Let’s get spooky — or spooky adjacent. This is a list of songs that, on the surface, will get you in the Halloween and witchy spirit, but at their depths, will make you cry. Happy spooky season!
Halloween by Phoebe Bridgers
This song is most certainly not about Halloween, but the name fits! Phoebe always knows how to puncture you right in the heart. With the lyrics, “Whatever you want/I’ll be whatever you want,” she tells of the masks we put on for people we love for quite a heartbreaking spin on Halloween costumes.
Witches by Alice Phoebe Lou
This song is so groovy I can’t stop listening to it. If you’re dressing up as a witch for Halloween, Alice Phoebe Lou actually wrote this song for you. “I’m one of those witches, babe/Just don’t try to save me/Cause I don’t want to be saved,” she sings, but after listening to this song I might need to be saved.
Ghost in the Machine by SZA and Phoebe Bridgers
Ghosts on Halloween! This song is also definitely not about Halloween – Phoebe has a tendency to do that. It’s about ghosts, yes, but the ghost of ourselves rather than a bed sheet with two holes cut out. The phrase “ghost in the machine” has been used to suggest that the mind is separate from the body. “Robot get sleep, but I don’t power down,” SZA wistfully sings.
Asc. Scorpio by Oracle Sisters
It’s Scorpio season. This astral rock song will teleport you to another time with the help of the Oracle Sisters’ nostalgic vibe. “Asc. Scorpio” is as dreamy as it is realistic – the song came after the guitarist got stung by a scorpion. Life is not as it seems, in both good and bad ways.
Moonlight on the River by Mac DeMarco
Let’s do some word association: Halloween, full moon, moonlight, “Moonlight on the River.” In seven minutes, Mac DeMarco takes you on an ethereal trip filled with mesmerizing guitar riffs and heartbreaking lyrics about his complicated relationship with his parents. One listen both floors and transcends you all at once.
Autumn in New York by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
Halloween is the peak of fall, or autumn, as Ella would so eloquently say. This song is a love letter to the changing seasons: “Autumn in New York/It spells the thrill of first nighting.” Louis Armstrong comes in later with his rich voice and, of course, a trumpet solo. There’s nothing better than Ella and Louis.
CYANIDE by Daniel Caesar
Cyanide is poison, and poison fits into the Halloween motif, right? “CYANIDE” is an ode to Daniel Caesar’s Jamaican descent, featuring a heavy reggae vibe throughout. He speaks of a toxic relationship: “Give me your love, it’s unrequited/the thought of you gets me excited.” The song has such rhythm you would never even know it’s heart-shattering.
