# What's your favorite "haunting" song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 9, 2016, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741 "2016-04-09T23:48:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/121 "2023-12-01T06:19:21Z")
[Creepy Doll](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sgfklKnOg4w&pp=ygUcY3JlZXB5IGRvbGwgam9uYXRoYW4gY291bHRvbg%3D%3D) by Jonathan Coulton. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/122 "2023-12-01T13:29:53Z")
The definition of the haunting song, for me, is Diamanda Galás’ rendition of [Gloomy Sunday](https://youtu.be/_qu7wdUPnas?si=ANWoazLk8y9ooi8w), aka the Hungarian Suicide Song. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/123 "2023-12-01T14:06:02Z")
**These Dreams** by Heart > [@](#): > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdOX\_0aj2X8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdOX_0aj2X8) Of course, in my mind, this needs to be paired with Al Yankovic’s _Stuck in a Closet with Vanna White_ to take the saccharin edge off. > [@](#): > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1UgVuDX0KI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1UgVuDX0KI) ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/124 "2023-12-01T15:22:35Z")
123 posts and no one has mentioned [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lz2gMJqtIz4/maxresdefault.jpg "Neko Case - "Furnace Room Lullaby" [Live from Austin, TX]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz2gMJqtIz4) ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/125 "2023-12-01T22:27:08Z")
Gentle Giant: Aspirations. The ‘for-ever…’ near the end just kills me, every time. > **[Gentle Giant - Aspirations (Official Audio)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO3jGKMuI7c%2F)** > > Gentle Giant | Aspirations | The Power and the Glory (1974)www.gentlegiantband.com--Lyrics:As the dust settles, see our dreamsAll coming trueIt depends on yo... ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/126 "2023-12-01T23:02:15Z")
Collective Soul, “The World I Know”: > **[Collective Soul - The World I Know (Official HD Music Video)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7TLTjqUyog%251)** > > Now in HD! The official video for "The World I Know" by Collective Soul, originally from the album "Collective Soul" (1995). Stream the full album here: htt... ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/127 "2023-12-01T23:05:15Z")
[Winterdreams](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt3Wtd52wLE&ab_channel=Accept-Topic) by ACCEPT [I Don’t Believe in Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c3g6tTYoxM&ab_channel=QueensrycheVEVO) by Queensryche [Hazard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdmHHoI9beM&ab_channel=RichardMarxVEVO) by Richard Marx [Fever](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXB6rHTkDfM&ab_channel=JudasPriestVEVO) by Judas Priest Where Did You Sleep Last Night by Nirvana [Widowmaker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbHbKv7DR3o&ab_channel=W.A.S.P.-Topic) by W.A.S.P. [ONE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM8bTdBs-cw&ab_channel=Metallica) by Metallica ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/128 "2023-12-01T23:32:10Z")
Yeah but as a result, I now have the earworm of “99 bottles of tears on the wall” stuck in my head. Thanks a lot. ;-D I find Neil Young’s **The Needle and the Damage Done** to be quite haunting personally. I lost a lot of friends and acquaintances to IV drugs, and skated damn close to the edge of death myself in my own addict days. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/aYY87VEQtRM/maxresdefault.jpg "Neil Young - The Needle and the Damage Done (Official Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYY87VEQtRM) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/129 "2023-12-01T23:43:29Z")
The Turn of a Friendly Card, The Alan Parsons Project. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Burden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@Jack\_Burden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Burden)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2023, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/130 "2023-12-02T03:52:49Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I find Neil Young’s **The Needle and the Damage Done** to be quite haunting personally. I lost a lot of friends and acquaintances to IV drugs, and skated damn close to the edge of death myself in my own addict days. Thank you QtM, was going to post the same. I’ll stay in roughly the same lane (band-wise) with CSN&Y’s **Wooden Ships**. Much of Townes Van Zandt’s discography is haunting, as is his voice and life experience. Here’s a few that stand out **Waiting Around to Die; Our Mother the Mountain; Lungs** ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2023, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/131 "2023-12-02T05:28:45Z")
> [@Jack\_Burden](#): > > Much of Townes Van Zandt’s discography is haunting, as is his voice and life experience. Here’s a few that stand out > **Waiting Around to Die; > Our Mother the Mountain; > Lungs** Or this: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7yw8O2mdrxs/maxresdefault.jpg "Townes Van Zandt - Big Country Blues") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yw8O2mdrxs) ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2023, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/132 "2023-12-02T17:51:47Z")
[Come Wander With Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVdIf8BJME8) From a Twilight zone episode, or so I’ve read. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2023, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/133 "2023-12-02T18:02:16Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Spooky as hell. Is it about suicide, insanity, or an illicit (1963) lesbian love affair? You tell me… > [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Spooky as hell. Is it about suicide, insanity, or an illicit (1963) lesbian love affair? You tell me… It’s about [déjà vu.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9j%C3%A0_vu) ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/134 "2023-12-04T03:33:39Z")
Good one, @2_More_Bits . I’ve carried / occasionally sung it over the 40+ years since I first saw that ep. I’ve always thought [Home by the Sea](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVLeDt6R7K8) by Genesis is pretty haunting, though the music is a bit jauntier than some of the other songs mentioned here. The Chambers Brothers’ [The Time Has Come](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIqwzQ7g-Cc) is downright disturbing. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/135 "2023-12-08T22:19:36Z")
The version of [**Girl from the North Country**](https://youtu.be/ah3T3dWeUu0?si=TEQB7KYoyD93ueen) by Lisa Moscatiello and Rosie Shipley. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/136 "2023-12-08T23:03:59Z")
Definitely [Where the Wild Roses Grow](https://youtu.be/lDpnjE1LUvE?feature=shared) by Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/137 "2023-12-08T23:45:34Z")
Also the [Graveyard of the Outcast Dead](https://youtu.be/8iyWjDbpgNE?feature=shared) by Frank Turner ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/138 "2023-12-08T23:59:49Z")
> [@Lucky\_13](#): > > [Hijo de la Luna](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpWXyRq-SIw) by Mecano Excellent choice. I hadn’t heard that one before. Seeing Mecano mentioned reminded me of another one of their songs that I think is haunting. Cruz de Navajas. ETA: I tried to link to Youtube but the board won’t let me. [Cruz de Navajas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-HWcpiA8t0) ETA2: That seems to have worked 😅 ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/139 "2023-12-10T04:21:40Z")
Bach, [J.S. Bach - BWV 639 - Ich ruf’ zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9Dh43kVL1Q) Bizet, _The Pearl Fishers_, aria [“Je crois entendre encore”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MjnIcxCz8c). Click on “…more” for a brief synopsis and the lyrics with an English translation. Ravel, [Sheherezade](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paZ7LXd_wKM&t=594s) - II. La flûte enchantée; III. L’indifferent. Debussy, [Nuages (Clouds)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9rp2owmY7E), nocturne for orchestra no. 1. Debussy, [Beau Soir](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsflgRCAh1Y). English translation: > When at sunset the rivers are pink > And a warm breeze ripples the fields of wheat, > All things seem to advise content - > And rise toward the troubled heart; > Advise us to savour the gift of life, > While we are young and the evening fair, > For our life slips by, as that river does: > It to the sea - we to the tomb. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-haunting-song/751741/140 "2023-12-10T04:41:41Z")
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