Songs About Curses
Music is so diverse that it incorporates everything about life; the good and bad, blessings and curses alike. Curses are not new to us, from the religious view, it goes all the way up to the time of Adam and Eve, for defying God’s instruction and being exiled with curses. We as humans can also place curses on people out of anger over a really bad experience with them and sometimes unknowingly from our actions.
Truth is, the world can’t balance on unitary concepts; there’s always a balance between good and evil, blessings and likewise curses. So, as people are blessed with the day, others are cursed with the day and this can come in many forms – frustration, death, sickness and many other unfortunate situations.
Several songs about curses are available out there; most of which stem from the narrator’s personal experiences. Some even prove beyond reasonable doubt that some songs are forbidden to be sung in some parts of the world because they’re either cursed or attract curses. Whatever the case may be, I’ve compiled a list of songs about curses and I hope you enjoy them. This will be a long one but I’m certain you’ll love them!
1. “Curse of the Crossroads” by Robert Johnson
It’s not simply this song that has a creepy legend attached to it; Robert Johnson as a whole has always been shrouded in mystery. There is a legend that at a crossroads, Johnson made a pact with the devil to become the dominant figure in Delta blues.
According to popular belief, Robert Johnson was a mediocre guitarist who desperately aspired to become a great blues musician. According to the story, a tall man (supposedly the devil) greeted Johnson at the crossroads, took his guitar, tuned it, played a few riffs, and then gave it back to Johnson.
The reason Johnson went there is unclear. Some say he sold his soul to the devil in this conversation, in exchange for the ability to play the guitar brilliantly.
The curse of this song is what has happened since its debut, even though Johnson himself had never confirmed any of the claims about his sudden leap to stardom.
According to the crossroads curse, playing the song live might lead to devastating personal and professional consequences. Strange as it may seem, many of the artists who have covered the blues classics have experienced some sort of personal sorrow.
2. “The Ninth Symphony” by Ludwig van Beethoven
Composers of classical music have an unusual phobia about the number nine. Within this society, there is a myth that states if one completes the ninth symphony, they will pass very soon after. Peter Maxwell Davies, a contemporary British composer, appears to have avoided being affected by the curse.
A musician is said to be cursed to die shortly after finishing his or her ninth symphony, according to an urban legend. A staggeringly high percentage of composers have not yet written their tenth symphony, even though there is not much of a logical explanation for why this situation has arisen.
Everything started with the unexpected passing of Beethoven. In the year 1827, when he passed away, he had only begun composing his ninth symphony. Ever since then, many classical musicians have been killed by the curse.
The strangest part of this so-called curse, however, is that several composers who failed to complete their tenth symphony before dying at a relatively early age.
Gustav Mahler, who passed away at the age of 50 from heart failure, and Franz Schubert, who died at the young age of 31 from typhoid fever, are good mentions of people who died at absurdly young ages. Both composers passed away not long after completing their ninth symphonies.
3. “Gloomy Sunday”- Rezso Seress
A devastating “curse” is said to be associated with the song “Gloomy Sunday,” which was composed by Rezso Seress, a Hungarian songwriter. In the early 1930s, Seress was having a difficult time making ends meet, and he was severely depressed one cloudy Sunday afternoon.
At the time, his career was coming to an end because the music industry largely ignored him. On top of that, the woman he loved had abandoned him in the middle of their relationship.
He had no one to talk to and was very hopeless, so he sat by himself at his piano. After playing about at the keyboard for a while, he stumbled upon the melody that would become his masterpiece, even though he had no intention of using it.
The song “Szomoru Vasarnap,” which translates to “Gloomy Sunday,” became an instant hit. The fame that Seress had been seeking for so many years was finally within his grasp. He had no idea that his triumph would ultimately result in the death of hundreds of other people. Numerous people started taking their own lives at this point.
The dead bodies were discovered clinging to the song’s sheet music. Some of the people who committed suicide left behind notes with the song’s lyrics. One body was discovered with a record player nearby, and the song was playing in an unending loop.
One of the victims, a man, after complaining that the music was playing in his brain nonstop, took his own life. It came to be known as the “Hungarian Suicide Song” as a result of the widespread belief that it was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of individuals.
4. Amanat Ali Khan’s “Insha Ji Utho”
This list would be incomplete without this song; it’s yet another fascinating song about curses. Insha ji Utho was written by a Pakistani poet –Ibne Insha in the 1970s. He had no idea that this would end up being his most well-known work. It is a tragic story about a man who lives a bleak, meaningless life.
Despite the piece’s gloomy atmosphere, it caught the attention of the vocalist – Amanat Ali Khan, who wanted to set it to music. He did so with Insha’s blessing and broadcast the performance on television in January 1974.
His career peaked with this single hit. Khan’s fame skyrocketed in just a few short days. He felt like the greatest man alive. However, he passed away suddenly and unexpectedly a few months after the performance of the song. Four years to the day after the first broadcast, Insha himself passed away at the age of 50 following a courageous battle with cancer.
However, that is not the end of the curse. Khan’s son, Asad Amanat Ali, became a famous singer in his own right sometime later. In 2006, Khan’s son performed “Insha ji Utho” as the final song of one of his concerts.
When he started playing, he had no idea that it would be the last time in his life. He followed his father’s unexpected death in only a few months. This is one of the songs about the curses that reflects on a lot of things.
5. “My Way” by Frank Sinatra
It is considered rude to sing a song made famous by Frank Sinatra in a karaoke venue in the Philippines, although people in the United States are familiar with and fond of the tune. Why? Because many people feel that it is tainted with a curse. It is possible that you or others around you will die if it is sung or played.
The music was linked to several deaths, which is when people first began to speculate that it was cursed. Karaoke performances of this song were responsible for the deaths of several people between the years 2002 and 2012.
The incident that occurred on May 29, 2007, when a karaoke singer who was 29 years old was killed by a security officer at a bar in San Mateo, Rizal, was the moment that brought the most attention to these deaths.
The reason why this occurred was because the security guard had reported that the young man’s performance of “My Way” was not on key. The security guy pulled out a revolver with a. 38-calibre barrel and shot the man to death when the man refused to stop singing.
