A spine-chilling scary song: masterful tracks that evoke fear and eerie recommended songs

FlowerASA-CHANG & Junrei

ASA-CHANG & Junray – Hana (Original Music Video)

With an avant-garde musicality—more spoken lines and monologue than singing—this song lodges in listeners’ hearts and won’t let go.

It’s a work by ASA-CHANG & Junray.

Released in 2001 as the title track of a mini-album, it was used as the ending theme for the film ‘Kemonogare, Orera no Saru to.’ Later, in 2013, a rearranged version was chosen as the ending for the anime ‘The Flowers of Evil,’ stirring much discussion.

Care to wander into this world that could be described as ‘uneasy’?

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Araki Jakkan

Report a problem

COTTON COLORTaniyama Hiroko

"COTTON COLOR" (Cotton Color) Hiroko Taniyama with lyrics

If you listen to “COTTON COLOR” without thinking about the lyrics, it sounds like a cute, mellow tune.

But in fact, this song is famous for being scary.

First, the lyrics: when read backwards, they become English, revealing their meaning.

As you go along, you start to feel a fairytale atmosphere and think it’s a cute song after all—but actually, the mother is a murderer, and the girl protagonist is killed as well…

Precisely because the melody is so sweet, understanding the lyrics sends chills down your spine.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

sasashina

Report a problem

a May flyRADWIMPS

RADWIMPS – May’s Flies [Official Music Video]

RADWIMPS, whose refreshing movie theme songs and moving numbers have captured the hearts of many fans, are hard to forget.

But their song “May’s Fly” has such shocking lyrics that once you hear it, it won’t leave your ears.

Released in 2013 as their 16th single, this track is often mentioned when people talk about their “scary songs.” The words, which portray feelings for someone once liked or loved transforming beyond love into hatred—and then simmering down into an even more concentrated malice—send chills down your spine.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

utatane

Report a problem

Garamon SongNEW!Kuniaki Haishima

Main Title (Garamon Song)

It’s a track that’s eerie yet strangely alluring.

Composed by Kuniaki Haishima, the “Garamon Song” has long been cherished as the theme for the Fuji TV drama series “Tales of the Unusual,” which began in April 1990.

Within its brief running time, it packs in unease, an otherworldly atmosphere, and a touch of charm, whisking you into the extraordinary the moment you hear it.

There’s also an anecdote that it’s named after the kaiju Garamon, giving it not only a sense of fear but also a cartoonish ring.

It’s the perfect piece when you want to add a bit of刺激 and a cool shiver to your day.

Highly recommended for those who want to savor an absurd, uncanny mood.

moonlightOnitsuka Chihiro

Chihiro Onitsuka – Gekkou (Moonlight)

When I first listened to it, I thought, what a beautiful voice and song.

But after reading the lyrics many times, it started to feel like a scary song.

It sings, “This world is a corrupt world.” In other words, it sounds to me like a song saying, “This world is rotten; even the children of God can only live in heaven, and there is no one to protect or love them, so let’s just bring it to an end…”

AstraZeneca “Atherosclerotic Disease Onset Prevention Awareness Campaign” TV Commercial SongNEW!Kaori Takeda

Yorei Mitoya – AstraZeneca “Atherosclerotic Disease Onset Prevention Awareness Campaign” C…

Here’s a song featured in AstraZeneca’s “Atherosclerotic Disease Prevention Awareness Campaign” commercial.

The vocalist is Kaori Takeda, who is also active with the unit TICA.

In a brief span of just about 35 seconds, it employs a structure where mysterious, incantation-like words are repeated, striking a captivating balance between unease and memorability.

The track was included on the compilation album “Magalog -Kaori Takeda CM Song Book-,” released in November 2011, and many listeners were likely captivated by the uncanny resonance that drifted from their TVs.

You can’t help but feel a chill run down your spine at the sense of the extraordinary suddenly appearing within the everyday and the eerily unsettling atmosphere.

Ringtone of DeathNEW!Endō Kōji

Ringtone of Death

This score is famous as part of the soundtrack to the smash-hit horror film One Missed Call.

It’s included on the album One Missed Call Original Soundtrack, released in January 2004, and was composed by Koji Endo.

It brilliantly captures the terror of a story that makes anyone shudder: a sound from a cell phone that foretells your own death from the future.

Though it’s only about a minute long, this piece maximizes a clinging sense of unease.

There’s also a behind-the-scenes twist—that it’s paired with another track on the same album that serves as the original song—which adds to the sense of madness.

Highly recommended for those who want to fully savor the chilly fear lurking in everyday life.