Rock history is full of songs with dark themes. It’s also led various groups to censor, ban, and collectively clutch pearls over music they consider to be controversial. Which also makes these classics perfect for Halloween. The sinister guitar riffs, dissonant chords, and creepy lyrics in the rock classics here are enough to scare the daylights out of you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Videos by American Songwriter
“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult lists reasons not to fear the reaper. The seasons don’t, and neither do the wind or the rain. But those things aren’t conscious beings. And the reference to Romeo and Juliet doesn’t offer much consolation either if you’re at all familiar with Shakespeare’s dark tale. But this entry on our list of rock classics doesn’t get truly scary until the two-and-a-half-minute mark when the band launches into a spooky Halloween jam.
Came the last night of sadness
And it was clear she couldn’t go on
And the door was open and the wind appeared
The candles blew and then disappeared
The curtains flew and then he appeared.
“Highway To Hell” by AC/DC
Whether or not you believe hell is some supernatural destination for the wicked, AC/DC’s banger sure makes it sound like a party you might not want to skip. This was Bon Scott’s last album, and on the title track, he tells Satan he’s paid his dues by playing in a rock and roll band. Everything about AC/DC and Bon Scott feels dangerous. So when I say “scary,” I mean the good kind. The way rock bands are supposed to make you feel when it’s done right. Also, check out the album cover.
Hey, Satan,
Paying my dues
Playing in a rockin’ band.
Hey Mama,
Look at me
I’m on the way to the promised land.
“Mr. Crowley” by Ozzy Osbourne
If you were a kid trick-or-treating and you heard the synthesizer intro to “Mr. Crowley” as you walked to a stranger’s door, you might think about turning around and trying the next neighbor instead. Ozzy Osbourne wrote a tune about Aleister Crowley out of curiosity. He’d heard Jimmy Page had purchased the occultist’s house, and it also fed into the narrative that Osbourne himself was into witchcraft. The Prince of Darkness hath spoken.
Your lifestyle to me seems so tragic
With the thrill of it all
You fooled all the people with magic
Yeah, you waited on Satan’s call.
Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.