The 25 Most Haunting Songs Ever Recorded
There’s something about a haunting song that sticks with you—it gets under your skin, lingers in your mind, and leaves a chill in the air. Whether it’s a ghostly melody, eerie lyrics, or an emotional punch that won’t quit, these tracks have a special power. Here’s our ranked list of the 25 most haunting songs ever recorded, counting down to the one that will haunt you the longest.
#25. Black
Artist: Pearl Jam
Album: Ten
Year: 1991
This emotional grunge ballad is all about heartbreak and loss. Eddie Vedder’s raw voice aches with longing, and the lyrics are packed with sorrow. It’s haunting in a way that feels incredibly human.
Pearl Jam - Black - Acústico - Unplugged - HD, Andre Braga
#24. Gloomy Sunday
Artist: Billie Holiday
Album: Single
Year: 1941
Also called the 'Hungarian Suicide Song,' this ballad has a dark legend behind it. Billie Holiday’s version drips with sadness and despair. It’s like a funeral in slow motion.
Billie Holiday - Gloomy Sunday (1941), MIKE MUNROW'S RETRO
#23. The Killing Moon
Artist: Echo & the Bunnymen
Album: Ocean Rain
Year: 1984
The melody feels dreamlike and spooky, and the lyrics hint at fate, death, and love. It's a goth-pop masterpiece that creeps into your subconscious.
Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon (Official Music Video), Echo & the Bunnymen
#22. The Sound of Silence
Artist: Simon & Garfunkel
Album: Sounds of Silence
Year: 1966
That opening line—“Hello darkness, my old friend”—sets the tone. It's quiet, reflective, and eerie in how it talks about silence like a living thing.
Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound Of Silence (HD music video 1966), Sound & Vision
#21. Hurt
Artist: Nine Inch Nails
Album: The Downward Spiral
Year: 1994
This industrial rock ballad feels like a descent into emotional ruin. It’s raw and dark, but strangely beautiful in how open it is about pain and regret.
Nine Inch Nails - Hurt (Music Video), Jake Saffaras
#20. Mad World
Artist: Tears for Fears
Album: The Hurting
Year: 1983
The lyrics are already sad, but it’s the somber melody that makes this song stick with you. Life feels hollow and strange through this song’s lens.
Tears For Fears - Mad World (Official Music Video), Tears For Fears
#19. Atmosphere
Artist: Joy Division
Album: Single
Year: 1980
Echoing vocals and sparse instrumentation give this post-punk track an icy vibe. It feels like being lost in fog.
Joy Division - Atmosphere [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO], Joy Division
#18. Exit Music (For a Film)
Artist: Radiohead
Album: OK Computer
Year: 1997
It starts quiet and delicate, but builds to something overwhelming and heartbreaking. It feels like the end of something beautiful and tragic.
Radiohead - Exit Music (for a Film) | Live at Hammerstein Ballroom 1997 (1080p/60fps), WiseRiley
#17. My Body Is a Cage
Artist: Arcade Fire
Album: Neon Bible
Year: 2007
This song feels trapped—like the title suggests. The organ and vocals build until it feels almost unbearable. It’s haunting because it’s all about feeling stuck in your own skin.
Arcade Fire - My Body Is A Cage | Live in Paris, 2007 | Part 8 of 14, ArcadeFireTube
#16. A Warm Place
Artist: Nine Inch Nails
Album: The Downward Spiral
Year: 1994
No lyrics, just ambient mood. It’s soft, eerie, and strangely comforting. It feels like floating through space—or drifting off for good.
#15. Moonlight Sonata
Artist: Ludwig van Beethoven
Album: N/A
Year: 1801
Even centuries later, this piano piece is still haunting. It’s sad, slow, and full of emotion. It’s like hearing the sound of loneliness itself.
#14. The End
Artist: The Doors
Album: The Doors
Year: 1967
Clocking in at over 11 minutes, this song feels like a long, psychedelic journey into madness. Jim Morrison’s delivery is intense and slightly unhinged.
The Doors - The End Lyrics HD, Jolly Sincere
#13. All Tomorrow’s Parties
Artist: The Velvet Underground
Album: The Velvet Underground & Nico
Year: 1967
Nico’s voice is ghostly and detached, and the repetitive piano makes the whole thing feel like a sad, broken carousel. It’s haunting in a detached, icy way.
The Velvet Underground & Nico - All Tomorrow's Parties, Robert Caruso (Official)
#12. The Host of Seraphim
Artist: Dead Can Dance
Album: The Serpent’s Egg
Year: 1988
Lisa Gerrard’s vocals sound like she’s channeling another world. You don’t need to understand the words to feel this one in your bones.
Dead Can Dance The Host of Seraphim - Live @ Grand Rex, Paris - 27/09/2012 [HD], Benjamin TOURDES
#11. Lullaby
Artist: The Cure
Album: Disintegration
Year: 1989
With whispered lyrics and a creeping melody, this one feels like a musical nightmare. It’s catchy, but seriously unsettling.
The Cure - Lullaby (Official Music Video), RHINO
#10. Videotape
Artist: Radiohead
Album: In Rainbows
Year: 2007
It feels like someone’s last goodbye, captured in a slow, minimalist piece. The subtle tension in the beat makes it even more eerie.
Radiohead - Videotape - Live From The Basement [HD], IIIphaserIII
#9. Death Letter
Artist: Son House
Album: Death Letter Blues
Year: 1965
Raw, rough, and emotional, this blues track is all about grief and loss. You can hear the hurt in every slide of the guitar.
Son House - Death Letter Blues - HQ, OLD TAPES
#8. Into Dust
Artist: Mazzy Star
Album: So Tonight That I Might See
Year: 1993
Hope Sandoval’s voice sounds like a whisper in a dream. The song is soft and devastating—perfect for a rainy day or a heartbreak spiral.
Mazzy Star - Into Dust, Ferm Myst
#7. Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Artist: Radiohead
Album: The Bends
Year: 1995
Every chord feels like it’s pulling you under. It’s slow, haunting, and emotionally intense without ever getting loud.
Radiohead - Street Spirit (Fade Out), Radiohead
#6. Song to the Siren
Artist: This Mortal Coil
Album: It'll End in Tears
Year: 1984
Elizabeth Fraser’s voice is like a ghost singing from another world. This one sounds like heartbreak drifting across an ocean.
This Mortal Coil - Song To The Siren (Official Video), 4AD
#5. Requiem
Artist: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Year: 1791
A funeral mass written by a genius on his deathbed. It’s grand, terrifying, and awe-inspiring. It sounds like the end of the world.
Mozart: Requiem – Lacrimosa | SO & GC | CM Berlin, Collegium Musicum Berlin
#4. Strange Fruit
Artist: Billie Holiday
Album: Commodore Records Single
Year: 1939
A haunting protest against racism and lynching in America. Billie’s delivery is slow and deliberate, making every word hit hard. It’s chilling in the most important way.
Billie Holiday Strange Fruit with Lyrics on Screen, TheK9chief
#3. John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
Artist: Sufjan Stevens
Album: Illinois
Year: 2005
This song tells the story of a serial killer with soft, pretty music. That contrast makes it even more disturbing. It’s a quiet kind of horror.
John Wayne Gacy, Jr. - Sufjan Stevens [Music Video; Film Project], PrincessOfPlunder
#2. Hurt
Artist: Johnny Cash
Album: American IV: The Man Comes Around
Year: 2002
Cash covered this Nine Inch Nails song near the end of his life, and his version sounds like a farewell. His worn voice makes the lyrics cut deeper. It’s gut-wrenching.
Johnny Cash - Hurt, Johnny Cash
#1. Holocaust
Artist: Big Star
Album: Third/Sister Lovers
Year: 1978
Alex Chilton’s voice sounds broken, like he’s already given up. The music is sparse and haunting. It’s the sound of someone emotionally unraveling—pure, aching sadness.
Big Star's Third - Holocaust Primavera Sound festival 2012, agadsa
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