A Halloween Playlist is essential for me. First off, there is no holiday more important to me than Halloween. Halloween is full of wonder, enchantment, and mystery and it makes me feel magical in a way that no other holiday ever has. It’s the one time of the year that makes me feel like I can embrace the type of “weird” that I am.
And, like any proper Halloween fanatic, I curate a Halloween playlist for this beautifully weird holiday every year, each one taking on a life and theme of itself. Unlike my husband, who sticks to chill year-long playlists that help soothe the soul.
You can check out Jamie’s “Slow Jam” Playlist here if you’re looking for something a little slower and softer.
The one I’m sharing with you in this post is special to me. Why? Because it’s my Season of the Witch playlist. I made this playlist last year when I was feeling extra “witchy” and I wanted my soundtrack of the season to represent that feeling. So I scoured the Apple Music universe for those perfect witch-inspired songs.
The Halloween playlist you’ve been waiting for.
Now I can go and write about every song that’s in my “Season of the Witch” playlist, but that would be an extremely long post because I have curated a playlist that has 40 songs that equal to about almost 3 hours. So…instead of writing about each individual song, I’ve compiled a top 5 list of some of the songs featured in this playlist, all of which were inspired by the beauty and mystery of witchcraft and it’s practitioners.
5. I Put a Spell On You by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
There have been several covers of this Halloween favorite, and I hate to be that millennial hipster in this case, but (in my opinion) the original is always going to be the best version of this song. First and foremost, you have the beautifully bluesy staccato of the saxophones, mixed in with the simple keys of the piano that introduces the overall magic-induced, spell-binding vibe.
After the short instrumental introduction, you get the mystifying vocals of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins that are as haunting as the lyrics that he sings. His vibrato, the way his voice just dances atop the instruments the way it does…it all just sets the tone for the season. If you’re planning on curating your own playlist this song definitely has to be on it.
4. Season of the Witch by Lana Del Rey (Cover)
Now, I realize I’m going against what I said in the last song, but sometimes I find those certain covers that just really hit me in a certain way. Don’t get me wrong, Donovan’s original version of this song is just incredible, but…Lana’s smooth and haunting vocals take this song to a whole new level while still honoring those 1960’s instrumentals. It’s almost chaotic and hypnotic the way everything comes together at the end with a loud crescendo of vocals and instruments just before it all begins to fade away like the ghostly song that it is.
3. Witches’ Song by Marianne Faithfull
If this song sounds familiar, it’s most likely because you’ve heard it in a little cult classic movie known as The Craft. Everything about this song is what witchcraft (to me) is all about. Honoring deities, honoring yourself, and honoring your coven. Now there’s most likely more to the song than what I’ve been reading into, but if this song doesn’t scream witchcraft then I have no idea what does.
The entire song reads to me like a pagan chant… “Danger is a great joy. Dark is bright as fire. Happy is our family. Lonely is our waltz.” And, the great part of it all, is that it’s all solidified for me with the folk-pop sounds of Marianne’s raspy voice and her band’s almost otherworldly instrumentals. This song really makes me want to have my own coven of witches to do some ritual work with. Just saying.
2. How Soon Is Now? by The Smiths
So this song has nothing to do with witchcraft per se. However, the magical link here is that it wasn’t only featured in The Craft, but it was the theme song of my favorite T.V. show ever…Charmed. Now granted, the theme song was covered by a 90’s band called Love Split Love, which was great all in itself… However, my favorite version is the original sung by my man–Morrissey.
It is quintessentially The Smiths, with its synth sounds and goth alt-rock vibes. I mean this song just conjures up magic in its own special way. Every time I listen to this beauty I instantly get transported to a time where “Charmed magic” was alive and real for me. I can’t tell you how many times I often pretended to be a Halliwell sibling vanquishing demons and casting spells as a child.
1. Crystal by Stevie Nicks
This Halloween playlist could not be a proper witchy playlist without the vocals and stylings of the one and only, the great white witch herself, Stevie Nicks. This song was made by Stevie Nicks and Lyndsey Buckingham during their Nicks & Buckingham days–I’m talking pre-Fleetwood Mac. It was originally vocally lead by Buckingham, but Stevie took this song on herself in the nineties and featured it in my all-time favorite movie…Practical Magic.
The song is slow and romantic, but to me, it exemplifies a different side of the craft–love. She talks about love as if its this mystical force, and how we should all trust that feeling once it comes alive within us. She’s telling us to let love consume us as if love itself was the seawater closing in all around us. Because lets face it, the real magic here…behind the bells, books, and candles…is love.
