Beautiful Haunt: 5 Songs That Give Me the Chills
If you’re anything like me (or most music fans in general), every so often you’ll hear a song for the first time that leaves behind a profound effect. One that carries an unshakable soul-stirring essence causing the hair on your neck to stand up (...but maybe not to the extent of a reaction like Don Knotts in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken).
Usually, ‘these songs’ tend to be on the not-so-creepy side of things and more in the pleasant margin of illusiveness and beauty. And, often arrive at times least expected…making them all the more uncanny.
So, here I’ve assembled a short list of songs that have done just that. After all, what comes around goes around….
• I Love You So Much It Hurts - Ray Charles
If I were to assemble a list of the ‘All-Time Greatest Intro’s in Music,’ this title would secure a safe seat near the top. Those opening 24 seconds of profound sensation…talk about iconic. Many tracks from Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music contain the same beloved magic as “I Love You So,” but the baroque melancholic arrangement of this song is unique in way that we can really feel the ‘hurt’ in his voice.
• Lujon - Henry Mancini
This is a fun one. Chances are, you may know this song, but not by its title (perhaps as one of the many sped-up remixes out there on TikTok?). The mystery and intrigue engineered by Henry Mancini keeps this ‘exotic-jazz’ instrumental fresh and renewed whenever it finds its way on my turntable. So, if you haven’t already, give it a listen.
• Scene D’amour - Bernard Herrmann
Another instrumental here—this time, the ‘Love Theme’ from Bernard Herrmann’s score of Vertigo (I’ve mentioned this song on another one of my lists here). Possibly enhanced by the context of the film, this song is one of the few songs to quite literally ‘gave me the chills’ upon first listen and continues to do so from time-to-time. If you haven’t watched the movie (and presumably, haven’t heard the song as well), give it a watch. You don’t want to be missing out on this, I promise.
• Night Ride Home - Joni Mitchell
What makes this song ‘chilling’ to me has to do more with the circumstance of my first listen: when not long ago I awoke in the middle of the night to find this song playing from ‘shuffle mode’ on iTunes—and up until that point, I had never heard the song before. Admittedly, my half-awake self had trouble trying to figure out if those ‘rhythmic-chirps’ were really coming from the speakers, or more-likely, from outside of my window. As for the song itself, the ‘surreal’ nighttime atmosphere constantly inspires and bewilders—leaving us with undoubtedly one of Mitchell’s strongest works from the ‘80s.
• Coloratura - Coldplay
Already hailed as one of the group’s ‘best ever,’ this 10 minute epic from Coldplay’s latest album Music of the Spheres is often an immersive experience, in which we’re taken aback by all its alchemy and wonder. One of the few songs I can truly say that never suffers from its run time (and in this case), every second seems to fulfill some ‘ancient vision’ in lyric and arrangement. A very rewarding listen for anyone who stumbles upon it.
If you’ve have a similar experience with any song; make sure you share the song and your story in the comments.
Bjorn, I enjoyed this post, especially the inclusion of "Lujon" by Henry Mancini from the album "Mr. Lucky Goes Latin." I would add the original "Mr. Lucky" by Mancini to your list. Mancini was a staple of "Easy Listening" radio formats during the 1960s in metro NY/NJ radio. My parents listened to these stations and had many Henry Mancini albums. His music brings back bittersweet childhood memories. From later in the 1960s I would add the "Sunny" vs. "Stormy" combo recorded by Bobby Hebb and Classics IV respectively in 1966 and 1968. Two favorites from my early adolescence.