Halloween is the one night, or one month, of the year to embrace our creepy sides. Express the spirit of the month with your own spooky playlist (Courtesy of gaudiramone on Creative Commons).
Halloween is here, or at least we’ve entered the month-long event referred to lovingly as Spooktober. In the interest of self-preservation or the maintenance of whatever scraps remain of our sanity as a result of 2020, we’ll be throwing ourselves into the holiday and its macabre acceptance of misery with every ounce of our beings.
Walking in Geneseo this time of year satisfies the yearn for autumn that years of perfect Tumblr aesthetics have inspired in this generation. The red, the yellow, the old houses and quiet cemeteries, the big Geneseo sweatshirts and cozy cups of hot liquid from Cricket’s. But there’s something missing without a pair of headphones in, without tracks to play that suit the mood we crave.
This playlist is my magnum opus. It’s a snapshot of the eerie atmosphere of spooky season as communicated through audio bytes. You can make your own too, and it will take the shape of different tracks but will mix to the same flavor of our beloved, ghoulish fall. I’ll tell you how.
Step number one: branch out beyond the category of popular songs played around Halloween time. When you go to create your Halloween playlist, your first instinct will be to search for the Halloween songs everybody knows. Naturally. And you should go for it, grab as many as you want until you realize you’re running out of choices. My personal playlist features several dozen classics, such as “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr. and “Season of the Witch” by Donovan. After you’ve already stocked your playlist up with traditional Halloween tunes, though, you’re finally free to be creative.
Step number two: Think hard about what you associate with Halloween. What songs have you heard before, even recently, with lyrics about murder or witches or vampires or spooky things? I found Halloween vibes in songs like “Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, “You’re so Dark” and “Knee Socks” by the Arctic Monkeys and “Electric Funeral” by Black Sabbath. In my opinion, these songs are eerie sounding, and their creepy lyrics are apt for Halloween. Now you get to pick your own.
Step number three: pick songs based on content, not genre. If you want other people to listen to your playlist, you’ve gotta give them some of everything. Plus, you’re limiting yourself if you steer clear of a song just because it’s not your usual style. My playlist includes every genre possible, including pop music like “Walking with a Ghost” by Tegan and Sara, classical music like “Danse macabre in G Minor, OP.40” by Camille Saint-Saëns, country music like “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” by Johnny Cash, and rock music like “Pet Sematary” by the Ramones, as well as several less conventional genres.
Step number four: don’t be shy, throw in some showtunes. You’ve probably already added the classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” motion picture soundtrack to your playlist, but that’s not the only Halloween-esque musical out there. Throw in some macabre songs from “Heathers: The Musical” like “Dead Girl Walking,” or check out the music of “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” motion picture soundtrack. Give the people what they want.
Step number five: annoy your friends by telling them how great your playlist is for the entirety of October. This is my favorite step, and I’m constantly thrilled by the looks on my friends faces when a song they love but didn’t expect, comes up on the playlist.
As soon as the leaves change color, our house echoes with the noise of our favorite ghostly tunes. Hopefully your spooky season can echo with the sounds of your unique Halloween playlist, too.