Halloween is arguably the best holiday, with the candy, the festivities, and the very scary essence it brings us once a year. The best thing about Halloween, though, is all the haunting tunes. Here are some of the WBCR team’s favorite Halloween songs. We hope they don't scare you all that much
John Maus, "Castles in the Grave"
"Post punk is very goth and Halloween is very goth. The most goth thing anyone can do is just, like, scream for no reason on a song and this one has that. Furthermore, it is a very sonically chilling song with nightmarish lyrical content." - Sydney Ortiz, co-manager
Ray Parker Jr, “Ghostbusters”
“This is literally a banger that I grew up listening to every year for Halloween." - Christian Fares, co-manager
Bon Iver, “666 ʇ”
“With ‘666 ʇ,’ Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon cuts to the core of All Hallow’s Eve. Postmodern, late-capitalist consumer culture has commodified and very literally demonized Allhallowtide in the same way it has appropriated the ‘number of the beast’ and the Saint Peter’s cross for Hot Topic merchandise. Allhallowtide is a remembrance of the faithful departed who have yet to achieve salvation; ‘666 ʇ’ is a remembrance of Vernon’s faith departed, now suspended stillborn in the air.” - Esther Veitch, programming director
Shakira, “She Wolf”
“I chose this song because it is a synth pop-y banger, and because it’s about having a deep dark spooky wolf secret that comes out only at the full moon. Also about letting your secret out to breathe!” - Eva Haykin, electronic director
The Boswell Sisters, “Shine On Harvest Moon”
“Spooky jazz is one of my favorite types of music and honestly puts you in more of a Halloween mood than ‘Monster Mash’ or ‘Thriller.’” - Elisabeth Balistreri, promotions
Oingo Boingo, “No One Lives Forever”
“I chose this song because I think the vibe of it generally fits the mood for halloween. Especially the line ‘let’s have a party, there’s a full moon in the sky,’ plus the beat being creepy in a fun way. Oingo Boingo, as a band overall, has the off-but-interesting energy that I think makes good Halloween songs.” - Keith Spindle, metal director
MGMT, “Little Dark Age”
“With its gothic beats and eerie lyrics, this 2017 banger from the synth pop duo proves why MGMT is one of the most innovative bands around. Idk this is all I got” - Anas Ahmed, treasurer + new music director
Michael Jackson, “Ghosts”
“I picked ‘Ghosts’ by Michael Jackson because when I first saw the video for it, it scared the hell out of me.” - Justin Grant, hip-hop director
Eddie Noack, “Psycho”
“My favorite halloween song has got to be ‘Psycho’ by Eddie Noack. The song is written from the perspective of a murderer speaking to his mother. ‘You think I'm psycho, don't you, Mama?’ – Chilling! Although not dealing directly with Halloween or the supernatural, ‘Psycho’ is guaranteed to give you the creeps.” - Lynden Bloomberg, folk and blues director
Pixies, "Dead"
"I picked this song for the playlist because Halloween time makes me think of death and everything related to it. I think the abrasiveness and angst is what I associate with the fear of death." - Sammy Schachter, world and jazz director
Check out our special Halloween playlist with all these songs and more!!