Halloween Songs!

For today’s Halloween post, I am posting what I think are great Halloween songs. If anyone is considering making a Halloween-themed mixed CD to play at parties, or simply to put them in the Halloween spirit, I think these songs are for you! If for some reason the music videos that I have added from YouTube will not play, please do a YouTube search yourself and listen to these songs.

I will start with a great song by a friend of mine who covered a song originally by Smoosh. This is "The Quack" by Invisible People:



It would be impossible to make a list of great Halloween songs without including something from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. There are probably many other great songs to choose from the 1975 film starring Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon, such as "The Rocky Horror Theme", and "Over At The Frankenstein Place". But for now I am simply including "Sweet Transvestite": Enjoy!



I love this song by The Guess Who whether it's Halloween or not. The lyrics to "Shakin' All Over" are somewhat ambiguous - they can be about the fear of love but coupled with the music they imply to me of fear of something much spookier!


I love "Little Red Riding Hood" by Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs! There's something sinister about this song that makes it perfect for Halloween. I think the popularity of werewolf costumes and Little Red Riding Hood Costumes make this song very appropriate!



This song was recommended to me by my brother Geoffrey, who informed me that it was featured in the 1978 film Halloween starring Jamie Lee Curtis.  This is Blue Oyster Cult with "(Don't Fear) The Reaper:"


Fans of HBO's True Blood will certainly recognize "Bad Things" by Jace Everrett. This song is used as the theme for the show and plays during the graphic opening credit sequence.  If you ask me and my mother, the singer actually sounds like Bill Compton, the vampire who dates Sookie Stackhouse!

 

This is another song introduced to me by my brother Geoffrey, who informed me that most songs by this group are appropriate for Halloween! The one featured by The Cramps here is called "I Was A Teenage Werewolf:"
 

The next song comes from first album, Static Age, by The Misfits. "Teenagers From Mars" is a great Halloween song because its lyrics are dark and the subject matter is that of extra terrestrials - teenaged extra terrestrials! It combines science fiction with young people, and much of Halloween celebration is geared towards minors!




And finally, we have the 1978 song "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon.  What I find interresting about this song is the catchy, upbeat melody coupled with both goofy and graphic lyrics!  It reminds me of the sadistic humour of many horrific villains.

  


Of course, there are always the classics ... "The Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Picket and the Cryptkickers from 1962, Michael Jackson's "Thriller" from 1983, and Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" from the 1984 film.  You might also want to include "Haunted House" from 1963 by Jumpin' Gene Simmons, "Purple People Eater" from 1958 by Sheb Woolley, and even "Love Potion #Nine" from 1953 by The Clovers.  I would also include "Do The Hippogriff" by The Weird Sisters from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and "The Jitterbug" from a deleted scene in The Wizard of Oz, performed by Judy Garland.

Use your imagination, and have a wicked Halloween!