I don't know about you, but I personally love Autumn and Halloween. I also love listening to songs that remind me of this particular season. Although overplayed songs are great (they're popular for a reason), I do eventually get tired of them. So, here are some lesser known songs that personally remind me of October!
1. "Broken Horse" - Freelance Whales
"October's got those orange eyes, but somehow I still lost sight..."
Freelance Whales is an American indie band from Queens, New York. Not everyone knows who they are, but those who do know tend to love them. Technically speaking, this song was not written about Autumn, but it definitely gives off that vibe in the lyrics and melody.
2. "Dance With The Dead" - Get Scared
"And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take...and if there's none, oh well."
Despite their name, Get Scared is NOT a horror band, although this is definitely a horror song. It's definitely on the edgy side, but it's hard to avoid edginess within this genre.
3. "Any Kind Of Dead Person" - Ghost Quartet
"If you could be a dead guy, what kind of dead guy would you be?"
Ghost Quartet is a musical/song cycle featuring Dave Malloy, Brent Arnold, Brittain Ashford, and Gelsey Bell. To quote the cast themselves, the show is about "...love, death, and whiskey. A camera breaks and four friends drink in an interwoven tale spanning seven centuries, with a murderous sister, a treehouse astronomer, a bear, a subway, and the ghost of Thelonious Monk."
Sounds confusing, right? ...Right. Still, the whole album, especially this song, sets the mood for Halloween. Just don't go in expecting it to make sense because it doesn't.
4. "The Greatest Show Unearthed" - Creature Feature
"Ladies and gentleman; boys and ghouls...step right up!"
Creature Feature is a Halloween-style horror band that doesn't get near enough attention. They're actually coming out with a new album this year, and I can't wait to spend my October 31st jamming out to not only their old songs but their new ones as well! Given that they're a horror band, almost all of their songs could easily fit on this list, but I'll keep it to this one, which is one of my own personal favorites.
5. "Turn The Lights Off" - Tally Hall
"And everybody wants to get evil tonight, but all good devils masquerade under the light."
This makes for a perfect Halloween party song. Everyone likes to be scared sometimes, yes? The band Tally Hall certainly seems to think so, and so do I!
6. "Devil's Train" - The Lab Rats
"Listen for the whistle through the wind and raindrop. Who's gonna ride the devil's train tonight?"
This isn't a song about typical Halloween horrors, but it still has a scary Autumnal vibe. At the very least, it should definitely leave the listener with chills!
7. "I'm A Member Of The Midnight Crew" - Eddie Morton
"Rise with the moon, go to bed with the sun. Early to bed, and you'll miss all the fun."
This song is almost a century old, but it doesn't feel that way to me. My grandparents used to play Eddie Morton's songs for me, and this one has always struck me as a Halloween-type song. It will probably sound weird to modern day listeners, but it was very much a hit at one point in time!
8. "Ring Around The Rosie" - Dead Space
You may be laughing at this song now, but that will easily change once you listen to it. Nothing beats eerie versions of children's nursery rhymes, am I right? This song was actually made for the video game Dead Space 2, but unfortunately, it never made the final cut of the game. Still, that doesn't mean that we can't enjoy a minor-key "Ring Around The Rosie"!
Look up the actual meaning behind the original song, and this bone-chilling version will make A LOT of sense. But, warning: it may very well ruin your childhood!
9. "Pale September" - Fiona Apple
"The autumn days swung soft around me, like cotton on my skin."
This melancholy tune consists of beautiful instrumentals as well as beautiful lyrics. Fiona Apple composes her own songs, and this one is no exception! Autumn, as lovely as it is, can be a symbol for loss, and this song expresses just that.
10. "Masquerade" - The Phantom Of The Opera Cast
"Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you!"
This would be a very...interesting party to attend, that's for sure. While I've personally never attended any sort of event like this, I do know that I love listening to this song!
