AH, HALLOWEEN. MY FAVOURITE TIME OF YEAR.
Seriously, I think I love Halloween more than I love most holidays.
Something important to note here is that I'm trying to talk about some more obscure songs - so big, well-known songs like VIXX's "Voodoo Doll" and XIA Junsu's "Tarantallegra" aren't here. They're in the honourable mentions, but they're not in the actual list! I wanted to talk about some of the more obscure songs that I think go overlooked by the vast majority of the K-Pop community, as well as some personal favourites of mine.
And if there's anyone who wants to listen to my playlist in its entirety, here you go! Happy Halloween, everyone. 🎃
But before I start the ACTUAL list, I figured I would give some honourable mentions!
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
With those out of the way, let's start talking about the list itself!
1. PUER KIM (퓨어킴) - MANYO MAASH (마녀 마쉬)
Y'know how I said I would be talking about underrated songs on this list? Yeah, I meant it. This song's MV has just over 200,000 views on YouTube. And that is a FUCKING C R I M E. So many big K-Pop groups manage to become super successful and famous by repeating the same songs and concepts over and over, and yet poor people like Puer Kim here get completely overlooked!
"Manyo Maash" is so goddamn unique and beautiful that I don't know if describing it will do it any justice. It's got the sort of vibe that's similar to a modern day Monster Mash (ironically enough), and the western guitars and strings just add to the amazing sense of atmosphere this song has going for it - ESPECIALLY when that staccato flute comes in in the choruses. There's also the fact that Puer Kim herself has a super refreshing vocal tone! She's much lower in range than most, but her tone and delivery are so charming and likeable that you can't help but love it.
But what annoys me the most is actually the song's content. Everyone is currently raving about IU's "Bbi Bbi" and how she's amazing and empowering for taking a stand against the industry and her fans as a whole. And while I won't deny that she IS those things - IU is a wonderfully talented girl regardless - it doesn't negate the fact that Puer Kim was doing the exact same shit three whole years ago!! "Manyo Maash" is LITERALLY about how the music industry churns through artists like a meat grinder - one day they're famous and in the spotlight, but then they get forgotten overnight and nobody cares anymore. Puer Kim is sick of that. She doesn't care anymore - she even says so herself. She's in this for the enjoyment, and she doesn't care what anyone else says - be it the media, or her fans.
So yeah, if you've never heard this, PLEASE FIX THAT. It's fantastic, and spooky enough for Halloween to boot. (Especially considering the video. Hoo boi.)
2. MAMAMOO (마마무) - MIDNIGHT SUMMER'S DREAM (여름밤의 꿈)
This is probably the most recent song I have on this list, actually! And while I'm not going to talk about it much - if you want to read my thoughts on it, you can go read my comeback review of MAMAMOO's "Red Moon" - I wanted to include it regardless. The lyrics here are so goddamn beautiful and creepy all at once, and it elevated the song to an entirely new level for me. This is a side track I feel many people forgot about pretty quickly, which makes me sad - so if you missed it for some reason, now's a great time to give it a listen!
3. GRACE (그레이스) - TRICK OR TREAT
Not gonna lie, the first two songs on this list were pretty great, but now? We're getting into straight-up banger territory. Like. GODDAMN, GRACE, WHO ASKED YOU TO MAKE A SONG THIS GOOD.
This is actually one of my favourite K-Pop songs ever - it really is that good to me. It's like something you'd hear on the radio if it had English lyrics; the super saturated bass line and synths are pretty common nowadays. But Grace has just got way too much charisma for her to blend into the background. You can tell this is what she was meant to do, 'cause she nails it performance-wise from start to finish.
The lyrics actually give me a very manipulative vibe, since they go from being very sweet and seductive to very angry and frustrated (Darkiplier, anyone?). And THAT'S what makes this creepy for me, I think. Not only is the song called "Trick or Treat", which already makes it perfect for Halloween, it's got a strange sense of eerieness through that production and those lyrics.
If you still don't believe me that this song is great, especially after all that? Go watch the dance practice.
...Grace, that is illegal. You're not allowed to be that attractive. 😶
4. G-DRAGON (지-드래곤), KUSH - SHE'S GONE
People always talk about how G-Dragon is one of the best idol rappers out there. And most of the time, I argue with that point. There haven't been that many times GD has managed to blow me away like he has everyone else - he's an absolute fashion icon, but performance-wise? I've always just found him okay. But this song? NOW I see what everyone is talking about. Now I see what everyone means when they say he's top of his class - because with a song like this? How could you not be?!
Not only are his rapping skills on full display here, the atmosphere and tone GD gives off from his performance alone is staggering. Kush's vocals are great too, if you ask me - they add a nice layer of edge! This song heads straight into psychopath territory though, and for Halloween, it's absolute perfection. What more do you need when you have GD rapping in your ear about how he murdered a girl who broke up with him? Not much else, especially not at this time of year.
Not only are his rapping skills on full display here, the atmosphere and tone GD gives off from his performance alone is staggering. Kush's vocals are great too, if you ask me - they add a nice layer of edge! This song heads straight into psychopath territory though, and for Halloween, it's absolute perfection. What more do you need when you have GD rapping in your ear about how he murdered a girl who broke up with him? Not much else, especially not at this time of year.
5. TAEYEON (태연) - DEVIL'S CRY
TAEYEON. Y U NO RELEASE A FULL METAL ALBUM. FOR FUCK'S SAKE SM LET HER DO IT ALREADY.
I didn't even know this song existed until last year. But to think this was meant to be the intro to "Run Devil Run", of all things?! I love that song, don't get me wrong - it's one of the songs that got me into K-Pop - but IT DOES NOT EVEN COME CLOSE TO "DEVIL'S CRY".
Rock and metal have always been genres I've listened to on the side, but when it clicks? It clicks hard. And this song clicked almost immediately for me the first time I heard it. This is badassery encompassed in a 2-minute song. There are so many artists nowadays who try so damn hard to be intimidating, and they never come close to what Taeyeon achieves with this. It's utterly effortless for her, and it's still shocking to me how well her vocals fit this style of metal! And then there's the guitar riffs. And the lyRICS. UGH. YES.
So, yeah, SM, if you guys could take advantage of SM Station and get Taeyeon on another metal track? Or even a full-length version of this? That'd be great, thanks.
6. f(x) (에프엑스) - DRACULA
I knew I was going to have an f(x) song on this list, but I had to think hard about whether it would be "Dracula" or "Shadow". In the end, "Dracula" won out - Red Light is one of my favourite albums, after all. It's one of the few K-Pop albums I actually own physically!
But anyways, back to the song itself - "Dracula" seems like it was made to be played at a Halloween party. The claps of thunder and lightning, the distorted, low-pitched voice narrating the intro, the spooky high-pitched synth in the latter half of the verses, the screams?! Yeah. This has Halloween written alllllll over it. And it's f(x), so they pull it off flawlessly! It's one of the creepiest K-Pop songs I know of, and that final chorus with the extra layers of synth and background vocals from Amber is BRILLIANT. It's the perfect climax to a song like this. Oh, and the lyrics are creepy as fuck too, in case you were wondering.
Have I also mentioned it's ridiculously catchy? Yeah, good luck getting this one out of your head. 😉
7. HISTORY (히스토리) - PSYCHO (싸이코)
It always makes me sad to write about groups who've now disbanded, but HISTORY really were fantastic. They had so many solid title tracks, and "Psycho" was one of them. Similary to GD's "She's Gone", this song takes a more psychopathic, yandere-like approach to being creepy. Some of the vocals are sliiiiightly off-pitch or mixed weirdly here, but I can't help but feel like that was intentional to add to the creepy mood. If it was, then it certainly works!
But the creepiness of this song lies in the lyrics for me. It implies that while they're normal idols during the day, when it comes to searching for love at night time, they're... much more unhinged. And creepy. They know the girl they're chasing after thinks they're bad, or creepy, or weird... but they don't care. They'll pursue her anyway, no matter how creepy they end up looking because of it. It's really disturbing in the best kinda way, and the members themselves really nail it with their vocal delivery to match!
If it's not too feelsy to listen to now that they're gone, this song really should get some of your attention. It's a gem.
8. A-JAX (에이잭스) - INSANE (미쳐가)
A-JAX! Not a name many people know, but you really SHOULD know them because they're so goddamn overlooked. "Insane" is one of those songs that's on-par with something a bigger group like EXO or GOT7 or Monsta X would release nowadays, but nobody remembers it because A-JAX fell into obscurity thanks to shitty management. Yeah. It's one of those cases. 😐
Either way, "Insane" is a damn great song! It's certainly unhinged in a way, with the video being balls-to-the-wall weird and crazy, and the song's some crazy instrumental choices to match. The lyrics are pretty deranged too - they're literally going insane over someone they're falling in love with because they don't understand why they're so attractive. It's unique, a little bit nuts, and interesting in just about every way possible. Give this song some love - it really deserves it! (There are also some members of Rainbow in the MV, which is a nice surprise too... god, I miss Rainbow. 😭)
9. LEE JUNG HYUN (이정현) - V (브이)
Who remembers Lee Jung Hyun? She was also known as AVA when she debuted in 1999, and she was huge. If you've never heard "Wa", then you haven't heard a huge piece of K-Pop's history. This girl was everywhere. And yet, when she came out with "V" a few years ago, nobody seemed to really care about it! Which, if you ask me, that's a real pity - this song is fun as all hell!
The 7-minute long video has her dressed up as a zombie bride and getting up to all sorts of wacky shit, the song itself is funky and fun as hell with the tinny brass elements, Lee Jung Hyun herself sounds... kinda adorable in her vocal delivery, and the lyrics? Well, from what I can tell, they're about a back-and-forth breakup... I think. They're kinda nonsensical. But that matches the fun vibe of the song quite well, actually! It's not meant to be taken particularly seriously, it's just meant to be enjoyed. And I think "V" achieves that quite well!
10. LADIES' CODE (레이디스 코드) - HATE YOU
Admittedly, Ladies' Code songs are... kinda hard for me to listen to or talk about, considering what happened. But I'll do my best.
I'll be completely honest, I'd heard of "Hate You" before; I even remember seeing things about it when it came out, but I've never actually listened to it before this year. And jeez, was I missing out on this one... it's a stereotypical breakup song, sure, but there's always been something about the members' voices in Ladies' Code that I just adore. Sojung's my bias specifically because her voice is so unique. But that doesn't mean the other members don't shine too - EunB especially sounds amazing here... she and Rise sound beautiful. I feel like their chemistry came through even in their music. 💔
Ashley's voice sounds particularly great in the chorus, and Zuny? Well, she has the best damn part of the song! Her autotuned bridge is fucking phenomenal. It's got so much power behind it that I didn't anticipate. If you told me you don't sing it word-for-word every time you hear it, you're lying through your teeth. Admit it. All of these fantastic vocal performances and the surprisingly interesting instrumental manage to negate the slightly stereotypical lyrics - and even then, they're far from being boring. Breakup songs are just something that's done a lot, so I'm glad to see Ladies' Code put such an excellent - and very creepy! - spin on it.
I'll be completely honest, I'd heard of "Hate You" before; I even remember seeing things about it when it came out, but I've never actually listened to it before this year. And jeez, was I missing out on this one... it's a stereotypical breakup song, sure, but there's always been something about the members' voices in Ladies' Code that I just adore. Sojung's my bias specifically because her voice is so unique. But that doesn't mean the other members don't shine too - EunB especially sounds amazing here... she and Rise sound beautiful. I feel like their chemistry came through even in their music. 💔
Ashley's voice sounds particularly great in the chorus, and Zuny? Well, she has the best damn part of the song! Her autotuned bridge is fucking phenomenal. It's got so much power behind it that I didn't anticipate. If you told me you don't sing it word-for-word every time you hear it, you're lying through your teeth. Admit it. All of these fantastic vocal performances and the surprisingly interesting instrumental manage to negate the slightly stereotypical lyrics - and even then, they're far from being boring. Breakup songs are just something that's done a lot, so I'm glad to see Ladies' Code put such an excellent - and very creepy! - spin on it.
11. GAIN (가인) - TINKERBELL (팅커벨)
I've always loved Peter Pan. It's one of my favourite stories, as well as one of my favourite Disney films. But I've also always loved it when well-known stories like Peter Pan take a darker turn... and that's exactly what Gain taps into with "Tinkerbell". Instead of being the innocent, lovable and bubbly Tinkerbell like in the Disney adaptation, Gain is... a much darker, more sultry equivalent. There are, quite frankly, explicit references to sex here. Which, considering the album title, I'm not too surprised. As well as those gasps in the choruses. (She wasn't kidding when she said she wanted to Talk About S...) But while it would probably come off as incredibly cheesy and insincere with anyone else, Gain was born for this sort of thing!
She's got this sort of sultry tone to her delivery that's seductive, yet also energetic and youthful. She sells this in a heartbeat for me! Yet what makes this song creepy is the major sense that something's just... not right here. She says to her lover in the lyrics that they'd be in trouble if others found out about their relationship, which is odd to say the least. That's accompanied by some of the most interesting instrumental and mixing choices I've head for a K-Pop song - you NEED to listen to this song with a good pair of headphones to get the full effect. The panning from one ear to another alongside the choppy instrumental is surprisingly effective at being creepy, and it turns what would be a pretty seductive song into something that's uneasy, slightly unsettling and great all at once. I love unique songs, and this one fits the bill perfectly - especially for Halloween!
12. SHINEE (샤이니) - EVIL
If you want a song with insanely creepy lyrics for Halloween, then look no further than SHINee. Seriously, they have about 3 or 4 songs in this playlist alone - these guys are the masters of unique and creepy music. And "Evil" is their best by far, if you ask me! While "Orgel" is creepy in an atmospheric kind of way, and "Married to the Music" is creepy in a fun kinda way (like "V" earlier on), "Evil" is... just that. It's describing some sort of pure evil. This song's lyrics are dark as all get out. It's like you're trapped in a nightmare that you don't know how to escape from. And you don't even know who or what is chasing you - all you know is that they are bad news, and you need to get away as fast as you can.
If that's not atmospheric enough for you, just listen to the rest of the song itself! It's glitchy, creepy, and pretty damn unsettling in some places. Jonghyun's rushed vocals right before the choruses convey this extremely well - he really performed amazingly on songs like this. I really do feel like SHINee deserve all the praise they get and then some, because it's with songs like this that I remember just how great they are! They've got so much versatility to them, it's amazing. And being honest, this might be one of my favourite songs of theirs - I love the lyrics, the members give some amazing performances, and it's got a creepy atmosphere that's perfect for this time of year!
13. BOYS' REPUBLIC (소년공확국) - GET DOWN
People often say that VIXX have some of the most badass K-Pop songs out there. And while I do hugely agree with that - VIXX are a phenomenal group, I love them to bits - I don't think you can get much more epic than THIS. It's a fucking crime that this group is going on hiatus because goDDAMN IF THEY'RE MAKING MUSIC THIS GOOD THAT SHOULDN'T HAPPEN.
The song has certainly got a dark and creepy atmosphere going for it, with a great music video to accompany it all. But THAT 👏 CHORUS 👏 THO 👏. Just... holy hell. THAT is how you make an impactful chorus. This song just goes from strength to strength to strength, it keeps blowing my mind as I listen to it! This is goosebump-inducing for me. It's something that could easily appear in some sort of action film, or at the very least its trailer. It's got so much raw force and absolute power behind it that just never. Lets. Up. This song has, like, three individual climaxes, and they're all amazing.
And even if it does sound slightly stereotypical, the lyrics to this song give off such a menacing vibe - they're sick and tired of your bullshit, and if you don't start acting with some sense of remorse for what you've done they're going to make you pay. THEY'RE LIKE K-POP'S BOUNTY HUNTERS OR SOMETHING. IT'S AMAZING. And it's just creepy enough to earn a spot in my playlist! Although this song is so good it deserves to be in every playlist ever. Even if it doesn't relate to the theme. It deserves to be there. It's that good.
So, we're kinda running out of K-Pop songs to talk about here. And while the final two K-Pop songs I've chosen are K-Pop songs, they're actually remixes! I follow a channel on YouTube called Areia Creations, who are a fairly big company in Korea. They remix K-Pop songs all the time, and their remixes and fusions are some of the cleanest I've heard; they can often make me like songs I've sworn to hate. For example...
And even if it does sound slightly stereotypical, the lyrics to this song give off such a menacing vibe - they're sick and tired of your bullshit, and if you don't start acting with some sense of remorse for what you've done they're going to make you pay. THEY'RE LIKE K-POP'S BOUNTY HUNTERS OR SOMETHING. IT'S AMAZING. And it's just creepy enough to earn a spot in my playlist! Although this song is so good it deserves to be in every playlist ever. Even if it doesn't relate to the theme. It deserves to be there. It's that good.
So, we're kinda running out of K-Pop songs to talk about here. And while the final two K-Pop songs I've chosen are K-Pop songs, they're actually remixes! I follow a channel on YouTube called Areia Creations, who are a fairly big company in Korea. They remix K-Pop songs all the time, and their remixes and fusions are some of the cleanest I've heard; they can often make me like songs I've sworn to hate. For example...
14. TWICE (트와이스) - TT [AREIA REMIX]
TWICE's "TT" is... not a song I'm a fan of. I love the girls to bits, don't get me wrong, but I find the lyrics to be kinda... infantile, for lack of a better word, and I feel it got massively overhyped when it came out. But THIS?! This remix fixes everything wrong with this song for me (well, bar the lyrics). It's energetic, it's addictive as all hell, and hey, if you're going to play "TT" at a Halloween party, I think this version should be the one you pick! The original just... lacks a bit of punch to me. This remix finds that punch, and delivers it in spades. I did want to include this song in my playlist, because of the video so clearly being Halloween themed, and this remix lets me happily do that. It's great, from start to finish!
15. AOA (에이오에이) - EXCUSE ME [AREIA REMIX]
Okay. Let me explain myself on this one.
AOA's "Excuse Me" is a great K-Pop song. I liked "Bing Bing" more, yes, but I still really liked "Excuse Me" when it came out. But... it's not necessarily a creepy song, right? There's nothing horror-related about it, it's just a love song when you boil it down. But then, this remix came out. And I don't know about you, but there's something so much more sinister in tone to this remix. I think it's the combination of the darker synths and the super heavy electronic beat; it's commanding, and... like I said, there's something slightly creepy about it to me. ESPECIALLY when you look at the lyrics.
When you take them into account, I can honestly imagine a redone MV for this remix to fit the theme of a yandere. Think about it - the lyrics talk about trying to get the attention of someone they like; Seolhyun even says they're "a match made in heaven". While that may have seemed like nothing more than a cute train of thought in the original, here... it can be something much, much darker. Maybe Chanmi was talking about herself when she said they're "dancing with the devil"... but that's just my way of looking at it. 😉
Anyway, even though this is a K-Pop blog, I figured I would do something a little bit different - I said at the beginning I had 5 non-K-Pop songs to talk about as well! I'm feeling festive. So why not. 😊 Of course, K-Pop isn't the only genre of music I listen to; I've got some incredibly varied (and weird ) tastes. So why not talk about them, too!
16. BILLIE EILISH - YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN
If you've never heard of Billie Eilish before, you're going to start hearing about her very, very soon. She's getting quite successful. And that's something that makes me hugely happy. She's the absolute queen of imposing, powerful pop and hip-hop, and even though "COPYCAT" was the first song of hers I heard, "you should see me in a crown" ended up being on this list instead. The synths and vocal delivery in this song are nothing short of terrifying, and I'm not being humorous here. How can I be humorous when the sound effects and lyrics imply she's got a knife - and enjoys killing people with it? It's almost like she's the queen of a corrupt, defunct kingdom - and for only being 16 (nearly 17) years old, Billie is more menacing and intimidating than people twice her age. She's not joking around. And I love it.
(Also I don't care if this isn't my tumblr account, this song gives me MASSIVE antisepticeye vibes. Yeah. I said it.)
17. KAGAMINE RIN & LEN - TRICK AND TREAT
Who said all of my non-K-Pop songs had to be in English? 😉
Very few people know that I'm actually a huge Vocaloid fan! And everyone's going to have their favourite Vocaloids - Rin and Len have always been two of mine. But what I love the most about Vocaloid as a whole is that the songs can be about anything - since it's all made by independent composers, the subject matter can be whatever you want it to be! And that opens the floodgates for some seriously creepy and depressing songs. There's songs about everything from mental health, to bullying, suicide, Groundhog Day-style loops... the creepiness and poignancy has no limits here.
"trick and treat" just so happens to be my song of choice for Halloween, because even though it might sound happy and upbeat, take a look at those lyrics and you'll soon see it's got some pretty big teeth. The vibe starts off as something quite mysterious before turning into something much more dark and menacing, and it's a very spooky yet catchy song!
Speaking of which, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of other creepy Vocaloid songs out there - a few more of which are detailed in the video below! It's a seriously great place to look if you want to fill up your Halloween playlist with something a bit different. 😊 (also y'all should go subscribe to aki she's amazing just saying)
17. NATEWANTSTOBATTLE ft. JACKSEPTICEYE - ENJOY THE SHOW
...okay, I'm not even trying to hide my YouTube nerdiness anymore. OH WELL.
Nate is one of those musicians who keeps getting better and better for me - his music has just gotten more consistently interesting over the years, and you can really see his growth as an artist. Jack, on the other hand, is someone I watch daily and someone I look up to HUGELY. So what would happen if they collaborated on a song? About Five Nights at Freddy's, no less - a series which I'm hugely interested in thanks to the lore? Well, it DID happen. And it gave us "Enjoy the Show." And hoo boi, it's one hell of a great song. Not only does it fit the vibe of Sister Location itself, it's creepy outside of the context of the game too! (And it's most definitely not because of a certain glitch bitch... 🐢🔪) I remember listening to this in the car on my way home on Halloween night two years ago, and it really fit the mood in general. It's a great song if you're a fan of rock like myself!
19. MICHAEL JACKSON - GHOSTS
I wasn't kidding when I said I have varied tastes in music. Oh, and one big thing to note here:
I don't care if "Thriller" is the bigger Michael Jackson song to play on Halloween.
I don't care if you've never heard this song before.
I'm sick of hearing "Thriller" at every goddAMN HALLOWEEN EVENT I GO TO.
PLAY THIS INSTEAD, DAMMIT. IT'S BETTER. 👻
20. AINE CAHILL ft. COURAGE - BLOOD DIAMONDS
I started this list with a singer very few people know about, and now I'm going to end it with another one!
Áine Cahill is kinda like Billie Eilish on a smaller scale - she's an up and coming singer with a hell of a lot of talent behind her. She's got one of those powerful, soulful voices that immediately demands your attention when you hear it. And "Blood Diamonds" is actually my favourite song of hers - funnily enough, I was introduced to it exactly a year ago, on Halloween night! And I'm so glad I heard it in the first place, because it's a really solid yet chilling song.
A lot of people today are hyper-obsessed with themselves and their material possessions; they don't care about what's going on around them as long as they can flaunt their wealth in front of others. That's basically the position Cahill is in here; she doesn't care about the poor or less fortunate in the world. Why would she when she's got pure diamonds to wear and her beauty to showcase? She says it herself, she's "the biggest bitch in the world". It's chilling in a very unique way, mainly because it makes you realise there are people who legitimately think this way. Although Áine herself is nothing like that at all - I've met her, I can testify, she's absolutely lovely! - she still manages to sell it with her vocal delivery, which is surprisingly sultry and cocky. The retro synths and slow tempo used in Courage's production complement her perfectly, making this a surprisingly enjoyable yet creepy flashback to the musical style of the 80s.
•••••
Wow, that ended up long. Like I said, I'm passionate about Halloween, ok? Whatever you do on Halloween night, I hope you enjoy it, as well as the rest of the spoopy season! 🎃🎃🎃
COVER IMAGE CREDITS:
Samantha Hann - Halloween candy pattern
COVER IMAGE CREDITS:
Samantha Hann - Halloween candy pattern
