Halloween, Vol. 2

The big event of Spooky Season 2021 is just six days away, and I am so ready. My skeleton and witch decor joined all my basic fall decorations back on October 1st, the same day I started listening to my Halloween Playlist again. This playlist is so fun for me to listen to and share with people, and I get so excited for it every year. So without further ado, I am proud to announce the second iteration of the Audio Aesthetics Halloween Playlist.

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics (written by D. Stewart, A. Lennox)

This completely classic banger isn't necessarily scary in and of itself, but Lennox's vocals have a naturally haunting quality to them and the song just ends up setting the right vibe. Featured on Eurythmics' 1983 album Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), this original recording is hands down the best version of this song and deserves a listen not just during October but all year round.

Sweet dreams are made of this/Who am I to disagree/I’ve traveled the world and the seven seas/Everybody’s looking for something/Some of them want to use you/Some of them want to get used by you/Some of them want to abuse you/Some of them want to be abused

House of the Rising Sun by Five Finger Death Punch (traditional lyrics)

Don't worry, The Animals' version of this song is on the playlist as well, this is just the one that was picked by my number randomizer this year. Featured on their 2013 album The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 2, Five Finger Death Punch lends a much heavier rock sound to this traditional song, which is a lot of fun, but I do wish they'd left the lyrics as alluding to New Orleans instead of changing them to be about Las Vegas.

There is a house in Sin City/They call the Rising Sun/And it’s been the ruin of many a poor boy/And God, I know I’m one/My mother was a tailor/She sewed my new blue jeans/My father was a gambling man/Down in Sin City/Now, the only thing a gambler needs/Is a suitcase and a trunk/And the only time he’s satisfied/Is when he’s on a drunk

Old Devil Moon by Josh Groban ft. Chris Botti (written by B. Lane, E. Harburg)

Here's another song that's definitely not on the scary side of things, but we've got "devil" and "moon" in the title so that gave it a freebie. Featured on his 2015 album Stages, Josh Groban's cover of this song from the 1947 musical Finian's Rainbow is masterfully done and also includes a great trumpet line by composer and trumpeter Chris Botti.

I looked at you, and suddenly/Something in your eyes I see/Soon begins bewitching me/It’s that old devil moon that you stole from the skies/It’s that old devil moon in your eyes

Biting Down by Lorde (written by E. Yelich O'Connor, J. Little)

Most of Lorde's early stuff has spooky vibes, so this song fits right in. Featured on her 2013 album Pure Heroine, the repetitive lyrics, hypnotic beat, and layered vocals all work together to create a really cool, somewhat haunting track.

It feels better biting down/It feels better biting down/It feels better biting down/It feels better biting down/It feels better biting down/It feels better biting down/Skip a hit, don’t make a sound/It feels better biting down

I Hope This Comes Back to Haunt You by Neck Deep (written by A. Wade, J. McKinnon, L. Roberts, S. Barlow, B. Barlow, P. Thorpe-Evans, D. Washington)

Let's inject a little punk music into this playlist, they always have something fun to add. Featured on their 2015 album Life's Not Out to Get You, this song from pop punk band Neck Deep transports me for a few minutes back to my high school best friend's house listening to so many bands who had a similar song, and hey, they talk about hauntings so there's the Halloween connection.

I sat inside with a heavy heart, just wish you would think of me/Are you listening/Ran ‘round in circles ’til after dark, didn’t get very far/Wasn’t meant to be/I never thought it would be this hard/It feels like you walked through me/I hope this comes back to haunt you/I hope this comes back to haunt you

Dirty Paws by Of Monsters and Men (written by A. Gudjonsson, N. Hilmarsdottir, R. Thorhallsson)

I have yet to find a song by Of Monsters and Men that I haven't ended up enjoying, and most of them have come from this specific album. Featured on their 2011 album My Head Is An Animal, the really dreamy quality of Nanna Hilmarsdottir and Raggi Thórhallsson's voices and the nature of their music videos being animated and featuring fantastical creatures shrouded in some sort of mist lend a sense of mystique to their music that's enjoyable all year, but a little differently in October.

Jumping up and down the floor, my head is an animal/And once there was an animal, it had a son that mowed the lawn/The son was an okay guy, they had a pet dragonfly/The dragonfly, it ran away, but it came back with a story to say/Her dirty paws and furry coat, she ran down the forest slope/The forest of talking trees, they used to sing about the birds and the bees/The bees had declared a war, the sky wasn’t big enough for them all/The birds, they got help from below, from dirty paws and the creatures of snow

My Old Flame by Spike Jones and His City Slickers (written by S. Coslow, A. Johnson)

This song took me by surprise the first time I heard it, but the surprise twist in the middle of the song really shouldn't have been a shock knowing how Jones would take classic songs and mess with them in delightful, hilarious ways. Released in 1947, Jones' version of this jazz classic is best if you experience it in all its glory, and once you listen to it you'll totally get why it's here.

My old flame/I can’t even think of her name/But it’s funny now and then/How my thoughts go flashing back again to my old flame/I’ve met so many who had fascinating ways/A fascinating gaze in their eyes/Some who took me up to the skies/But their attempts at love were only imitations of/My old flame/I can’t even think of her name/But I’ll never be the same/Until I discover what became of my old flame

Happy Halloweek!! I hope you found some fun, spooky tunes to enjoy as you prepare for this weekend, however you'll be celebrating. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!