In honor of the spooky season, I think we must discuss the songs that creeped us out as kids. There are certain songs that I will forever associate with the supernatural and unknown because of the films they were used in. Here are a few songs that still make me a bit uncomfortable when listening to them :
-
Tiptoe Through The Tulips by Tiny Tim – Insidious
I’ve never seen Insidious but apparently, that is where everyone knows the song Tiptoe Through The Tulips by Tiny Tim from. I found this song when I was in the seventh grade on Vine and it really just creeped me out. Maybe it was the falsetto maybe it was the history of Tiny Tim himself. Regardless of what it was the song sounded sinister. It was by a man who was not tiny at all in fact Tiny Tim was 6’1, played the ukulele, and sang in a high-pitched voice about tiptoeing through tulips and then he proceeded to ask you to tiptoe with him. It was just so weird for me, maybe I was a scary kid. It wasn’t until I was a bit older that I realized it had been used in the film Insidious which further proved my motion that the song was just outright creepy and haunting. If you’ve seen Insidious kudos to you I’ll probably never watch it because of that song.
-
Tonight You Belong To Me by Patience and Prudence – American Horror Story
Something about children singing in a scary scene doesn’t sit right with me. Children just don’t belong in scary scenes; it’s a complete contradiction. Children are supposed to be sweet and naive, not intentional and sinister. American Horror Story is what made this song extremely uncomfortable for me. I think Tonight You Belong To Me scared me because once again let’s examine the lyrics.
“Though you belong
To somebody else
Tonight you belong to me
Though we’re apart
You’re part of my heart
Tonight you belong to me”
First of all, when dealing with the supernatural I never want to hear “tonight you belong to me” because, no. I don’t want to belong to a spirit that sounds a lot like possession to me. It’s crazy how this song that was meant to be sweet was used to creep people out.
-
Day’O (The Banana Boat Song) by Harry Belafonte – Beetlejuice
I can almost be completely sure that the reason this song creeped me out so much was because of the scene it was included in. This song was played as a result of possession. Granted Beetlejuice is nothing but a comedy but the scene and the song creeped me out as a kid. And I’m sure it’s the beginning of the song that did it for me along with the infamous “Six-foot, seven-foot, eight-foot launch” that was later used in Lil Wayne’s 6 Foot 7 Foot.
-
I Got 5 On It by Luniz – Us
A classic turned into a statement. Us by Jordan Peele came out in 2019 and is arguably one of the horror films of that year. I Got 5 On It was used to notify the coming of the other side called the tethered. The tethered lived the same life as the actors but in a more gruesome way. I Got 5 On It was remixed into an eerie tune that probably made most viewers uncomfortable. I heard I Got 5 On It in the seventh grade but I didn’t recognize the meaning of it until later years. I can see how the song was adopted into the horror film however with the beat which was derived from the 1986 Thinkin About You by Timex Social Club. Who knew a song about such a matter would later become a contradiction.
These are just a few songs that will never be the same for me again. What are some songs that films changed the way you heard them?