Songs About Fear For Halloween

Post

Subscribe

This is my third and final Halloween column for this year. After graves and ghosts , now I'll look at general fear as the topic du jour.



This idea comes from a friend of mine, a mature age university student, who has decided to organise a Halloween party and this is the music theme she wants. It was tough, though, to start. There are not many songs about being afraid. So, I extended the theme to include words like "scared", etc. And a lot of the songs I found were about combatting fear, or having no fear (they still fit!), and soon I had a decent amount of tracks.

The normal rules apply – one song per artist, one version of each song, I need to like the song.

Songs about Fear!
'Running Scared' by Roy Orbison (1961)

A fantastic example of Roy Orbison's vocal talents, this song builds and soars and still sends shivers down my spine when I listen to it. He was such an amazing talent.
'Don't Fear The Reaper' by Blue Oyster Cult (1976)

Sometimes styled in title as '(Don't Fear) The Reaper', this has become a classic of 1970s rock. It is a mellow yet rocking track, and has gone down to those who know because of Saturday Night Live for "more cowbell!"
'Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)' by David Bowie (1980)

Another Bowie classic song. I was not a fan of this song when I was younger, but it has grown on me as I've aged. I think I understand it better now that I am an adult.
'I'm Scared' by The Angels (1980)

Typical The Angels song, pub rock, this one with a brooding edge to it. While not a stand out from the Dark Room album, it is still a strong track.
'Nothing To Fear (Bit Fear Itself)' by Oingo Boingo (1982)

Typical Oingo Boingo weirdness. There is little else to say about this song. Oingo Boingo always brought the interesting to music, and the musical landscape it the lesser without them.
'Fear Of Falling' by Cutting Crew (1986)

Cutting Crew are really a one-hit wonder, so when other songs of theirs come up in looking through my record collection, it is always interesting to put them in lists and introduce people to more than their one hit. This is a fun little track with some good guitars through it.
'Fear Of The Dark' by Iron Maiden (1992)

NWOBHM done so well. Iron Maiden really hit this, the title track of their 1992 album, with gusto, the twin guitar attack and Dickinson's vocals making this longer song just sound epic.
'I'm Scared' by Brian May (1992)

I first started listening to Brian May as a solo artist after the death of Freddie Mercury, and discovered that he was probably just over-shadowed in Queen because he is very good. This rocking song was released as the B-side to 'Too Much Love Will Kill You'.
'Fear' by Bon Jovi (1992)

A good song, a deep cut from the Keep the Faith album, one that rocks really well. It is a little generic in sound, and would not have stood up to the growing tide of grunge, but I still think it is a strong part of their catalogue.
'Fear Of The Unknown' by Suzi Quatro (1993)

I am something of a fan of Suzi Quatro , and yet I did not get this album until over 10 years after its release. This is a strong song from an unfortunately forgotten collection.
'Fearless' by Taylor Swift (2008)

Early Taylor Swift is a little twee, but still rather enjoyable. This song is one of her stronger ones, especially lyrically, and I couldn't leave it out. I was debating whether to put the re-recorded Taylor's version here, but did decide on the original.
'Fear And Trembling' by Gang Of Youths (2017)

Gang Of Youths release some very complex and interesting music, and this track fits into that so well. Pop-rock done well, they are a modern band I have really got into.
'Little Fears, Little Loves' by Liz Stringer (2021)

When I reviewed Liz Stringer's album , I made a point that this song has one of the best similes I've heard: " Like a bird from above, you swept me up/ And we hung on the thermals, wings outstretched…" And that is a fine way to finish this list.
I know I missed a couple of songs out, but I wanted this list to be 13 songs long, in tribute to Halloween. Still, there is a nice mix of musical styles here, and a good coverage of years… but what happened in 1992 to make things seem so scary? I was in my 20s and I don't remember anything really bad in the news at that time.

Anyway, that's the last of my Halloween song lists for this year. Hope you enjoyed them and have something of a playlist for that Halloween party.
via GIPHY

#halloween
#lists
#music
#performing_arts
#pop_culture
#quirky
%wneverywhere