13 Superstitious, Unlucky, Ominous Songs for Friday the 13th

It’s Friday the 13th, and we all know what that means: Bad luck is lurking just around the corner!

Here at SiriusXM, we’ll be steering clear of black cats, avoiding walking under ladders, double knotting our shoelaces, and trying not to test fate in ANY way for the next 24 hours. If your day is feeling particularly unlucky already, we’ve got the perfect selection of songs to match the Friday the 13th mood. Might as well just embrace it, right?

“Superstition” – Stevie Wonder

Let’s face it, everyone is a little more superstitious than normal on Friday the 13th. So, what better song to kick off our list than Stevie Wonder’s iconic “Superstition.” With lyrics that include references to broken mirrors and 13-month-old babies, this is a must-listen on this most unlucky of days!

For more easy pop classics, be sure to check out The Blend.

“Black Cat” ­– Janet Jackson

Black cats face a lot of discrimination as omens of bad luck. However, the metaphorical black cat in this Janet Jackson classic definitely fits the bill, being the narrator’s boyfriend who has a negative influence on her life. Fun fact: When the song was initially performed on the Rhythm Nation World Tour 1990, it was done so with one of the biggest black cats imaginable — a panther! Unfortunately, it was removed after the creature peed on the stage causing Janet’s dancers to slip and fall. Ironic, really.

If you want to soundtrack your week with more guilty pop classics, check out Utopia.

“Unlucky” – The Shirelles

You can get unlucky in all areas of life on Friday the 13th, but if your bad luck relates to love, make sure to give this soulful single a listen. It may be just what you need to bring a little sparkle back into your Friday.

For more hits from Motown and soul legends, make sure you tune in to Smokey’s Soul Town.

“Broken Mirror” – Travis

If a broken mirror brings seven years of bad luck, how many years of misfortune can you expect for singing about one? Fran Healy’s haunting vocals and Travis’ brooding sound make this tune fit perfectly with someone suffering from bad luck. Turn up the volume on your way home from work to blast away all the bad vibes with this hypnotizing banger.

Looking to discover the next phase of alt-rock? Alt Nation is the place to be.

“Omen” – Disclosure ft. Sam Smith

Omens are signs that are believed to foretell the future and can be either good or bad. While it may be Friday the 13th, how can we think of this amazing collab between Disclosure and Sam Smith as anything other than great?

If “Omen” is your kind of vibe, tune in to SiriusXM Chill!

“Bad Day” ­– Daniel Powter

If Friday the 13th is destined to be a day filled with bad luck, why not just go along with it? Crank up the volume of Powter’s 2005 hit and have the best bad day ever!

Get your fix of more classic hits from the 2000s on Pop2K.

“Things Happen” – Dawes

It’s easy to blame Friday the 13th for all your bad luck today, but sometimes things happen without any rhyme or reason. According to Dawes’ lyrics, we’re better off accepting the randomness of life and raising a glass to everything that has happened in the name of bad luck. It’s hard not to agree.

If you enjoy Dawes’ sound, The Loft might just be your favorite new channel.

“Born Under a Bad Sign” – Albert King

If days can be unlucky, then people can be too. This fate can be reserved for all people born under an unfavorable constellation, a ‘bad sign’ if you will. Whatever constellation Albert King was born under, it must have been a good one though. Generally considered a blues masterpiece, “Born Under a Bad Sign” had huge crossover appeal to fans of rock and went on to influence countless artists over the years.

To discover more gems from the world of rock, listen to Deep Tracks.

“Friday 13th” – Atomic Rooster

Sometimes it’s all in the title, and Atomic Rooster’s “Friday 13th” is undoubtedly the perfect song to get lost in if your day is looking particularly bleak. Between Vincent Crane’s iconic keyboard skills and Nick Graham’s riffs, this powerhouse of prog rock is sure to help you shake off the bad vibes.

Tune in to Classic Rewind for more rock from the ’70s and ’80s.

“Somebody’s Watching Me” – Rockwell

On Friday the 13th, it can definitely feel like some otherworldly force is watching your every move, waiting for an opportunity to plunge your life into an even deeper pit of despair. That’s what Rockwell was singing about, and maybe if you sing along to this ’80s bop, it’ll feel seen and leave you alone. Worth a try anyway, right?

If you’re after more groovy tunes, The Groove is the channel for you.

“Mirror Smashed” – Ruts DC

Another mirror smashed! Though we’ll gladly take an additional seven years of bad luck if it means that we get to include Ruts DC’s alternative interpretation of the bad omen in our selection.

To hear more ’80s Alternative and New Wave, be sure to check out 1st Wave.

“Unlucky 13” ­– DevilDriver

If you need a reminder of all the other bad luck omens to keep an eye out for today, you definitely want to add “Unlucky 13” to your playlist. Be careful though, you might just start seeing bad omens everywhere! That said, DevilDriver’s signature style of melodic death metal may be just what you need to maintain that heightened level of suspicion.

To hear more from the masters of metal, head on over to Liquid Metal to headbang your heart out.

“Witchy Woman” – Eagles

We’ve all heard tales of weak-willed men bewitched by dangerous women. Eagles’ “Witchy Woman” is exactly such a story, serving as the perfect cautionary tale for this unlucky Friday! The woman in question is said to have been inspired by Zelda Fitzgerald, whose biography Don Henley was reading when he wrote the song. Alongside being a writer in her own right, Zelda was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s muse, known to be a wild and bewitching woman in the ’20s.

To hear more mellow rocks songs, check out The Bridge.

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On average, there is a Friday the 13th once every 212 days. So no matter how unlucky you get today, you’ll have a solid 211 to recover. Until then though, you can keep listening to SiriusXM to all of these songs and many more!