Have you ever wondered what a vampire might listen to while driving down the highway after experiencing a heartbreak? Well, this is the article for you. Vampires and their narratives not only meet the theme of red through blood, but also through revenge, passion, monstrosity, anger, love, lust, desire, self hatred, and self-empowerment. To emphasize the idea that these themes help to shape vampire tales, I decided only to include songs on the playlist that aren’t actually about vampires. I know we could all just Google “vampire songs” and a list would pop right up, so I also made this list hoping that this could help to create something new in relation to what vampire music is. The guidelines I set for myself on which songs to include are: they can’t mention vampires in the lyrics or title of the song (so there won’t be “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo), the song can’t have been written for a vampire or horror movie (sorry Twilight fans), and the lyrics or sound of the song have to give off vampiric vibes and match the above themes.
- “Taste” by Sabrina Carpenter
“I heard you’re back together and if that’s true/You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissing you/If you want forever, and I bet you do/Just know you’ll taste me too”
I chose this song partially because the name of the song just fits so well, as vampires do in fact “taste” the blood of those they eat. The lyrics mention forever, which fits the eternal life that vampires can have (with their soulmate). This song also fits the themes of revenge, lust, and desire. It’s perfect for the petty teen vampire romance dramas with love triangles, like Twilight or The Vampire Diaries. Imagine this song being sung by Jacob to Edward about Bella – it fits perfectly.
- “Dr. Sunshine Is Dead” by Will Wood and the Tapeworms
“Well, who should I be then, if I’ll never be the same?/I will be my sunshine, I will be my moon at night…And if dreams can come true, what does that say about nightmares?/I’ll stay awake tonight”
The title alone perfectly fits how once a human dies and becomes a vampire they no longer can go into the sun, forever bound to the night. This dramatic song could be interpreted as the reawakening of the monstrous vampire figure, who is cursed to walk the night and never see the sun again. It could be about accepting one’s transformation into something new and different than what they previously had been. It’s a song full of angst and self loathing, but ends with an admittance of who they now are.
- “Disease” by Lady Gaga
“You’re so tortured when you sleep/Plagued with all your memories…Screamin’ for me baby/Like you’re gonna die/Poison on the inside/I could be your antidote tonight…If you were a sinner I could make you believe…I can smell your sickness, I can cure ya/Cure your disease”
This song can totally be read as a vampire trying to convince a human to join them. The disease here becomes humanity, and the cure is vampirism, granting immortality and a reprieve from all human vulnerability.
- “Bite My Hip” by Bauhaus
“Relax and enjoy, you can even talk to Roy/Why don’t you make your way, don’t be so damn fake/Just do your best and I’ll do the rest/Just as long as you get up and/Bite my hip/Come on, bite”
This song seems like it is from the perspective of a human victim who is really into vampires and wants them to “bite my hip.” This should be the theme song for Guillermo in What We Do In The Shadows as he is desperate to become a vampire, but no one will ever turn him.
“There’s not a soul out there/No one to hear my prayer/Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight/Won’t somebody help me chase the shadows away…Take me through the darkness to the break of the day”
Perhaps it’s because this song was on my dad’s Halloween playlist growing up, but I’ve always associated this song with vampires. When I was younger, I thought that this song was about a human longing for a vampire lover, or that this was sung by an enchanting group of vampires (with the mysterious harmonies) trying to lure in a human to be their next prey.
- “Lie” by BTS
(Theses are the translated Korean to English lyrics from Genius)
“With your sweet smile…Tell me like you’re whispering in my ear/Don’t be like a prey/Smooth like a, like a snake /I want to get away…Caught in a lie/Find the me that was pure/I can’t be free from this lie/Give me back my smile/Caught in a lie/Pull me from this hell”
This alluring and hypnotic song could be interpreted as a song about someone who has recently been turned into a vampire and is scared they may hurt the one they love (which is a popular trope in vampire stories), though they feel deeply guilty. Our newly turned vampire may have paranoia about what challenges may come along with this new identity.
- “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” by KISS
“Tonight I wanna give it all to you/In the darkness there’s so much I wanna do…‘Cause girl, I was made for you/And girl you were made for me/I was made for lovin’ you baby”
For similar reasons as my ABBA choice (as it was often played at Halloween), I have always associated this song with vampires. This song represents the lust, passion, and love often found in vampire narratives. I picture this being sung by a vampire to the human they love.
- “Mama” by My Chemical Romance
“Mama, we all go to Hell…Stop asking me questions, I’d hate to see you cry/Mama, we’re all gonna die/And when we go don’t blame us, yeah/We’ll let the fires just bathe us…We’re damned after all”
This larger-than-life song fits the vampire narrative well, as it expresses the idea that vampires are hellbound after they have their final death, even if this is an undeserved punishment. It represents the loss of family because of this newfound existence, and the self-hatred that comes with feeling like a monster.
- “The End Of The World” by Skeeter Davis
“Why does the sun go on shining?…Why does my heart go on beating?…Don’t they know it’s the end of the world?/It ended when you said goodbye”
Upon listening to this classic 50s track, I was instantly transported back to Twilight: New Moon. This song could be about Edward and Bella’s break up, which leads them both to become very depressed. The sun lyric fits with how Edward thought Bella, the person who brought him joy, had died, but also with how he can’t go into the sun. The heart beating lyric fits with how Bella desperately wants to be a vampire, but no one will turn her, but also how she can’t bear to live without Edward. Specifically, I think this could be the song that Bella listens to during the infamous scene where she sits looking out the window for months, pining after Edward.
- “God’s Away On Business” by Tom Waits
“Digging up the dead with a shovel and a pick/It’s a job, it’s a job/Bloody moon rising with a plague and a flood…Who are the ones that we kept in charge?/Killers, thieves, and lawyers…Goddamn there’s always such a big temptation to be good, to be good.”
This song illustrates a vampire who doesn’t like having to kill in order to survive, but has accepted this lifestyle nonetheless. It is also reminiscent of conflicted vampires who yearn to be good, but ultimately reject what little humanity they have left.
- “Kill This Love” by BLACKPINK
“Let’s kill this love!…Feelin’ like a sinner, it’s so fire with him, I go boo-hoo/He said, “You look crazy,” Thank you, baby, I owe it all to you/Got me all messed up, his love is my favourite/But you plus me, sadly, can be dangerous.”
For me, this song evokes a human who loves a vampire, but realizes that they should not continue due to the toxic and addictive nature of this love. It reminds me of Buffy dating Spike in Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
- “You Are My Sunshine” by Johnny Cash
“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine/You make me happy when skies are grey/You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you/Please don’t take my sunshine away”
This haunting rendition by Johnny Cash of a classic folk song evokes the tv show True Blood for me. Unlike most other vampire stories that I have been talking about, True Blood has a southern gothic and country aesthetic, which is reflected in this song. The lyrics “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine” also feel the sadness that vampires often feel at having to hide away in the darkness, with their only hope of having a semblance of sunshine again is to find true love.
- “Bring Me To Life” by Evanescence
“Without a soul, my spirit’s sleeping somewhere cold/Wake me up inside…/Call my name and save me from the dark/Bid my blood to run before I come undone/Same from the nothing that I’ve become…Frozen inside without your touch, without your love/Darling, only you are the life among the dead.”
This seems like the anthem for the sad emo vampire trope. Almost all vampire romances have a vampire who believes their human lover is the only thing keeping them alive and that this lover is tied to their humanity. The gothic-inspired lyrics seem like a nod to the origins of vampire stories like Dracula. The vocal effects make the song sound mysterious and haunting…
Creating this playlist brought back memories of my past fascination with vampire media. Vampires and their media can help to express unaccepted identity, love, deep emotion, and self exploration. It was a nostalgic and joyful experience, and I hope this list helps you appreciate the spooky vampiric vibes in music that might not normally be seen that way.
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