Vote up the spooktacular songs you plan on adding to your Halloween playlist.
Halloween, for a lot of us, is truly the most wonderful time of the year. If only there were a wide assortment of great vintage Halloween songs to play at our Halloween party. Why does Christmas get so many damn songs? Save some for the other holidays, composers and musicians of the world. Aren't there any great Halloween songs? Ah, well, as a matter of fact, yes, there are.Â
There's old standard "The Monster Mash," as well as classics like "The Purple People Eater," and "The Witch Doctor." Problem is, that's about all most people know, except for a few pop songs associated with zombies and ghouls, like Michael Jackson's "Thriller" or the original Ghostbusters theme song. Yet there are countless great Halloween songs out there for your spooktacular playlist.Â
How quickly society has forgotten that the first decade of rock & roll also spawned The Monster Craze. Starting with the first televised airing of Universal's classic Frankenstein in 1957, teenagers and young kids went nuts for monsters and rock music. So it wasn't long before the two converged and gave birth to a chilling, thrilling, at the time new (but now largely forgotten) subgenre of monster rock.
The subculture produced some wonderful songs (more than 100, in fact!), most of which now languish on obscure rockin' Halloween compilations. This list provides highlights, but there's a whole new/old world beneath the tip of this iceberg. If you love monsters and Halloween, it could be just what you're looking for.
If you dare...
1
41 VOTES
Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein, or Dracula by The Diamonds
There's always that one girl. The weird one who finds cobwebs and bats romantic. The Morticia to your Gomez. "Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein, or Dracula" is about her.
"The Frankenstein Twist" is another monster tune from a high-profile doo-wop act. The Crystals brought us great songs like "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me." Along the road of their rocky career, the ladies also delivered this foot-tap-inducing number sure to get your party guests twisting.
If this creepy little ditty doesn't get some hips moving at your Halloween party, there's something very wrong with your guests. Maybe they're zombies. Aim for their brains.
That Purple People Eater really gets around... and isn't as nice as Sheb Wooley's original hit let on. "Bo Meets the Monster," from the legendary bluesman Bo Diddley, tells a terrifying tale of being stalked and taunted by the alien monster, which kidnaps his wife. Sadly, we don't know whether she made it through the ordeal alive.
46 votes
5
34 VOTES
Zombie Jamboree by King Flash & The Calypso Carnival
"Zombie Jamboree" was treated to at least two remakes, one by The Kingston Trio and the other by Harry Belafonte (who turned it into an anti-war song by adding some lyrics). But neither holds a black skull candle to the original, which is a great way to get some belly-to-belly dancing started at your party.
The Duponts didn't make it out of this party alive, but band member Jerome Anthony Gourdine managed to resurrect himself in the beloved singing group Little Anthony and The Imperials, who gave us "Hurts So Bad" and a whole lot of other great songs over the course of a decades-long career. "Screamin Ball (At Dracula Hall)," however, is perfect for generating gleeful screams for your creep-tastic party.
