Top 10 Darkest & Creepiest Songs in Musicals
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Date: 2023-11-21
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Comments and reviews: 30
PippieKit
A couple that I like:
Me and the Sky from Come From Away is one that sticks out to me, it isn't creepy, and, in fact, builds hopefully throughout it, reaching a peak that is suddenly and jarringly interrupted by rising panic as the singer catches up to the more recent present and begins singing about the flight right before her and other pilots were notified that American airspace was closed and they had to land in newfoundland (if you don't know, Come From Away is set during 9/11 and is based on stories from real people who were on planes that day or who lived on the island that the planes had to land on)
Overture and Requiem from the Death Note musical are choir pieces at the start and end that are haunting
Overture has an eery instrumental and the sound of a clock ticking, then the ensemble begin chanting Kira (the name given to the protagonist in the original series by the general public after his many many murderers.
Requiem is a slow end, beginning with the line Sleep now, here among your choices, then drift away, it also emphasises the insignificance of all the main characters in the long-run, linking back to the song 'Hurricane' where the protagonist describes himself/his power as a powerful natural disaster by, instead, saying Feel every gentle breeze, Whisper through the trees, As the seasons turn
There's a comment about The Ballad of Jane Doe pretty high up so I won't talk about that but - from the same musical, Ride the Cyclone - there's a song called Fall Fair Suit
It's one of the, I think 4, opening songs that have been used for RTC and my personal favourite. Like all the songs in RTC, high pitch, drawn out Ah sounds are used to symbolise screaming because all the main characters die on a rollercoaster at the start of the show. Fall Fair Suit is haunting, it's pretty likely that people will have heard part of it since Falling through the air I wonder how can this be fair is a part of the song that got fairly popular. Anyway, parts that stand out to me, personally, are: when Ricky Potts - who is mute and uses mobility aids because of an unnamed degenerative disease - starts singing as he can only talk and sing after they get to the afterlife so that's the moment that he dies, and the background Ahs sung by Jane Doe who is not on stage for this song as she fell out of the cart and was decapitated, hence why she's unidentifiable.
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A couple that I like:
Me and the Sky from Come From Away is one that sticks out to me, it isn't creepy, and, in fact, builds hopefully throughout it, reaching a peak that is suddenly and jarringly interrupted by rising panic as the singer catches up to the more recent present and begins singing about the flight right before her and other pilots were notified that American airspace was closed and they had to land in newfoundland (if you don't know, Come From Away is set during 9/11 and is based on stories from real people who were on planes that day or who lived on the island that the planes had to land on)
Overture and Requiem from the Death Note musical are choir pieces at the start and end that are haunting
Overture has an eery instrumental and the sound of a clock ticking, then the ensemble begin chanting Kira (the name given to the protagonist in the original series by the general public after his many many murderers.
Requiem is a slow end, beginning with the line Sleep now, here among your choices, then drift away, it also emphasises the insignificance of all the main characters in the long-run, linking back to the song 'Hurricane' where the protagonist describes himself/his power as a powerful natural disaster by, instead, saying Feel every gentle breeze, Whisper through the trees, As the seasons turn
There's a comment about The Ballad of Jane Doe pretty high up so I won't talk about that but - from the same musical, Ride the Cyclone - there's a song called Fall Fair Suit
It's one of the, I think 4, opening songs that have been used for RTC and my personal favourite. Like all the songs in RTC, high pitch, drawn out Ah sounds are used to symbolise screaming because all the main characters die on a rollercoaster at the start of the show. Fall Fair Suit is haunting, it's pretty likely that people will have heard part of it since Falling through the air I wonder how can this be fair is a part of the song that got fairly popular. Anyway, parts that stand out to me, personally, are: when Ricky Potts - who is mute and uses mobility aids because of an unnamed degenerative disease - starts singing as he can only talk and sing after they get to the afterlife so that's the moment that he dies, and the background Ahs sung by Jane Doe who is not on stage for this song as she fell out of the cart and was decapitated, hence why she's unidentifiable.
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fanjoy
this isn't broadway, but there's a musical called the guy who didn't like musicals. i'd say the most chilling song i know, despite sounding so cheery on the outside, is inevitable, where there is a callback to almost every song prior, sung by the protagonist. however, singing in this musical means that your body has died and been taken over by a singing alien hive mind trying to take over the world. so when paul, the guy who didn't like musicals, starts singing songs that he never heard before, you know he is truly gone
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this isn't broadway, but there's a musical called the guy who didn't like musicals. i'd say the most chilling song i know, despite sounding so cheery on the outside, is inevitable, where there is a callback to almost every song prior, sung by the protagonist. however, singing in this musical means that your body has died and been taken over by a singing alien hive mind trying to take over the world. so when paul, the guy who didn't like musicals, starts singing songs that he never heard before, you know he is truly gone
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Logical
I still shudder at the thought of being a young child watching Temper Temper being performed in Mary Poppins. Other honorable mentions I would like to add are Quiet from Matilda (the lyrics pretty much capture what anxiety does to the brain in its peak moments, Shine a Light (reprise) from Heathers (a girl metaphorically/literally telling her best friend to do a sewer slide, and pretty much the entire 2nd half of Willy Wonka (I don't think any of those kids survive the stage adaption)
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I still shudder at the thought of being a young child watching Temper Temper being performed in Mary Poppins. Other honorable mentions I would like to add are Quiet from Matilda (the lyrics pretty much capture what anxiety does to the brain in its peak moments, Shine a Light (reprise) from Heathers (a girl metaphorically/literally telling her best friend to do a sewer slide, and pretty much the entire 2nd half of Willy Wonka (I don't think any of those kids survive the stage adaption)
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Dawnie
Another commenter here mentioned how many people take Everything's Coming Up Roses out of context and sing it as if it's supposed to be a jolly happy song; I'll say the same thing about Memory from CATS. That song is full of misery and the pain of remembering better days gone by. I always go back to the original, with Betty Buckley singing it like no one has since.
For dark, I'd throw in Lovely Ladies and Javert's Suicide from Les Miserables.
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Another commenter here mentioned how many people take Everything's Coming Up Roses out of context and sing it as if it's supposed to be a jolly happy song; I'll say the same thing about Memory from CATS. That song is full of misery and the pain of remembering better days gone by. I always go back to the original, with Betty Buckley singing it like no one has since.
For dark, I'd throw in Lovely Ladies and Javert's Suicide from Les Miserables.
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William
'Last Midnight' from Into the Woods
'Another National Anthem' from Assassins
'Tevye's Dream' from Fiddler on the Roof
'Past the Point of No Return' from Phantom of the Opera
'The Crow' from Zorba the Musical
'Southern Days' from The Scottsboro Boys
'Forever Yours' from Once on This Island
'Evil' from The Witches of Eastwick
'Come Look at the Freaks' from Side Show
'The Smell of Rebellion' from Matilda
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'Last Midnight' from Into the Woods
'Another National Anthem' from Assassins
'Tevye's Dream' from Fiddler on the Roof
'Past the Point of No Return' from Phantom of the Opera
'The Crow' from Zorba the Musical
'Southern Days' from The Scottsboro Boys
'Forever Yours' from Once on This Island
'Evil' from The Witches of Eastwick
'Come Look at the Freaks' from Side Show
'The Smell of Rebellion' from Matilda
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Madame
Darkest musical theater song in my opinion is Theres a World from Next to Normal, it shows how manipulative Gabe is because Diana is on her lowest point and Gabe is telling her to come with him (come with him into the afterlife because Gabe is dead and is trying to make his mom attempt to take her own life, its dark and hauntingly sad as Gabe sings in a lullaby type way telling Diana to come with him so they can be together.
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Darkest musical theater song in my opinion is Theres a World from Next to Normal, it shows how manipulative Gabe is because Diana is on her lowest point and Gabe is telling her to come with him (come with him into the afterlife because Gabe is dead and is trying to make his mom attempt to take her own life, its dark and hauntingly sad as Gabe sings in a lullaby type way telling Diana to come with him so they can be together.
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Poppyseed
I'm making this comment before watching the video, but two I feel should definitely be considered is The Chokey Chant from the Original Matilda as well as The Destruction from both the original and 2013 Carrie. Both are so incredibly dark and scary and brilliant!
Edit: A bit sad Chokey Chant didn't make the list, but I am happy that a Carrie and BMC song got an honorable mention! Both are super creepy: )
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I'm making this comment before watching the video, but two I feel should definitely be considered is The Chokey Chant from the Original Matilda as well as The Destruction from both the original and 2013 Carrie. Both are so incredibly dark and scary and brilliant!
Edit: A bit sad Chokey Chant didn't make the list, but I am happy that a Carrie and BMC song got an honorable mention! Both are super creepy: )
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David
I love the far right groups have. comment with Tomorrow Belongs To Me. all the while not paying attention to the battle cry from the Left of defending democracy and being on the right side of history, which is exactly much more of an accurate comparison. so don't get me started about Why We Built The Wall. when calling others a basket of deplorables in fly by states again is just the same if not more blatant.
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I love the far right groups have. comment with Tomorrow Belongs To Me. all the while not paying attention to the battle cry from the Left of defending democracy and being on the right side of history, which is exactly much more of an accurate comparison. so don't get me started about Why We Built The Wall. when calling others a basket of deplorables in fly by states again is just the same if not more blatant.
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the
I think personally if i had to pick two of the creepist muscial songs it would have to our love is god because i seen the live show and its a chilling moment and superyime because of audrey 2s sinister back vocals and how musnick frantically says once hes out of the way you move in right plus the movie version had vincent gardianas chilling words of im talking blooood krilborn
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I think personally if i had to pick two of the creepist muscial songs it would have to our love is god because i seen the live show and its a chilling moment and superyime because of audrey 2s sinister back vocals and how musnick frantically says once hes out of the way you move in right plus the movie version had vincent gardianas chilling words of im talking blooood krilborn
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I'm
not on Broadway, but I can think of several creepy songs from musicals made by a group called starkid. some of their creepiest work is
1. pretty much any song from the hatchetfield trilogy
2. but especially made in america
3. the summoning
4. kick it up a notch
5. twisted
you should check them out, they're the whole reason I'm into musical theater!
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not on Broadway, but I can think of several creepy songs from musicals made by a group called starkid. some of their creepiest work is
1. pretty much any song from the hatchetfield trilogy
2. but especially made in america
3. the summoning
4. kick it up a notch
5. twisted
you should check them out, they're the whole reason I'm into musical theater!
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EllieC
I love Lonely Room because it's one of those songs that just weeps with nuance, doesn't expect you to like Jud, still makes you pretty scared of him, but also gives you this very heartbreaking sympathy for his background. I think anyone who's ever felt rejected by the world, even if it's only a small world, can relate a little to that inability to break through.
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I love Lonely Room because it's one of those songs that just weeps with nuance, doesn't expect you to like Jud, still makes you pretty scared of him, but also gives you this very heartbreaking sympathy for his background. I think anyone who's ever felt rejected by the world, even if it's only a small world, can relate a little to that inability to break through.
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Josef
Pretty much every song from Dear Evan Hansen was dark and creepy. The title character was very creepy. He did not intend for his lie to be told, but he should have been caught sooner. It made no sense for Zoe to not be creeped out by him. She actually knew the dead guy and should not have fallen for anything Evan claimed. Evan did not do his research.
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Pretty much every song from Dear Evan Hansen was dark and creepy. The title character was very creepy. He did not intend for his lie to be told, but he should have been caught sooner. It made no sense for Zoe to not be creeped out by him. She actually knew the dead guy and should not have fallen for anything Evan claimed. Evan did not do his research.
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DrNedcase
The Judge's Johanna is far more creepy than anything Sweeney Todd sings.
I've just finished a run playing the Judge in Sweeney. I was at a theatre party last week and someone said to me 'I know you. You were that creepy judge' and visibly shivered. That's ultimate creep.
Funny, she didn't speak to me much after that!
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The Judge's Johanna is far more creepy than anything Sweeney Todd sings.
I've just finished a run playing the Judge in Sweeney. I was at a theatre party last week and someone said to me 'I know you. You were that creepy judge' and visibly shivered. That's ultimate creep.
Funny, she didn't speak to me much after that!
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Kate
Where is Der Letzte Tanz and Die Schatten Werden Langer from Elisabeth? The first song is the personification of Death telling Elisabeth she belongs to him and hell have her in the end no matter what, and the second song is Death LITERALLY trying to seduce her son into suicide.
Im so tired of foreign musicals being snubbed.
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Where is Der Letzte Tanz and Die Schatten Werden Langer from Elisabeth? The first song is the personification of Death telling Elisabeth she belongs to him and hell have her in the end no matter what, and the second song is Death LITERALLY trying to seduce her son into suicide.
Im so tired of foreign musicals being snubbed.
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Garrett
Die Moritat from Three-Penny Opera should be here. It's in German, and it's old, but it has a translation. The song opens the show, and it introduces the main character Mack the Knife, telling stories about how he owns the police and commits murder and rape with impunity.
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Die Moritat from Three-Penny Opera should be here. It's in German, and it's old, but it has a translation. The song opens the show, and it introduces the main character Mack the Knife, telling stories about how he owns the police and commits murder and rape with impunity.
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msmojo
A lot of American Psycho could go here, but I'd pitch I Am Back. Singing about messy torture? Yes. The chorus portraying twitching half-alive bodies? Yes. Blood smeared everywhere on the stage? Hell yeah, man. It's completely chilling performed right.
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A lot of American Psycho could go here, but I'd pitch I Am Back. Singing about messy torture? Yes. The chorus portraying twitching half-alive bodies? Yes. Blood smeared everywhere on the stage? Hell yeah, man. It's completely chilling performed right.
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BeyondBaito
Kinda wish Charming or Letters from Great Comet was included as the songs are basically the plot to push Natasha to ditch her betrothed and run off with a married man who also sleeps with his sister because her husband is an alcoholic.
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Kinda wish Charming or Letters from Great Comet was included as the songs are basically the plot to push Natasha to ditch her betrothed and run off with a married man who also sleeps with his sister because her husband is an alcoholic.
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Persephone
The Joanna song sung by Judge Turpin about how he wants his underaged ward is one of the most disturbing songs in Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Also The Ballad of Jane Doe is haunting and existentially unnerving.
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The Joanna song sung by Judge Turpin about how he wants his underaged ward is one of the most disturbing songs in Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Also The Ballad of Jane Doe is haunting and existentially unnerving.
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toxicsugar
HERE FOR THE CARRIE MENTION though imo I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance is creepier than And Eve Was Weak. Margaret has all the best songs, I just love how they fleshed her out in the musical compared to the book and movie.
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HERE FOR THE CARRIE MENTION though imo I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance is creepier than And Eve Was Weak. Margaret has all the best songs, I just love how they fleshed her out in the musical compared to the book and movie.
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celestite
Very good list! I'd have to add Madame Guillotine from Scarlet Pimpernel, I'm Alive REPRISE (The medicine failed and the doctors lied) from Next to Normal and Say The Words from the demo reel for the unreleased Outlander musical.
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Very good list! I'd have to add Madame Guillotine from Scarlet Pimpernel, I'm Alive REPRISE (The medicine failed and the doctors lied) from Next to Normal and Say The Words from the demo reel for the unreleased Outlander musical.
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Peggy
One of the creepiest songs that I ever heard is the reprise of Not While I'm Around from Sweeney Todd. I literally start yelling Run, Toby! Another creepy song is Hello Little Girl from Into the Woods.
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One of the creepiest songs that I ever heard is the reprise of Not While I'm Around from Sweeney Todd. I literally start yelling Run, Toby! Another creepy song is Hello Little Girl from Into the Woods.
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Mathilde
I would say the entire Sweeney Todd is creepy, even the love song, Johanna Do they think that walls can hide you, even though Im at your window? I am in the dark beside you, Johanna. Ill steal you
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I would say the entire Sweeney Todd is creepy, even the love song, Johanna Do they think that walls can hide you, even though Im at your window? I am in the dark beside you, Johanna. Ill steal you
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Chris
Well, if there was any honesty here, all 10 songs would be from either Sweeney Todd or Assassins. (The John Wilkes Booth song deserves a listen if you've not listened to it since Jan 6, 2021)
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Well, if there was any honesty here, all 10 songs would be from either Sweeney Todd or Assassins. (The John Wilkes Booth song deserves a listen if you've not listened to it since Jan 6, 2021)
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Rick
Too bad they cut MY NAME from the movie version of OLIVER! (1967)
I would add SOMETHING JUST BROKE from Sondheim's ASSASSINS - about the immediate impact of the Kennedy assassination.
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Too bad they cut MY NAME from the movie version of OLIVER! (1967)
I would add SOMETHING JUST BROKE from Sondheim's ASSASSINS - about the immediate impact of the Kennedy assassination.
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Randal
I know that it's not a Broadway musical but I have two from The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals. Inevitable (which is fun and dark) and America Is Great Again (which is just dark.
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I know that it's not a Broadway musical but I have two from The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals. Inevitable (which is fun and dark) and America Is Great Again (which is just dark.
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sunflower_woman
For me Epiphany from bare: A Pop Opera is really dark. This whole musical is very sad in general but this opening song with it's catholic nighmare fills me with dread
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For me Epiphany from bare: A Pop Opera is really dark. This whole musical is very sad in general but this opening song with it's catholic nighmare fills me with dread
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Surfer_playss
The most haunting song I know is Epiphany from Sweeney Todd, the song shows all of Sweeneys pain and anger and goes on a rage and singing about wanting to Kill everyone
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The most haunting song I know is Epiphany from Sweeney Todd, the song shows all of Sweeneys pain and anger and goes on a rage and singing about wanting to Kill everyone
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Rick
I saw CONFRONTATION in the original production with Linda Eder - the performance was amazing! I WISH they had captured the original Broadway cast on video instead of The Hoff!
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I saw CONFRONTATION in the original production with Linda Eder - the performance was amazing! I WISH they had captured the original Broadway cast on video instead of The Hoff!
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William
Not sure what is worse David Hasselhoff singing or Johnny Depp both musicals are very good but there are better versions then the one with David Hasselhoff and Johnny Depp
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Not sure what is worse David Hasselhoff singing or Johnny Depp both musicals are very good but there are better versions then the one with David Hasselhoff and Johnny Depp
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Jacob
Okay, I love Sweeney. But, if we're going to pick a Sweeney song, I'm surprised they didn't go with Johanna (Mea Culpa. Maybe that was too dark and creepy for this list
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Okay, I love Sweeney. But, if we're going to pick a Sweeney song, I'm surprised they didn't go with Johanna (Mea Culpa. Maybe that was too dark and creepy for this list
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