Don’t Be Too Scared of These 13 Songs | Playlist 🎧

1. ICE NINE KLLS, “Hip to Be Scared”

🎵 “Hip to Be Scared” • 🏷 Fearless • 🗓 2021

“You’ll find no escape once you’re captured on tape / I’m aware it’s a bit avant-garde.” Indeed, indeed! With a metal/metalcore band like 🎙 ICE NINE KILLS, there’s never a dull moment – understatement.  Following up a fantastic LP (💿 The Silver Scream, 2018) is difficult. That said, single 🎵 “Hip to Be Scared” continues and builds on the excellence established by INK.  The band enlists 🎙 Jacoby Shaddix (🎙 Papa Roach) for the assist.

“‘Not the fucking face, you piece of bitch trash!’” “Hip To Be Scared” is foreboding, set in a minor key predominantly. This, of course, perfectly suits ICE NINE KILLS. “Hip” begins enigmatically, embracing and maintaining a horror schtick.  As always, front man 🎙 Spencer Charnas ‘gets it done’ in the vocal department, serving up both a sweet melody and some expressive, shouted vocals that fit the ‘scared’ vibe (and colorful lyrics).  Besides awesome production and top-notch vocals, I like the shifts incorporated throughout this record, keeping things unpredictable and intriguing to the nth degree.  So often, songs can be more monolithic, and INK ensures that is not the case here.  The chorus is one of the biggest selling points:

“So, to hell with good intentions
So, to hell is where I’ll go
But the Devil makes exceptions
For all-American psychos.”

Rock TF on. ICE NINE KILLS serves up an excellent mix of impressive musicianship and entertaining, tongue-n-cheek, horror-laden moments.

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2. Jazmine Sullivan, “Fear”

💿 Fearless • 🏷 J • 📅 2008

Believe it or not, there were actually at least two notable albums named 💿 Fearless in 2008.  Yes, the 🎙 Taylor Swift country-pop edition ended up taking home the highly coveted 🏆 Grammy for Album of the Year, but the 🏆 Grammy-nominated R&B album by 🎙 Jazmine Sullivan was awesome too.  Two key songs come to mind when thinking about Sullivan’s debut album: 🎵 “Bust Your Windows” and 🎵 “Need U Bad”.  All 12 songs are stellar, including the fearful, 🎵 “Fear.”  

“I’m scared to start cuz I’m scared I’ll quit / I’m scared that people won’t like my shit,” Sullivan sings on this well-rounded neo-soul record.  She continues to showcase ample fear, singing, “I’m scared of fame and paparazzi / Rumors startin’ and people watching.” Despite being a ‘scaredy cat’ Sullivan makes a great point regarding fear:

“This may sound silly but it’s true
So don’t pretend it ain’t you too
We all afraid of something here
Cuz you ain’t human without fear.”

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 10 Songs Centered on Fear

3. The Weeknd, “Scared to Live”

💿 After Hours • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2020

“And if I held you back, at least I held you close (Yeah) / Should have known you were lonely.” 💿 After Hours, the fourth studio album by three-time, 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B artist 🎙 The Weeknd, is filled with gems.  Following a momentous opening trio, 🎵 “Scared to Live” continues the sheer excellence, featuring some of Abel Tesfaye’s most radiant vocals of the album. Furthermore, the production (🎛 Max Martin, 🎛 Oscar Holter, and The Weeknd) and sound are quite alluring. Musically, “Scared to Live” fuses pop, R&B, synthpop; it clearly hearkens back to the 1980s.

There’s an 🎙 Elton John interpolation that’s a sweet addition. “Scared to Live” focuses on the plight of love. Abel looks out for his ex, who he wronged, urging her, “…Don’t be scared to live again.”

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 Scared 😱: 5ive Songs No. 11 (2021)

4. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, “Be Afraid”

💿 Reunions • 🏷 Southeastern • 📅 2020

On 🎵 “Be Afraid”, a highlight from the 2020 🎙 Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit album, 💿 Reunions, Isbell is incredibly authentic and relevant.  The Alabaman singer/songwriter speaks on the importance of using the artistic platform properly. In his opinion, artists should convey what’s happening in the world and ultimately, be courageous sharing their voice, even if it’s scary.

Isbell urges, “Be afraid, be very afraid / But do it anyway / Do it anyway.” Beyond the chorus, there are some other lyrical gems. He brings personal aspects in, such as his daughter, who he’s mentioned in the past.  Also, he embraces musicians being activists.  “We don’t take requests / We won’t shut up and sing,” he sings, adding, “Tell the truth enough you’ll find it rhymes with everything.” Perhaps my personal favorite comes later: “And if the words add up to nothing then you’re making a choice / To sing a cover when you need a battle cry.” Never failing to impress, Isbell and company shine brightly on “Be Afraid.”

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 Awesome Songs That Tickled My Fancy: February 2020

5. The Neighbourhood, “Scary Love”

💿 Hard to Imagine The Neighbourhood Ever Changing • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 2018

🎵 “Scary Love”, a standout from 💿 Hard to Imagine The Neighbourhood Ever Changing, is one of the grooviest songs that 🎙 The Neighbourhood has ever released.  Following a brief, mysterious intro (all of four seconds), the inescapable beat takes over. “Scary Love” sounds more pop than alternative.  There are driving synths, and an electronic sound palette is clear from the jump. The vocals are mixed in the background on the verses as opposed to the forefront.  The effects-laden pipes of 🎙 Jesse Rutherford are playful, and he seems to ‘be about that play.’

“Even better when you first wake up
Than anybody else I’ve fucked
Baby, I got good luck with you
I didn’t know we’d get so far.”

“Scary Love” indeed! On the chorus, Rutherford is front and center, fitting to the more overt, confident sound.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 Scared 😱: 5ive Songs No. 11 (2021)

6. Justin Bieber, “Afraid to Say”

Ft. Lauren Walters

Freedom. (EP) • 🏷 Def Jam • 🗓 2021

Perhaps few realized it, but in addition to releasing 💿 Justice in 2021, 🏆 Grammy winning pop superstar 🎙 Justin Bieber also released a six-track, Christian pop EP, 💿 Freedom.  Among the songs on the ‘free’ EP relevant to this playlist is closing cut, 🎵 “Afraid to Say.” On this number produced by Bieber and 🎛 Julian “JULESTHEWULF” McGuire, he reflects on making mistakes, seeking forgiveness, and having the opportunity to grow.

Bieber questions ‘cancel culture,’ a hot, divisive topic among many folks:

“What have we done with society?
When everybody’s being canceled
And can’t there be room for maturity?
‘Cause writing ‘em off is not the answer.”

Bieber goes on to say, from personal experience, “You can’t write people off / God never writes us off / Even in our darkest days, even when we least deserve it.”  While you can have a debate about his thinking, there is a level of maturity from the pop singer we hadn’t heard until Freedom.  Question: Is it scary that a once wild Justin Bieber has matured to the extent that he has?  Also, worth noting, 🎙 Lauren Walters caps things off with a sermon, citing Psalms 139.

7. TOOL, “Fear Inoculum”

💿 Fear Inoculum • 🏷 TOOL • 📅 2019 

“Immunity, long overdue / Contagion, I exhale you…” After a 13-year hiatus 🎙 Maynard James Keenan and 🏆 Grammy-winning metal collective 🎙 TOOL returned with their fifth LP, 💿 Fear Inoculum, led by the ‘fearful’ single, 🎵 “Fear Inoculum”. “Fear Inoculum” runs north of 10 minutes. Even with its long duration, there aren’t a ton of lyrics, and the form is relatively standard: verse, interlude, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, and outro.  The extended instrumental introduction is enigmatic, constantly building with percussion, sound effects, and distorted guitars.  Keenan doesn’t sing until after the two-minute mark, showcasing the sheer beauty of his voice.

As Keenan sings, he plays into the hypnotic, intense nature of the music, with its looped passages, pummeling drums, and minor key. With the arrival of the chorus, four minutes in, things grow heavier, including Keenan exhibiting more edge and grit vocally.  Post-chorus, the percussion and sound effects stand out, before Keenan drops another legato-style verse with unique lyrics:

“Enumerate all that I’m to do
Calculating steps away from you
My own mitosis
Growing through delusion from mania.”

Following another edgy chorus, the listener is blessed with that signature TOOL experimentation with meter and rhythm, keeps things interesting, specifically the bridge. Bridge buzz word: exorcise.  Furthermore, other words appearing throughout “Fear Inoculum” include venom, immunity, mania, exhale, and deceiver. One of the biggest selling points of “Fear Inoculum” is how the band uses space.

Also appears on 🔽:
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8. Ozzy Osbourne, “Scary Little Green Men”

💿 Ordinary Man • 🏷 Epic • 📅 2020

“Scary little green men, do you believe in / Scary little green men? It’s the end…” 🎵 “Scary Little Green Men” is definitely an interesting listen from 💿 Ordinary Man, the 12^th studio album by metal icon 🎙 Ozzy Osbourne.  The record doesn’t come off as serious as the track that precedes it, 🎵 “Today is the End” – at least that seems to be the case!

As the title suggests, Osbourne references aliens/Martians/extraterrestrial beings. Yeah… Ozzy is fully invested as outlandish as “Scary Little Green Men” might be:

“They want us, they need us
They might just try to eat us.”

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 Scared 😱: 5ive Songs No. 11 (2021)

9. Jeezy, “Scared of the Dark”

💿 Church in These Streets • 🏷 Def Jam • 📅 2015

Throughout his career, 🎙 Jeezy has kept it G – no cap.  He takes us to church on his 2015 album, 💿 Church in These Streets.  Of course, his ‘type of church,’ well, it isn’t about Jesus.  One of the better tracks is 🎵 “Scared of the Dark” which features lit production courtesy of 🎛 Nard & B.  Listening to that minor key backdrop, anyone who fucks around with Jeezy is sure to be scared.

So, who is “Scared of the Dark” addressed to? 🎙 Freddie Gibbs likely, who was once associated with Jeezy.  It’s no secret that there’s been an extended beef between the two rappers.   If that’s the intended target, Jeezy shows no mercy throughout the course of “Scared of the Dark.” It all starts with the chorus, which latches the first time you hear it in all its – scariness and darkness, of course!

“Scared of the dark, scared of the dark
You niggas is scared of the dark
...They all want the light, they all want to shine
They all want to shine, they all want the light
They all want to shine; they all want to shine.”

Beyond the chorus, Jeezy brags about his status in the game, straight-up killing it. As usual, he compares himself to ballers, and knocks “Nigga(s) switching teams like the draft…” Of course, the most scathing assertion by Jeezy comes at the end of the verse:

“They should put your picture in the dictionary
Right next to ungrateful nigga, you the definition
With yo' ungrateful ass I was in denial had to face it nigga
Can’t do epic shit fucking wit basic niggas cause they.”

Woo, Jeezy mad AF bro! Of course, I don’t think Freddie Gibbs is scared.

10. Whitechapel, “When a Demon Defiles a Witch”

💿 The Valley • 🏷 Metal Blade • 📅 2019

“The demons dance by the fireside / But tonight they migrate to my bedside.” Woo! 🎵 “When a Demon Defiles a Witch.”  Damn, that’s a disturbing song title to say the least, hence why this record, which does feature afraid, scared, or fearful in its title graces 🎧 Don’t Be Too Scared of These Songs. “When a Demon Defiles a Witch” arrives as the opener on 💿 The Valley, the 2019 album by Tennessee metal collective, 🎙 Whitechapel.  Fittingly, this witchy song is set in a minor key.  Also, portions of the song feature aggressive, unclean vocals, intense, jagged guitars, and wild lyrics.

“There’s nowhere left to run
There’s nowhere left for me to be
Without you by my side.”

For some context, the visions captured lyrically on “When a Demon Defiles a Witch” came from singer 🎙 Phil Bozeman’s mom.  His mom had mental issues, hence why such a vision is incredibly outlandish.  Per Kerrang, guitarist 🎙 Ben Savage states, “Phil’s mom would see a demon outside or by her fireside, and she knew that if she saw it there, then it would be by her bedside that night.” Wow! Truly, “What has the world come to when a demon defiles a witch?”  

Also Appears On 🔽:
🔗 🎸🤘 Whitechapel, “When a Demon Defiles a Witch”: Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘 No. 6
🔗 🎧 Witch: 5ive Songs No. 89 (2021)

11. G-Eazy, “Scary Nights”

💿 Scary Nights • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2019

🎙 G-Eazy kicks off 💿 Scary Nights with none other than the title track, 🎵 “Scary Nights.” As the title suggests, the song is dark and edgy, set in a minor key. Is it particularly scary? Umm no, not really – it’s more cocky, confident, and drippy than anything else. Eazy does get a tough chorus that’s memorable enough.

“Scary nights in the city, yeah
Cut the lights in the city, yeah
They don’t wanna see the boys who came with me
They don’t wanna see us prosper, they envy...”

Furthermore, Eazy shouts out Nipsey Hussle on the third verse (“Rest in peace, Nipsey, wearing blue with that”).  Also, worth nothing is the production team: 🎛 Ben Billions, 🎛 Nils, 🎛 Boi-1da, 🎛 Jahaan Sweet, and 🎛 The Rascals 👌.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 Scared 😱: 5ive Songs No. 11 (2021)

12. The 1975, “Sincerity is Scary”

💿 A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2018

“And irony is okay, I suppose, culture is to blame / You try and mask your pain in the most postmodern way…” Hmm, intellectual and poetic to say the least, 🎙 The 1975, specifically 🎙 Matthew Healy. 🎵 “Sincerity is Scary”, a highlight from 💿 A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships, features a unique sound, blending jazz and R&B.

Helping to shape that beautiful, lush, and distinct sound is the use of chorus pad, brass, and piano among other instruments. Healy delivers beautiful vocals and gets a lift from a choir on the chorus, incorporating gospel influence. The chorus is the best part of the song.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 Scared 😱: 5ive Songs No. 11 (2021)

13. Kendrick Lamar, “FEAR.”

💿 DAMN. • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2017

On the intro of 🎵 “FEAR,” the 12^th track from 🎙 Kendrick Lamar’s 🏆 Pulitzer Prize-winning 💿 DAMN., a voicemail from 🎙 Carl Duckworth references Old Testament scripture Deuteronomy 28:28.  This isn’t the least uncharacteristic of the album itself, which features many Biblical and spiritual references.

On the first verse, Lamar’s mom warns him of the consequences for a variety of actions.  Essentially, she’s instilling fear into him should he do something wrong:

“I beat yo ass, keep talkin’ back
I beat yo ass, who bought you that?
You stole it, I beat yo ass if you say that game is broken
I beat yo ass, if you jump on my couch...”

On the chorus, he explores escapism, wishing he could “smoke fear away” because it’s destructive and detrimental.  On the second verse, the key lyric is “I’ll prolly die…,” yet a different take on fear. The focus is ‘27 years of age’ on the third verse, as Lamar looks toward 30. On a fourth verse, the key moment is, “I’m talkin’ fear…” The key word on the bridge, performed by 🎙 Bēkon is god damn, which has multiple meanings contextually.

“God damn you, God damn me
God damn us, God damn we
God damn us all.” 

Also appears on 🔽:
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