It’s October. October means that Hocus Pocus and Beetlejuice are playing on at least one TV channel once (or more times) a week. But, unlike Christmas music during the months of November and December, Halloween music does not dominate the radio waves. Nevertheless, here are some spooky (and fun) songs you should play on repeat until the 31st.
1. “Monster Mash” by Boris Pickett
Surprisingly (or maybe not surprisingly, depending on what you’re thinking of on a day-to-day basis), “Monster Mash” began as a spoof of “The Mashed Potato,” the hit dance-song of the 1960s. Over time, however, it’s become a Halloween staple in American culture. Watch the video on YouTube.
2. “I Put a Spell On You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (from Hocus Pocus)
You may recognize this song more if Bette Midler is singing it—after all, the song is from one of the most memorable scenes in Hocus Pocus. But the original is just as great. Watch it here.
3. “Halloweentown Theme” (from Disney’s Halloweentown)
Halloweentown is my favorite Halloween-themed movie of all time. Just hearing the theme song from the movie makes me happy. But, let’s be real for a second: did the producers honestly think we wouldn’t notice when they switched actors playing Marnie in the fourth movie? Still, listen to it here.
4. “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr. (from Ghostbusters)
If you haven’t heard this song before, you were probably just born an hour ago. If that’s the case, congratulations on reading half an article before you even turned one-hour old. On a serious note, “Ghostbusters” was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list for three weeks in 1984 and was nominated for Best Song for the Academy Awards but lost to Stevie Wonder. Over the years, it’s become possibly the most famous (and loved) Halloween-themed song of all time.
5. “Double Trouble” by John Williams (from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Who doesn’t love Harry Potter? I was seriously considering putting all the soundtracks for the movies down as a suggestion because they all seem to fit, but I decided that was probably a little extreme. I figured “Double Trouble” was a good enough example of the magic of the franchise and the spookiness of Halloween.
6. “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” by Harry Belafonte (from Beetlejuice)
This song gets stuck in my head every time I watch Beetlejuice. I was debating which song to put on this list from the movie because Beetlejuice also features “Jump in the Line” (also by Harry Belafonte), which is another great choice—but “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” seemed like a more Halloween-y option.
Whether you’re going out partying, trick-or-treating, staying in to dance in your pajamas, or watching scary movies, have a spooktacular (and safe) Halloween!
Photo Credit: Google Images