31 Days of Halloween Hits: "Haunted" by Taylor Swift

by Tyler Glover
As we welcome October with its cool breezes, and - now socially distanced - festivities, we often think of scary movies, pumpkin patches and killers in masks. Rarely, if ever, do you hear anyone say what they’re looking forward to most about the season, is the music. Granted, Halloween music has nowhere near the mega-market that Christmas music has, but it seems that quality trumps quantity in this particular situation. With songs like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” Halloween season is a heavy hitter when it comes to music! 
 
That’s why we’re celebrating 31 Days of Halloween Hits here at The Word for the entire month of October. Every day we’re going to bring you a great song that fits right in on your Halloween playlist. Some are songs specifically written for the holiday, but others are great selections you can listen to year-around but have a great theme for the spookiest of all holidays. Some of these songs you’ve certainly heard and some are lesser known that we hope to familiarize you with. 

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Photo: Big Machine Records

​I know what you may be thinking. How is "Haunted" by Taylor Swift a great Halloween song? Hear me out. "Haunted" is an extremely dramatic song that opens with violins and other string instruments to give it a sense of urgency. You almost imagine someone running through the woods before Swift even begins singing. The song is about a man choosing to leave the relationship with Swift and how he turned out to be someone that she did not think he was. Lyrics like "It's getting dark and it's all too quiet/And I can't trust anything now" and "Holding my breath, won't lose you again, something's made your eyes go cold" definitely gives the song a spooky feel. The song also features an orchestra, which adds to the drama. He has left her and now she feels haunted. On Halloween night, we watch movies like "Friday the 13th" that scare us but we are normally over it shortly after the credits roll. The ending of a relationship definitely haunts us for much longer than a day. This is why "Haunted" by Taylor Swift is definitely on my Halloween playlist every year.

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