There is nothing better than a white sheet with eyes cut out of it. Although that image is definitely spooky, these songs are not quite as bad! I was listening to my playlist a while back and I found that some of my favorite artists have songs with the word “ghost” in the title. Which, I figured, would be a great pairing for October because what better way to celebrate the spooky season than by listening to ghost songs
Although none of these songs are necessarily “spooky,” I still give you permission to turn on all the lights in your house, grab a candy bar, and keep reading:
This song appears on Halsey’s first album Badlands and was written early on in her career. However, this song will always be one of my favorites because lyrically, it’s a masterpiece. Within this song, Halsey reflects on the pain that follows a breakup and she walks listeners through the agony of missing her lover. She begins the song by admitting that “I’m searching for something that I can’t reach.” This theme continues throughout the song as she spends her time on someone that is not physically or emotionally close to her. She directly claims, and addresses her lover by saying “My ghost / Where’d you go? / What happened to the soul you used to be?”. This pattern is repeated often and it adds a certain level of desperation and pain that would otherwise not be included. Her lyrics also include an undertone of loss as it seems that she is unable to find her way in the world without this person. It is clear that Halsey can feel the presence of her lover but that is simply not enough to make them materialize in front of her.
This song is haunting in more ways than just the titleーboth the lyrics and Styles’ sultry tone add drama and suspense to the song. It tells a story of loss and heartbreak that centers around a messy relationship. Styles reflects on their past love saying how it, “Tastes so sweet, looks so real / Sounds like something that I used to feel / But I can’t touch what I see.” Styles longs for something that once was and someone that is no longer available to him. The feeling of desperation and pleading is only strengthened as he sings, “We’re just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me / Trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat.” Styles describes a situation where the loss of his lover caused the life within him to disappear. The feeling of longing and melancholy never fails to overwhelm me when listening to this song. One can not listen to this song and not have their heart broken all over again in the process.
5 Seconds of Summer “Ghost Of You”
This song is another one that makes the emotions spill. The pleading tone is so effective as it mirrors the lyrics perfectly. They begin the song by saying, “Here I am waking up / Still can’t sleep on your side” which shows the lasting impact of the person that left. The ending of this song is what makes me love it so much––it ends slowly and abruptly while also closing the story, “So I drown it out like I always do / Dancing through our house / With the ghost of you.” This idea of dancing with a ghost is so heartbreaking and real as they feel someone that is not there. This idea continues as they admit that “my feet don’t dance / Like they did with you.” This line is just so painful and it really makes the song.
Yes, yes, I know. Justin Bieber can be a controversial topic, but I personally love him and this song. This song basically is about accepting the past as what it is instead of mourning it. He writes that “If I can’t be close to you / I settle for the ghost of you.” The idea of settling for something that is gone is heartbreaking as I think we have all been there at some point. He can not have the person anymore so he settles for the memories and thoughts that remain of them. Bieber continues this by saying, “And if you can’t be next to me / Your memory is ecstasy.”
None of these songs are spooky but the emotions they can make one feel are no less real. So, get your Halloween socks on and hit the play button on these ghostly songs.