A Spook-Tacular Halloween Soundtrack!

BOO!

Did I scare you?  Not so much?  Oh well.

I'd just like to take the time to wish every single ghost, ghoul, monster, vampire, and mummy a very Happy Halloween!

I hope that all of you little kids who are going out trick-or-treating get lots of candy and treats tonight!  I know that I'm very excited to be handing out candy at my new place!  You realize that this is the first time I'll be handing out candy in fourteen years?  I hope I'll get at least a couple at my door!  If not, I'm gonna have a whole lot of candy to eat!

Regardless, I hope that anyone who is going out tonight does so safely.  This means wearing costumes that can be seen in the dark, carrying flashlights or glowsticks, and going out with either a parent or in a group.  Remember, there is safety in numbers.

Oh, and I also want to remind everyone that this is the weekend in which we set our clocks BACK due to Daylight Savings Time.  I know most of us think that it is a huge pain in the neck, but look at it this way.  You have an extra hour of Halloween fun this weekend!  Take advantage!

So, what am I going to talk about today?  Well, on account that it's Halloween, I imagine that some of us will be going out to parties or celebrations.  And maybe you're planning on having a party of your own.  Or, maybe you just want some tunes that will put you in a Halloween mood.

Well, you happen to be in luck because I've combed through the Billboard Top 100 charts of the last 60 years, as well as through my own iPod to come up with singles that are sure to make you feel scared...or at the very least bust a move on the dance floor like a Walking Dead zombie.

So, how should we kick this off?

Um...yeah...NOT that one!  Though it IS a rather scary song, wouldn't you agree?

THE PURPLE PEOPLE EATER (1958)

Would you believe that this song by Sheb Wooley topped the Billboard Charts for six weeks?  Although, given some of the stuff that has topped the charts in 2015, maybe this doesn't surprise me.

Anyway, this is the oldest song on my list, released in 1958, and it is about an alien who comes down to Earth to be in a rock band...but there's just one little snag.  He's a carnivore in the worst way.  Now, the song is a little bit tricky because you don't know whether the alien is purple and likes to eat all people, or if the alien is a random colour and just eats people dressed in purple.  I'll let you make that call.

MONSTER MASH (1962)

Now this is a single that I remember doing a full blog entry on years ago, but I think it's worth posting again.  I don't think one can have a Halloween party without playing this single by Bobby "Boris" Pickett.  It too was a novelty song that managed to top the charts just before Halloween 1962.  I think the Boris Karloff impersonation was what won people over!

TIME WARP (1975)

Okay, seriously, ANY song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show would be an excellent song to play at any spooky party.  But dammit, Janet, I love this song!  This is the best song to get your Jockeys on the dance floor by far!  Just keep your robe closed.  Nobody wants to see that!

ABRACADABRA (1982)

You know, not all Halloween songs have to be scary.  After all, a good part of Halloween happens to involve magic.  In fact, Harry Houdini - one of the greatest magicians to have ever lived - died on Halloween night!  So, I thought that I would feature this Steve Miller Band song in our Halloween soundtrack just because of the magic theme.  And, well...music videos from the 1980s are scary by themselves!

THRILLER (1984)

Okay, so obviously we can't have a Halloween party without the man who made one of the most memorable and longest music videos of all time.  The late Michael Jackson really showcased why he was the King of Pop all those years ago.  From the zombie choreography to director John Landis' incredible directing techniques to the ear-shattering screams of actress Ola Ray and cameo by Vincent Price, the song and video remain a masterpiece over thirty years later!

SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME (1984)

Ah, another Motown classic that was also released in January 1984.  This one features Rockwell in what is widely considered to be a Halloween themed one-hit-wonder.  After all, Halloween is all about scaring people and making people paranoid that someone is watching them.  Certainly the music video presented that with flying colours.

GHOSTBUSTERS (1984)

Okay, can we just say that 1984 was the year of the scary song?  Do I really need to explain why this song is so appropriate for Halloween?  No?  Okay then.  Just enjoy!

DEAD MAN'S PARTY (1986)

You know, I almost contemplated putting Oingo Boingo's "Weird Science" on this list, but this single is easily the more scary of the two.  I mean, both can easily be used, but if your goal is to make your Halloween scary, I'd go with this one.

EVERYBODY (BACKSTREET'S BACK) (1997)

Yes, I know...I know.  Why do I have a boy band on this list?  Well, for one, I have to admit that the music video is why I have this on my list of Halloween songs that need to be played.  You have to give the Backstreet Boys credit...the costumes they wore were fantastic.  And, at least this video had a little bit of plot behind it which is more than I can say for videos by LFO, O-Town, and any other boy band that crashed and burned.

And besides...I could have said Justin Bieber's "Baby".  That would have made people really scared.

DU HAST (1997)

I don't understand German, so I have no idea what they're singing.  For all I know, the lyrics could be the Care Bears theme song put to intense music and boisterous vocals.  But this song definitely can be used for your Halloween festivities.  After all, it was used in the promo for the latest "American Horror Story" series which stars Lady Gaga.

DRAGULA (1998)

Finally, we have this Rob Zombie single, which the title was inspired by Grandpa Munster's dragster.  Rob Zombie in this video looks like someone that small children would run away from, so bonus points there for authenticity.  But the whole song from its powerful guitar and its strongly delivered vocals just makes even the stiffest stiff get up and move.

So, that's my list of Halloween songs to play today!  What are some of yours that I may have missed?