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| Let's boogie! |
Michael Jackson's Thriller
Now what kind of Halloween list would this be without this notorious treasure? No doubt you have probably already heard this being played either in stores or on costume commercials this month. I'm sure you already know all the words and some of you probably even know all the dance moves. And who could forget the creepy narraration from the legendary Vincent Price? So enjoy this little blast from the past from the king of pop himself. Fun fact: Did you know the guy who created An American Werewolf in London helped in creating this music video?
Alice Cooper-Welcome To My Nightmare
"Welcome to my nightmare. I think you're gonna like it." From pop to rock we have this little beauty from rock legend Alice Cooper. This song was first released in 1975. With it's funky disco rock beat it made it all the way to number 45 on The Billboard Hot 100 list and even made AOL Radio's Top 10 best Halloween songs list.
Bobby "Boris" Pickett-The Monster Mash
Arguably the most played Halloween song to date. This 1962 novelty from one hit wonder Bobby "Boris" Pickett has been popular from it's begining. To this day people of all ages can easily identify this party tune. This song has also been covered by various artists of all genres. From The Beach Boys to The Misfits. Boris Karloff (the actor who played Frankenstein) liked the song so much he actually performed it himself on a 1965 episode of Shindig.
Ray Parker Jr.- Ghostbusters Theme
"I ain't afraid of no ghost." Whether you have seen the movies or not you've probably heard the theme song once or twice in your life. This song hit number one on the Billboard Charts on August 11, 1984 and kept it's slot for three weeks. This song was almost became a court case because the guitar and bass riffs sound a lot like Huey Lewis's "I Want A New Drug" which had come out earlier that same year. The two settled the suit out of court with Ray Parker paying Huey Lewis a settlement amount. Nevertheless it didn't dim down it's popularity. The video also had cameos from several popular celebrities at that time. Can you name them all?
Buddy Baker- Grim Grinning Ghosts
This is the theme song for Disney's famous Haunted Mansion attraction. Different variations of the song are played throught different rooms. The title itself comes from William Shakespeare's poem Venus And Adonis.
Vic Mizzy- The Addams Family Theme
Whether you prefer the original or the 90's version you probably already know all the finger snaps to this great opening intro. Despite never making it very high up on the charts this jingle remains a cult classic among fans around the world.
Marilyn Manson- This Is Halloween
Originally composed by the magnificent Danny Elfman for Tim Burton's 1993 film "The Nightmare Before Christmas" Marilyn Manson covered this track for the 13th anniversary re-release of the soundtrack. Although both versions are worthy of Halloween time I chose Manson's version because it has a much darker edge.
Creature Feature- Such Horrible Things
Though probably not as well known as some of the others on the list this song is the very epitome of evil. The song tells the tale of a man who does such horrible things while growing up. He purposefully gets his neighbor kid lost in the woods, burns down his house, stabs the mailman through the mail slot, and even attempts to bury his brother alive all while enjoying every minute of it.
Warren Zevon- Werewolves Of London
Released in 1978, this upbeat peppy song about werewolves traipsing around the London area made America's Top 40 Charts at number 21 and stayed there for a whole six weeks. BBC Radio listeners rated this song as having the best opening line in a song. "I saw a werewolf with a chineese menu in his hand, walking down the streets of Soho in the rain."
The Rocky Horror Picture Show- Time Warp
Originally a British rock musical stageplay; the 1975 film starring Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon made it mainstream with it's B-movie science fiction horror film parody style and over the top scenes. The album peaked at number 49 on the Billboard 200 charts in 1978 and when pop culture phenomenon Glee did a cover of the album it peaked at number 6 on October 27, 2010. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is now one of the most well known and financially successful midnight movies of all time and is still played on cable tv stations to this day.
London Oratory School Schola-Double Trouble
Originally featured and composed for the third Harry Potter movie The Prisoner Of Azkaban, the song is sung by a children's choir and the lyrics are directly taken from Shakespeare's Mabeth to where the original saying "Something wicked this way comes" derives from.
I Monster- Lust For A Vampyre
Now here is one most of you probably aren't familiar with. Though not a Halloween themed song it still fits with its funky electrobeats and magical trance backdrop. The song tells the tale of a woman who is in a relationship with a vampire. I Monster is an English electronica band whose music has been featured in productions such as Shaun Of The Dead, Numb3rs, Eureka, & Underbelly.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds-Red Right Hand
One of Nick Cave's signature tunes, Red Right Hand was first released in 1994 and has since been featured in films such as Scream, Cirque Du Freak, Dumb And Dumber, Hellboy, and The X-Files. The phrase "Red right hand" is a line in John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost that refers to the vengeful hand of God. Although the title of the song derives from a reference to God, the figure who is the subject of the song itself is heavily implied to be Satan.
Voltaire- When You're Evil
Though truthfully ninety percent of Voltaire's songs could make this list I decided to go for his most well known. This dark cabaret song is about a man who is happy being evil and who does horrible things just for the kicks. This one is actually very similair in context to Creature Feature's Such Horrible Things, though both from different genres entirely. "And it's so easy when you're evil. This is the life you see, the devil tips his hat to me. I do it all because I'm evil and I do it all for free. Your tears are all the pay I'll ever need."
Oingo Boingo- Weird Science
Perhaps better known as the title theme to John Hughes 1985 movie of the same name. Danny Elfman's new wave band Oingo Boingo struggled to create the final track for the film and though widely popular it is said to be one of the band's least favorite songs because the final result was so rushed. Despite it's rocky standing with the band it's mad scientist feel still makes it a great Halloween song.
Panic! At The Disco- It's Almost Halloween
"Everybody scream it's almost Halloween. Do the Trick Or Treat." This groovy Halloween anthem is infectiously catchy and it even comes with it's own dance; the Trick Or Treat. The members of the band even dress up for the make-shift video, but that shouldn't really be any suprise considering their previous video looks similair to A Clockwork Orange in their hit song "I Write Sins Not Tragedies".
Bauhaus- Bela Lugosi's Dead
Often considered to be the first gothic rock song released; Bela Lugosi's Dead was Bauhaus's first single released in 1979. It did not hit the UK charts, but was to be used in many films and television series later on through the years. The 1983's vampire film starring David Bowie and Susan Sarandon "The Hunger", actually featured Bauhaus playing the song as a band in a nightclub during the opening. Several tv series have used the song such as Supernatural, Fringe, Smallville, and East Bound & Down.
Screamin Jay Hawkins- I Put A Spell On You
Although the covers of this song are probably more known than the original this was the one that started them all. Originally a blues singer Hawkins intended the song to be a love ballad, but ended up getting drunk and coming up with this weird version instead. Hawkins decided to make the best out of it and performed it with over the top theatricality. The song came out in 1956 and was selected as one of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock And Roll. Hawkins's demented song style and gimmicky stage presence was banned on some stations, but later shaped the performance style known as "shock rock". The song has been more famously covered by Nina Simone, Marilyn Manson, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Bette Midler in the movie Hocus Pocus.
Florence & The Machine- Howl
The soulful voice of British indie rock singer Florence Welch sings this modern day song about the werewolf's curse. With many of her other songs being featured in other major medias such as The Twilight Saga, Gossip Girl, Jennifer's Body, and The Vampire Diaries it is easy to see how this track could be overlooked. But it deserves attention for mentioning the classic werewolf poem, "A man who's pure of heart and says his prayers by night, may still become a wolf when the autumn moon is bright."
Will Smith- Nightmare On My Street
This 1988 song by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince brought the world of hip-hop to the Halloween genre by rapping about the notrious 80's slasher film Nightmare On Elmstreet villain Freddy Kruegar. This song reached all the way to the 15th spot on Billboard's 100 list. "You turned off David Letterman, now you must die."
The Eagles- Witchy Woman
The rock and roll Eagles song about a bewitching and mesmerizing woman hit number 9 on The Billboard charts in 1972. Though not particularly a Halloween associated tune if you take a closer look at the lyrics, it isn't to hard to see it as Halloweeny. "She's a restless spirit on an endless flight.Wooo hooo witchy woman, see how high she flies", "Crazy laughter in another room. She drove herself to madness with the silver spoon", and "let me tell your brother, she's been sleeping in the Devil's bed."
Gerard Mcmann- Cry Little Sister
Anybody who considers themselves a Lost Boys fan would be able to recognize this haunting tune immediately. Debuting in 1987 as the soundtrack title to the film this eerie song never reached the Billboard 200, but the album itself made it all the way to number 15. The song has been covered and remixed by various other artists and has even been sampled by Eminem on his song "You're Never Over" from his 2012 album Recovery. But I will always remember it for it's creepy children's choir singing "Thou shalt not fall."
The Scooby Doo Theme Song
How about we take a stoll down memory lane for a moment, back when Scooby Doo wasn't Pixar animated and was one of the most loved Saturday morning cartoons on television. As a kid Scooby Doo was probably one of the scariest shows you were aloud to watch back then, not that, that stopped you from watching the shows you weren't aloud to. ;) Still Scooby Doo holds a special place in my heart and so does it's theme song.
Rob Zombie- Dragula
For those of you hard rock fans Rob Zombie's Dragula should be right up your alley. This song was actualy based off of The Munster's character drag racer: Drag-U-La. And the lyrics do not dissapoint hard core Zombie fans either with lyrics like, "Dig through the ditches and burn through the witches." it isn't hard to see how this became a Halloween favorite in the rock charts.
Rockwell Ft. Michael Jackson- Somebody's Watching Me
And concluding the first part of our Halloween list is this 1984 hit about the song's narrarator's paranoia of being watched or stalked. This song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit number 1 on the R&B Singles charts. This song shows it's true staying power by being widely recognized by people of all ages and has recently been featured in a series of Geico commercials with a stack of money that has big googly eyes. So that's it for part one. Please come back tomorrow for part 2. I hope you all enjoy rocking out to some of these spooky tracks. 
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