Horror: An Experience Told Through the Black Voice 

If anyone knows me in real life – they know I don’t do horror, scary, spooky or ANY of the sorts. But what I may do is a nice spooky season song or two. In my opinion, no one does spooky season quite like my melanated people. Some of the most classic and recognizable creepy anthems were made for us, by us. 

The use of music sets the mood for any season and getting into the Halloween spirit just wouldn’t be the same without these contributions, some changed history, broke through barriers, and even created their own lanes. What is music without the black voice? This genre is no different. The elevation of the style through our voices has deep roots and is told from many lenses with different tempos, moods, and subject matters.

Let’s start with the absolute classics. 

Stevie Wonder, ‘Superstition.’ I really should just leave it there, because that’s it. What more needs to be said honey? The funnnnnnk. Oh my goodness, I can’t even make it past the first thirty seconds most of the time because the instrumentation of it all. Chileeeeee. The musical prodigy that is Stevie Wonder, ladies and gentlemen. A similar, creepier track, ‘I Put a Spell On You’ is probably one of the most spooky songs of the season, especially when the tune is sung by the iconic Nina Simone. 

Make no mistake, ‘Superstition’ and ‘I Put a Spell On You’ are not the only contributions we’ve made to the spooky season. It’s certainly not the only classic to come out of that era either. ‘Somebody's Watching Me’ another classic that is always, kind of, just there. ‘Somebody’s Watching Me’ appears EVERYWHERE and it honestly isn’t even limited to October. Another upbeat track that is often linked to Halloween but can be seen any and everywhere is ‘The Freaks Come Out at Night.’ It’s a great time and has always made me laugh, even earning a little jig or two. Bops, tens across the board.

Other songs like Harry Belafonte’s ‘Day-O’ that are attached to movies like Beetlejuice that induct them into the spooky season hall of fame. 

I’m sure as you read this, you’re thinking to yourself, “Is she going to talk about that song?” Duh! I wouldn’t expect y’all to trust my opinion if I didn’t at least mention it.

Of course, I’m talking about ‘Thriller.’ The big mama. Probably one of the most recognizable spooky songs ever, without regard to race. Period. What a concept??? GROUNDBREAKING. Art. A movie. All of the above. Thriller broke through doors and single handedly created the music video as we know it (argue with yourself). Along with birthing the music video, the track is the epitome of what horror is and what it evokes, all the while leaving you no choice but to learn the choreography and get swept up in the phenomenon that is ‘Thriller.’ Visionary, all of it. ‘Thriller’ was for the culture way back when. It solidified our place in the genre like no other entry while still staying true to our roots and sound. The mass appeal of ‘Thriller’ is still unheard of almost 40 years later. Literally, y’all ‘Thriller’ burst through our speakers for the first time in 1982! Thriller’s back should be broken from carrying this season on its back for so long!

From these classics birthed the emergence of black artists tackling the genre well into the twenty-first century. Without these classics there would be no ‘Dracula’s Wedding’ by Outkast, ‘Disturbia’ by Rihanna, or ‘Haunted’ by Beyoncé. The list goes on and on.

The effortlessness of these hits to captivate an audience, making them want to dance and sing along with them while still serving its purpose of being creepy is mind-blowing. People like me who can’t even watch a horror movie trailer without turning on all of the lights in the house still enjoy these bops because they are all feel good tracks regardless of the topic. It could just be me, but I feel like only we could make a subject matter like this feel good to the soul. 

There are also songs that highlight the everyday horror of just being black. The horrors and fear we’ve experienced, anticipate, and run from daily are no stranger to being expressed through our art dating back as far as history reaches. One of the first songs that pops into my head is always ‘Strange Fruit’ particularly, Nina Simone’s rendition because that’s what I was introduced to first. BUT the grit, the rawness, the anguish, the simplicity, and the rich history of the original 1939 release of Billie Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’ reigns supreme.The backlash Billie faced adds an extra layer of historical context and sacredness to her song. At 23 years old Holiday debuted the song fiercely knowing what could and ultimately would happen. Her career was over the second she opened her mouth and the government targeted her until her dying days, no exaggeration. I’ll be 23 in a few months and I couldn’t imagine taking a risk like that, sacrificing my life, not just figuratively. Because it really boiled down to life or death. I feel like I have to protect her version even more because of how she sacrificed just to sing about what was happening to us.

“Southern trees bear a strange fruit, Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black body swinging in the Southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees..." 

Childish Gambino’s ‘Redbone’ is one of the more recent additions to the long line of stories told. Coupled with the film ‘Get Out’ the listener doesn’t have to imagine or speculate what Gambino was warning us about because we live it everyday. 

Redbone? Did someone say Jordan Peele? Now, I would be remiss if I did not talk about the modern contributions to the genre. What Jordan Peele is doing with the modernization of the horror film is fantastic (even to a person who watches his films peeking through her fingers). What I find most mesmerizing and enduring about what Peele is doing has to be the musical aspect he is embedding within each of his releases.

Along with the resurgence and remodeling of the black horror film Peele is spearheading, comes a fresh, creepy take on some of the most harmless upbeat songs out there. His first flip was the already classic, ‘I Got 5 On It’ for the 2019 film, Us. Most recently, he creepily twisted the Destiny’s Child track ‘Say My Name’ for his adaptation of Candyman.

It’s no secret that a “scary” movie wouldn’t be as half as scary if the score that accompanied the film didn’t incite at least an ounce of fear in the audience watching. The composition and arrangements of each song builds on the anticipation and fear of what is about to come next. He understands this concept, takes household classics and anthems, and uses them to his advantage. The addition of these twisted versions of some of our favorite tracks as the key components of the soundtracks and trailers are just as memorable as the film and without them setting the tone for what we would eventually see in theatres they may not have been as successful. They rope you in. Just like the first time you hear a beat drop, the score will make or break if you stay or not.

I don’t know about y’all, but I’ll never hear either of those songs the same way again. And I’m pretty sure that was the intended goal. Just like the aforementioned classics, these flips became synonymous with the genre in a way that was similar to its predecessors.

Where would we be without these as the soundtracks for our lives during the spookiest time of the year??? 

Happy Spooky Season guys, use our curated playlist for your weekend festivities! Be safe this Halloween, enjoy yourselves, and listen to some good music.

-MiKayla