Halloween is almost upon us! That means it’s time to start stirring the cauldron of your Halloween playlist.
For some people, it isn’t October until friends exchange memes of skeletons with trombones, and the Living Tombstone’s remix of “Spooky Scary Skeletons” is on full blast. Others have Panic! At the Disco’s “Almost Halloween” as their anthem of autumn. Disney fans tune into “Grim Grinning Ghosts” and marvelously malicious villain songs. There are always people who simply listen through the soundtrack of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and theater kids now have their Halloween tracks beyond “Phantom of the Opera” with Beetlejuice: The Musical.
While Mariah Carey is defrosting, Michael Jackson takes center stage again with “Thriller”, and though he wasn’t credited, yes, he did the vocals for Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me”. Whether you stick to the 80s or opt for more modern hits, you can’t go wrong with the classics.
Sheb Wooley’s “Purple People Eater”, David Seville’s (aka: Alvin and the Chipmunks) “Witch Doctor”, and of course, the epitome of Halloween hits, the essential song on any Halloween playlist…”The Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett, which became THE song of Halloween in the U.S since 1962.
The sixties were an experimental time, especially in music. They were also an age that refined the craft of novelty music, the same genre as those kooky, sometimes morbid, and wildly weird songs I mentioned above. Novelty music can be anything from complete gibberish to highbrow satire. In the 1960s, a playful form of silliness and mild satire revolving around movie monsters and Halloween-related themes was pioneered and rose to popularity. It served as an inspiration to groups like The Cramps (creators of “The Goo-Goo Muck”, popularized by Netflix’s Wednesday), and even early goth and metal groups. Many of these songs are forgotten gems and once-beloved classics that I think make a great addition to your Halloween mix if you like vintage vibes, or something fun, different, and full of earworms.
Here are some of my favorite Halloween albums and singles from the 1960s!
The Original Monster Mash, Bobby “Boris” Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers
The “Monster Mash” is not just a single. It’s a whole album, with lore. Using dance crazes of the 1960s, each track tells a spooky, yet silly, story about the rivalry between the mad scientist Boris and Count Dracula himself, in who can make the top of the Transylvania charts! This one is full of cute vintage jams. “Irrestible Igor” and “Me and My Mummy” being two of my favorites as they are incredibly catchy and are monster parodies of classic doo-wop. There’s versions of nearly every dance craze from the early 60s here and even a Christmas track! It is classic Halloween fun and full of underrated gems, as well as kooky characters with their own charm.
Pickett never gave up on The Monster Mash, making a rap version in the 80s too! Though if 60s dance crazes aren’t your thing, try Count Crow’s Halloween Spooktacular, made in 2010, it’s a more updated version of “Monster Mash” style fun!
Monster Dance Party, Don hinson & the rigamorticians
This is another forgotten classic! Like the Monster Mash, it’s all spooky parodies of dance crazes from the 60s. These songs are catchy, fun, and really well-produced for their time. One track on this album went big, “Riboflavin-flavored Non-Carbonated, Polyunsaturated Blood”, becoming almost the next “Monster Mash”. It is a bop! So many of the tracks in this album are! Why such deadly dancing tunes have been forgotten? I don’t know! But we can always do a little necromancy of our own and bring back these monstrous melodies! Playing this track at a Halloween event last year got a lot of smiles from older adults in the audience. Many hadn’t heard it since they were kids, and were glad to hear it again. If you’re looking for something vintage and chill while still spooky fun, this is your album!
Spook Along with zacherley, john zacherle
Before Elvira (but after Vampira), there was Zacherley, a ghoulish, vampire-like horror host on radio and television, who took to making his own morbid melodies. His first album was so gory, it was rejected by American Bandstand! It was eventually released and you can still find it today, but Spook Along is a fun, somewhat tamer edition of Zacherle’s work as Zacherley. Like the others, it copies pop music of the 1960s and puts a sinister spin on them, but it’s also theatrical. Every song tells a story, including a disastrous PTA meeting with monsters, a televised jingle to move into a cemetery, and the strangest love ballads you’ll ever hear! I would especially recommend this one to the theater kids, but it has something for everyone! This album references a wide variety of styles, from campfire songs to Latin ballroom, and even English musical revues. The entire thing is perfect for Halloween fun!
Those are some of my favorite Halloween albums of the 60s, but not every musician was willing to dedicate whole albums (and their entire lives) to a novelty act. One hit wonders were often the most common occurrences for Halloween hits, so here are some essential ones!
Love Potion No. 9, the searchers
This one is iconic! It was a chart-topper back in its day and is still widely beloved by those who grew up listening to it. I didn’t and I quickly fell in love with this one, no potion needed! Musically, it is both catchy and enchanting as it tells the story of a love potion gone wrong. I would place this song in the Halloween music canon if I could. If you like witchy music, it brings an almost pop-flavor to it that’s well-worth a listen.
Haunted house, jumpin’ gene simmons
Another classic right here! This one is for the country girls. It’s a classic country hit, telling the comical story about the singer moving into a haunted house and all the mischief the ghosts get up to. Bouncy, lively, and perfect for dancing along to. To me, it’s a must if you’re doing anything haunted house related and want to add a little more fun!
The martian hop, the ran-dells
This novelty song was inspired by the whole space rock phenomena of the 50s and 60s. While far from the experimental “Space Guitar”, it is certainly…something else. I discovered it this year and if I have to know it exists, so do you. It is a fun song with a great dancing beat, as it tells a ridiculous story about Martians throwing a dance party. I can see this being a favorite of younger siblings and anyone else who loves aliens or pure weirdness. It was a one hit wonder of its time, created by three cousins who were clearly just having fun. That fun carries over and I hope it makes its way to your Halloween!
Halloween novelty music was a massive movement that spanned decades, well into the 90s, even! I can’t cover all of it in one article, but I hope you consider my recommendations. Whatever your music style, stay spooky and enjoy this Halloween!