A spine-chilling scary song: masterful tracks that evoke fear and eerie recommended songs
For those curious folks who want to feel fear from scary songs or pore over creepy lyrics, we’ve researched eerie classics and popular frightening tracks you shouldn’t miss.
We’ll introduce a wide range—from songs beloved by music fans to selections chosen by our site’s music-specialist writers—blending them together.
We’ve carefully picked both Japanese and Western music, old and new.
Some tracks might not seem scary just by listening, but depending on how you interpret the lyrics, they can be chilling.
It could be fun to talk about the stories behind these songs when sharing summer ghost tales.
How about listening to scary songs and sending chills down your spine?
- A spine-chilling, terrifying song. Japanese music that evokes madness and horror.
- Actually scary nursery rhymes. Children's songs that give you the chills once you understand their meaning
- Disgusting music. A classic of Japanese pop/rock.
- [Dark Side] Songs with scary lyrics. Tracks that make you shiver with chilling phrases.
- “Song of War”: A classic that sings of the tragedy and folly of war
- Hidden gems of yami songs. Recommended popular tracks.
- Chills down your spine. A collection of Vocaloid songs that are scary but irresistibly listenable.
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- Masterpieces that sing of despair. Recommended popular songs.
A spine-chilling scary song: iconic tracks that evoke fear and eerie recommended songs (11–20)
I’m going to kill my ex-boyfriend.Gōruden Bonbā
A song by Golden Bomber, who have carved out a unique position as a visual kei air band.
Riding on a lively melody and upbeat tempo, the lyrics—condensed male jealousy—leave a strong impression.
At first glance the title might feel intimidating, but if you read the lyrics closely, they’re actually endearing, and many men in particular may find them relatable.
With straightforward words and a driving sound that becomes addictive, it’s a modern take on singing about obsessive love.
CountdownCocco
A number by Cocco that sings of a woman’s burning emotions.
It’s a song brimming with madness toward a man who betrayed her.
A countdown to pulling the trigger of a gun pointed right at him… Truly terrifying, isn’t it? Men of the world would be wise to take this song to heart and avoid making any foolish mistakes.
And ladies, if you sing this at karaoke in front of a man, he might just become very obedient.
ambushMatsutōya Yumi
Written and composed by Yumi Matsutoya, this song “Machibuse,” which became a huge hit when Hitomi Ishikawa released it as a single in 1981, was later self-covered by Matsutoya herself and released as a single in 1996.
It sings of secretly harbored feelings and the unrequited emotion of having loved someone for a long time, making you realize the power of unwavering devotion.
At the same time, the lyrics can be a bit chilling—making you wonder, “Could this actually be stalking?”—making it a track where the word “obsession” feels perfectly fitting.
I like you, I like you—I love you.Togawa Jun
It’s a far scarier song than the title would lead you to imagine.
It’s sung by Jun Togawa, a singer who also served as the vocalist for the music unit Guernica and the band Yapoos.
It’s the title track of an album released in 1985.
What makes this song frightening is, above all, the lyrics.
They express what you might call a yandere kind of love.
The contrast with her lively, spirited singing style only heightens the effect…
Even so, that unique worldview grabs listeners by the heart, and music fans have long regarded it as a classic.
The Strait of HungerIshikawa Sayuri
Sayuri Ishikawa’s 64th single, “Kiga Kaikyō,” was released in 1994.
The song is based on the 1964 film Kiga Kaikyō (The Hungry Strait).
From the very start of the lyrics, you’re struck by something shocking that makes you ask, “Why?”, and yet you can’t look away as you’re drawn further and further in.
Depending on how you listen, it can be heard as a song of profound love, with feelings that come through clearly—but it’s also a track that makes you tremble with a chilling fear, as if to say that when love goes too far, it becomes frightening.
I bear a grudge.Nakajima Miyuki
The scary song included on Miyuki Nakajima’s seventh original album, “Ikite Itemo Ii Desu ka,” is “Urami-masu” (“I Will Hold a Grudge”).
The fear it conveys is apparent from the title alone.
From the very first line she sings, “I hold a grudge,” directing that resentment toward the person who toyed with her.
Lyrics suggesting she wants to leave a message on the door of the one she resents—thanking them for their kindness with her own fingernails—hint at madness and heighten the sense of dread.
There’s nothing more terrifying than human grudges.
A spine-chilling scary song. Masterpieces that evoke fear and eerie recommended tracks (21–30)
BrainwashingRADWIMPS
In May 2017, RADWIMPS released a song that incisively probes the darkness within the human psyche.
It delicately depicts the subtle ways a mind becomes distorted under the influence of others, expressing eerie themes like violence and domination through a unique worldview.
Heavy guitar riffs and deep bass heighten the sense of unease, while Yojiro Noda’s emotional vocals intensify the feeling of fear.
Universal themes—such as conflicts within parent-child relationships and the imposition of societal values—are interwoven, leaving a profound aftertaste in listeners’ hearts.
The song also became a social phenomenon, having been featured in commercials for the sports drink Aquarius and used as the theme song for the Nippon TV drama “A Forest of Wool and Steel” (Frankenstein’s Love).
It’s a track well-suited for those who wish to explore the darkness and madness of the mind.