my might, I pushed with all my love
I threw my child into a bottomless pit
She was screaming as she fell, but I never heard her hit
She was screaming as she fell, but I never heard her hit”
What’s creepier than a dude who, given too much time to “sit around and think,” decides to toss his daughter into a well? Not much…
“Down by the Water” – PJ Harvey
“Down by the water
(down by the water)
I took her hand
(I took her hand)
Just like my daughter
(just like my daughter)
Won’t see her again
(see her again)”
I’ve spent waaaaay too much time wondering just what the hell is actually going on in this chilling tale…
Love him or not, this is one of the greatest music videos ever (with some creepy/cool assistance from Vincent Price)!
Happy Halloween!
