For the month of December, radio stations switch their playlists to entirely carols, novelty songs and other wintertime songs from the austere tradition of “Silent Night” to the white guilt of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Halloween gets no similar respect, and that might be for the better. However, that should not stop people from looking back at some cherished Halloween anthems:
4.) “The Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor” by Joe South
Like a “Godzilla vs. Kong” situation, or really, “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein,” two Halloween novelty icons actually met in 1958 in true gimmicky fashion, thanks to songwriter Joe South (“Fool Me”). W.D. and P.P. form a successful rock n’ roll band to the surprise of the narrator. They do face some speciesism, with P.P. admitting to W.D. that girls made fun of his horn, and the W.D. replying, “Yeah man, you’re ugly but you sure can play.” A quite odd song, it surprisingly goes nowhere with its concept lyric-wise. The chorus is a re-rhythmed reprise of “Witch Doctor” that loses the energy of the original in its copyright dodging. Check it out if you like getting disappointed.
3.) “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett
A remnant of the early rock ‘n’ roll era, “Monster Mash” is the ubiquitous theme song of Halloween. Boris Pickett (“The Transylvania Twist”) mimics the voice of Boris Karloff (“House of Evil”) narrating a dance party of classic horror creatures. The lyrics are campily direct, almost like Pickett is reading the storyboard to a chintzy Hanna-Barbera cartoon: “The zombies were having fun/The party had just begun/The guests included Wolf Man/Dracula and his son.” But the song is clearly self-aware, with Pickett explaining the ephemeral lives of dance crazes to Dracula, who misses his “Transylvania Twist.” “Monster Mash” is a great song to play children’s parties, and is better remembered as a campy flashback to the modesty of early ‘60s radioplay.
2.) “Thriller” by Michael Jackson:
“Thriller” is an inseparable piece of Halloween culture, both the song and the innovative music video. The post-disco ‘80s groove ages like “Alf” has bad hair, but the confident creativity of the song redeems itself from dusting as a novelty hit. The synths glow like a neon marquee to a midnight movie. Jackson’s vocals emote both urgency and threat; the music video’s twist of Jackson as both protector and predator are visible without seeing his zombie make-up. “Thriller” definitely holds up as the definitive Halloween pop song.
1.) “I Put a Spell on You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
While this song has been covered by a variety of artists, the all time best version has got to be from the original, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (“At Last”). The legend goes that the song was intended as a typical love song, but the producer got the singer drunk and recorded the result. Hawkins’ tremendous vocals sound distanced from the standard R&B backing, as if he is actually metamorphosing into a hideous ogre on recording. The lyrics do not delve far into occult imagery, rather he reiterates that he has put a spell on you because you are his. The real grip of horror this song stalks the listener with is Hawkins’ voice. Despite its acclaim, this track’s attention is bound to its appearance in “Hocus Pocus,” which is an injustice to the boundary-pushing eeriness the song manages to evoke to this day.
Photo via Michael Jackson via YouTube
