So we dug deep into our goosebump memory banks and thought about songs that are so creepy our skin crawls with every note. Songs that chill our bones and beckon us deeper into the dark side. Songs that we cannot escape, that have shadowed us like spilled ink, staining every corner of our lives.
Nearly every Nick Cave song is scary; few artists have dedicated themselves to the grim and macabre like the Australian Bad Seeds leader. In the mid Nineties he tasked himself with writing and recording the self-explanatory album Murder Ballads, whose songs claimed the lives of dozens upon dozens of hapless fictional victims. Its lugubrious lead track, originally planned as a sequel to Cave's Milton-inspired soundtrack fave "Red Right Hand," tells the unflinching story of a man who meets a "sweet and happy" girl named Joy, whom he eventually married, only to discover her one day after she "had been bound with electrical tape, in her mouth a gag/She'd been stabbed repeatedly and stuffed into a sleeping bag." The killer also claimed the lives of the narrator's three other daughters; by the end of the song it seems the narrator may know more than he lets on. "They never caught the man," Cave sings. "He's still on the loose."
Part psychological thriller, part paean to the shadowy wraiths of the old blues records, part meditation on the poisonous legacy of race and class, White Tears is a haunted song echoing long after the needle reaches the runout groove.
Two accompanying music videos were filmed for both parts of the song and placed separately on the visual album. The clip for "Ghost" was directed by Pierre Debusschere while Jonas Åkerlund served as the director for the second part, "Haunted". The former visual shows various close-up shots of Beyoncé lip-syncing the lyrics, while the latter features her walking in the corridor of a big mansion meeting various actors seen inside the rooms. Critics compared the video of "Haunted" and the singer's look with works by Madonna, most notably with her song "Justify My Love" (1990). The song was performed live during the last European leg of The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour and at the On the Run Tour in 2014. Beyoncé also performed it at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards as part of a medley consisting of songs from her fifth studio album.
"Haunted" is a two-part song, consisting of "Ghost" and "Haunted" collectively running for a length of approximately six minutes.[7] Its composition was described as ranging from contemporary R&B to "straight up experimentalism".[8] Mojo's Priya Elan compared the song's composition with works by English band The xx.[9] The song features sexually explicit and frank lyrics in line with a prominent theme of the album about sexuality also present in other songs.[10] Its instrumentation consists of "murky" keyboards and a "creeping", pulsating bassline.[11][12] Beyoncé sings over mournful piano stabs which are repeated along with drums and airy vocals along with a pounding club rhythm.[13][14]
During the end, "Ghost" quickly transitions into "Haunted" which contains elements of hip hop and R&B music.[3][31] Kitty Empire of The Observer described it as a dance-pop track talking about "being haunted in love".[32] Instrumentally, it consists of percussion and an off-kilter club beat which was compared with Jacques Greene and Burial.[31][33] Its sound is operatic and the lyrics undersung, with piano chords and various rhythmic effects, such as foot-tapping.[12][17] Lyrically, it talks about desire, with Ryan Dennehy from AbsolutePunk noting it was about "frank sexual desires".[3][34] The Village Voice's Brittany Spanos felt the song was discussing lingering memories of the past.[35] Trent Wolbe of The Verge compared the sound of "Haunted" with music by bands The Knife, Sade and Boards of Canada.[4] Andrew Barker from Variety found a trance genre similar to Madonna's Bedtime Stories.[36] The song includes sexual lyrics that are reflected throughout the album, including, "The bedroom's my runway / Slap me! / I'm pinned to the doorway / Kiss, bite, foreplay" and "My wicked tongue / Where will it be?" set to "sonorous... and chilly charged beats".[10][25]
"Haunted" was well received by music critics. Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph felt that the "modernist sonic approach is pushed to the fore" on "Ghost".[3] Spin's Brandon Sorderberg felt that the line "nine-to-five" just to stay alive" was repeated "way too many times".[20] Anupa Mistry of the same publication described the song as "multi-directional, mood-shifting".[27] Cosmopolitan's Alex Rees said the song is a "sharp critique of postmodern culture, except then all of a sudden there's a bunch of nasty sex talk."[25] Mesfin Fekadu from the Associated Press described "Haunted" as a "gloomy" song.[21] Writing for the website The 405, editor White Caitlin felt the singer offered part of her insecurities and flaws through the song and "sheds slut-shaming, the shackled role of uptight matriarch or calculated star".[37] Fact's Chris Kelly described its composition as "foreboding" and found a "seductive" and "haunting" hook; he further described the first part as "smoky ethereality".[33] Mojo's Priya Elan felt that some of the lines were a "nihilistic streak".[9] In a review for The Quietus, Mof Gimmers described "Haunted" as a "perfect slice of vanguard-pop".[38] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune described it as a "two-part dream".[11] Robert Leedham of the website Drowned in Sound felt that the album's "confessional moments are when you connect with it the most", exemplifying the statement with lyrics from "Haunted".[39] Andrew Hampp and Erika Ramirez of Billboard magazine felt that "Haunted" was one of the best songs on the album along with being "[the] most insightful [one]". They concluded that while the song was "one of the album's most staunchly non-commercial moments, but endlessly listenable just the same".[18] Nick Catucci from Entertainment Weekly chose "Haunted" as one of the best songs from the album, describing it as a "moody, genre-melding epic" and noting, "[it] treat[s] relationships with the same raw instinct that suffuses her sex songs".[40] AllMusic reviewer Andy Kellman also chose "Haunted" as one of the highlights on Beyoncé.[41] Una Mullally of The Irish Times deemed "Haunted" the best song on the album and an indicator of the prominent minimalism throughout the whole record.[28]
The music video for "Haunted" was directed by Swedish film and music video director Jonas Åkerlund and styled by Dagmarette Yen and B. Åkerlend.[63] It was shot using four cameras and in a period of two days.[64] On November 15, 2013, Popjustice reported that one of the actors who was featured in the video, J-Hustle, shared a picture on his Twitter account while being on a five-day set for the filming. He added that a song with "a slow vibe" was played in the background during the shooting and that its potential name was "Ghost Haunted".[65] Beyoncé first discussed about the video with Åkerlend during a concert she had in Stockholm in 2013. Having invited him for the performance, the singer played several songs for the director afterwards and the pair went on to exchange several ideas about its concept. During an interview with Vulture, Åkerlund talked about the process:[63]
The song was later also added to the set list of Beyoncé's co-headlining tour with Jay-Z, the On the Run Tour. During the performance, her look was complete with a drop-sleeve piece with black lace. While reviewing a concert of the show, Erica K. Landau of USA Today compared Beyoncé's look to Stevie Nicks. She went on to deem the song a highlight of the performance praising her "creamy" vocals in contrast with the other songs on the set list.[81] Similarly, Dan DeLuca writing for Philadelphia Media Network considered the song to be a showcase of her vocals.[82] Leila Cobo of the magazine Billboard considered the song to be a highlight of the show, showcasing the singer's "vocal prowess" and "her ability to connect as a singer and not just as a striking personality".[83] While reviewing another concert, Mike Wass of Idolator considered the performance a religious experience.[84] In another concert review, Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times noted that the attention among the people in the crowd "drift[ed] noticeably during 'Haunted'" resulting in a mild reception of the song's performance.[85]
At the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards, Beyoncé performed "Haunted" along with a medley of songs from her fifth studio album. It served as the second song of the set and it featured the singer dressed in a jewelled bodysuit created by Tom Ford.[86][87][88] After concluding with "Mine" she announced "MTV, welcome to my world" and performed "Haunted" surrounded by smoke on stage.[86] As she sang the song, Beyoncé was surrounded by dancers wearing bustiers, sleeves and face cages by fashion label Chromat.[89] Nadeska Alexis of MTV News stated that the performance of the song was among the "most soul-baring of the night".[87]
With Emraan Hashmi's Raaz Reeboot up for release, we bring to you a comprehensive list of 10 stunning songs that are bound to give you the chills. These spooky songs are the perfect way to add mystery to the horror genre. They feature ghosts, witches and mysterious thrills of all kinds. Listen to these and you're guaranteed lack of sleep.
One of the most anticipated rerecorded songs of Taylor's Swift's discography, "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" made its first public appearance in the trailer of the 2021 equestrian animated Spirit Untamed about a little girl and the legacy of taming horses that she carries forward.
One of the few Speak Now's songs featured in TV, "Haunted" provided background to a steamy scene between Jason and Jessica in True Blood. After a lot of sexual tension in season 4, episode 9 of the show, the two finally have a wild romantic rendezvous in the back of Jason's truck while Swift's "Haunted" played in the background.
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