3 Rock Songs From the 1980s That Chill Me to My Core With Every Listen

Some rock songs just get under your skin like no other. The 1980s, specifically, dished out plenty of ethereal and new wave-leaning rock songs that have that very chilling factor. The following three tunes are just a few of my favorites that fit that description. Let’s take a look!

“A Forest” by The Cure from ‘Seventeen Seconds’ (1980)

This post-punk gothic rock song from The Cure is sort of a deep cut, though it was released as a single off the group’s second record, Seventeen Seconds. It doesn’t get as much love as some of the band’s other work, though, and I think “A Forest” really deserves more attention. It’s crazy to think that this song (and the whole of the album) was a rush job due to budget constraints. It certainly doesn’t sound like it. 

This pure gothic rock tune is as moody as The Cure gets, with an atmosphere that adequately reflects its inspiration: a dream that Robert Smith had as a child in which he was lost in the woods. Though, he has flip-flopped on the meaning, later saying that it’s “just about a forest.”

“Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” by The Smiths from ‘Strangeways, Here We Come’ (1987)

The Smiths released some of the most arresting and emotional alternative rock songs of the 80s, but there’s something about “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” that still gets under my skin. This odd and chilling song features a backdrop of noises from the British miners’ strike of the mid-1980s and somber lyrics à la Morrissey. This single wasn’t a commercial success, but it has since become a cult favorite among fans.

“Breathing” by Kate Bush from ‘Never For Ever’ (1980)

Kate Bush’s whole discography could easily make it to a list of rock songs that chill me to my core, especially her 1980s offerings. I went with “Breathing” because it still manages to freak me out a little bit every time I hear it. A prog-rock song from Never For Ever, “Breathing” has an extremely unique subject. It’s about a fetus in the womb who is painfully aware of the nuclear war going on outside of its mother. Per a 1980 issue of Melody Maker, Bush said it was her best song up until that point. She also noted that she was inspired by The Wall by Pink Floyd. I can definitely hear it.

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