100 Fun Facts About Halloween Songs

Who recorded the 1962 novelty hit 'Monster Mash' with a Boris Karloff impression?

Pickett was an aspiring actor whose Karloff impersonation during a cover of 'Little Darlin'' went down so well his bandmate told him to build a song around it.

Which broadcaster banned 'Monster Mash' as 'too morbid' when it topped the Hot 100 in 1962?

The song took its cue from the Mashed Potato dance craze; nearly 60 years later, in 2021, it re-entered the Hot 100 at number 37.

The dance described in 'Monster Mash' was a variation on which real early-1960s craze?

The footwork was the same, but dancers added stiff-armed Frankenstein gestures.

Which horror actor performs the spoken-word 'rap' at the end of the title track of Thriller?

Rod Temperton wrote the song and Quincy Jones produced it; it was the seventh and last single from the album.

Songwriter Rod Temperton's first draft of 'Thriller' had a different title. What was it?

The chorus ran 'Give me some starlight'; Quincy Jones's team wanted a stronger album title and 'Midnight Man' was tried before Temperton landed on 'Thriller'.

Jackson hired John Landis to direct the 'Thriller' video after seeing which of his films?

The 14-minute film cost about $900,000, far more than any previous music video, and became the first music video added to the US National Film Registry in 2009.

Who wrote and performed the 1984 theme song 'Ghostbusters'?

It spent three weeks at number one, Parker's only Hot 100 chart-topper, and lost the Best Original Song Oscar to Stevie Wonder's 'I Just Called to Say I Love You'.

Which artist sued over 'Ghostbusters', claiming its melody was lifted from 'I Want a New Drug'?

Lindsey Buckingham says he had been approached to write the theme first, on the strength of 'Holiday Road' from National Lampoon's Vacation.

Which superstar sang uncredited chorus vocals on Rockwell's 1984 hit 'Somebody's Watching Me'?

Rockwell is Kennedy Gordy, son of Motown boss Berry Gordy, who reportedly warmed to the record only after hearing Jackson's voice on it.

'This Is Halloween', sung by the citizens of Halloween Town, was written for which 1993 film?

Danny Elfman composed it and also sang Jack Skellington's parts; Marilyn Manson and Panic! at the Disco both covered it in 2006.

According to the lyrics of 'Time Warp' from The Rocky Horror Show, what comes after 'a jump to the left'?

The song is both an example and a parody of the dance-instruction genre, and the dance became the centrepiece of audience participation at midnight screenings.

Who first recorded 'I Put a Spell on You' in 1956, reportedly after the producer got the band drunk?

Hawkins had meant it as a refined blues ballad; DJ Alan Freed then suggested he rise out of a coffin on stage, and a stage persona was born.

Which rhythm section, borrowed from a famous Anglo-American band, plays on Warren Zevon's 'Werewolves of London'?

It was Zevon's only US Top 40 hit, peaking at number 21; the werewolf's dinner stop, Lee Ho Fook, was a real restaurant in London's Chinatown.

In 'Werewolves of London', the werewolf goes to Lee Ho Fook's to get 'a big dish' of what?

The song took seven different studio line-ups to get right, though Waddy Wachtel nailed the guitar solo in one take.

Stevie Wonder wrote 'Superstition' in sessions with which British guitarist, who was meant to release it first?

Wonder played the famous riff himself on a Hohner Clavinet; the song went to number one in the US.

John Fogerty wrote 'Bad Moon Rising' after watching which 1941 film about a farmer who sells his soul?

A hurricane in the film spares only the farm of the man who sold his soul; the song later scored the transformation scene in An American Werewolf in London.

Which composer wrote 'Night on Bald Mountain', finishing it on St John's Eve 1867?

His mentor refused to perform it; the version everyone knows is Rimsky-Korsakov's 1886 arrangement, which Disney used for the demon Chernabog in Fantasia.

In Saint-Saëns's 'Danse macabre', which instrument imitates the rattling of skeleton bones?

The harp strikes twelve Ds for midnight, then Death tunes his fiddle to a tritone, the 'devil in music', with the E string tuned down to E flat.

In the legend behind 'Danse macabre', what sends the dancing dead back to their graves?

The piece began as an 1872 art song to a poem by Henri Cazalis before Saint-Saëns swapped the voice for a solo violin.

The haunted-house staple Toccata and Fugue in D minor is traditionally attributed to which composer?

A minority of scholars have doubted the attribution since 1981; it became a horror cliche in silent cinema and appeared in the 1931 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

John Carpenter's piano theme for Halloween (1978) is in which unusual time signature?

He composed and recorded the whole score in three days and credited himself as the 'Bowling Green Philharmonic Orchestra', despite not reading music.

Which singer-songwriter wrote the meme song "Spooky, Scary Skeletons" for a 1996 Halloween album?

The album was Halloween Howls; the song's revival came via a 2013 Living Tombstone remix and endless pairings with Disney's 1929 short The Skeleton Dance.

The Addams Family TV theme, with its famous finger-snaps, was written in 1964 by which composer?

The arrangement leans on a harpsichord and bass clarinet; in the 2022 series Wednesday, snapping twice is the password to a secret society.

In Sheb Wooley's 1958 hit 'The Purple People Eater', the creature comes to Earth to do what?

The idea came from a joke told by a friend's child; the toy-saxophone sound was made by recording a real sax at slow speed.

Bauhaus's 1979 debut single, called the first gothic rock record, is named after which actor?

'Bela Lugosi's Dead' runs over nine minutes, was cut live in a single take, and opens the 1983 vampire film The Hunger.

AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell' is named for a road past Bon Scott's favourite pubs in which city?

Canning Highway links the Kwinana Freeway to Fremantle; the album of the same name was Scott's last before his death in 1980.

Which singer co-wrote Rihanna's 'Disturbia', originally planning it for his own album?

It topped the Hot 100 for two weeks as the third number one from Good Girl Gone Bad; the video is a straight horror-film homage.

Dolores O'Riordan wrote The Cranberries' 'Zombie' about a bombing in which English town?

The 1993 IRA bombing killed two children; in 2020 the song became the first by an Irish act to pass a billion YouTube views.

Which Talking Heads member supplied the French lyrics in 'Psycho Killer'?

'Qu'est-ce que c'est?' simply means 'What is it?'; the song appeared on the band's 1977 debut Talking Heads: 77.

Santana's 1970 hit 'Black Magic Woman' was originally written for Fleetwood Mac by which British guitarist?

Santana's version, sung by Gregg Rolie, reached number four in the US and became the better-known recording.

Why is Ozzy Osbourne's 1983 album Bark at the Moon unusual in his catalogue?

Guitarist Jake E. Lee and bassist Bob Daisley both say they wrote most of it and accepted buyouts in exchange for credit.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Halloween-party favourite 'Heads Will Roll' comes from which 2009 album?

The A-Trak remix and a Glee cover pushed the song well beyond the indie audience of the original.

'Ghost Riders in the Sky', voted the greatest western song of all time, was written in 1948 by whom?

Jones said he heard the tale of damned cowboys chasing red-eyed cattle across the sky from an old Native American man when he was twelve; Vaughn Monroe took it to number one in 1949.

Donovan's 'Season of the Witch' first appeared on which 1966 album?

A record-company dispute kept the song off UK shelves until 1967, and collaborator Shawn Phillips has also claimed authorship.

The Misfits released their single 'Halloween' on which appropriately spooky date in 1981?

Only 5,000 copies were pressed on Glenn Danzig's Plan 9 label; the B-side, 'Halloween II', is sung in nonstandard Latin.

Which classic Halloween film's soundtrack features Bette Midler's version of 'I Put a Spell on You'?

The song has been recorded by dozens of artists; Nina Simone's 1965 version reached number 23 on the US R&B chart.

In which year did 'Thriller' become the first music video added to the US National Film Registry?

The Library of Congress called it the most famous music video of all time; Jackson's red jacket was designed by Landis's wife, Deborah Nadoolman.

Which pianist is often wrongly credited with playing on 'Monster Mash'?

Pickett himself set the record straight; the single was released on producer Gary Paxton's Garpax label alongside a full LP of monster tunes.

The 'Time Warp' was written by the show's creator and which composer for the 1973 stage musical?

It appears in the 1973 stage show, the 1975 film and the 2016 TV remake, and its instructions are shouted back at the screen at every midnight showing.

The 'Ghostbusters' music video was directed by which filmmaker, who also directed the movie?

The song debuted at number 68 on June 16, 1984 and reached the top on August 11.

Rob Zombie's 1998 single 'Dragula' takes its name from a drag racer in which sitcom?

The DRAG-U-LA was Grandpa Munster's coffin-bodied dragster. The song opens with a Christopher Lee sample from the 1960 film The City of the Dead.

Oingo Boingo perform 'Dead Man's Party' on screen in which 1986 Rodney Dangerfield comedy?

Frontman Danny Elfman later made the song the final encore of his Nightmare Before Christmas concerts at the Hollywood Bowl.

Which member of the Ramones wrote the 'Pet Sematary' lyrics in an hour in Stephen King's basement?

King, a huge fan, handed the bassist a copy of the novel during a visit to his Bangor home. The song plays over the 1989 film's credits.

Don Henley co-wrote the Eagles' 'Witchy Woman' with which bandmate?

Leadon began the minor-key riff while still in the Flying Burrito Brothers. It was the only song on the Eagles' debut album with a Henley writing credit.

'Grim Grinning Ghosts' is the theme song of which Disney park attraction?

Buddy Baker wrote the melody and X Atencio the lyrics. The organist recorded the tune backwards to get the intended discord.

Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells became a horror staple after its opening was used in which 1973 film?

Oldfield was 19 when he recorded it, playing almost every instrument. Its unusual 15/8 opening time signature helped the theme stand out.

Which band's instrumental 'Frankenstein' topped the US Hot 100 for a week in May 1973?

Edgar Winter composed it and Rick Derringer produced the single, which sold over a million copies and went gold that June.

The tolling bell that opens AC/DC's 'Hells Bells' was cast by a foundry in which English town?

The 2,000-pound bronze bell was made by John Taylor & Co and recorded on site with Ronnie Lane's mobile studio. The single came out on 31 October 1980.

Before Classics IV added lyrics, 'Spooky' was a 1967 instrumental led by which instrument?

Saxophonist Mike Sharpe's original reached No. 57; the vocal version with its eerie whistling effect hit No. 3 in 1968 and became a Halloween favourite.

Alice Cooper performs 'Feed My Frankenstein' in concert in which 1992 comedy?

The track was originally by Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction. Cooper's version features Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Nikki Sixx and Elvira.

What overdubbed instrument on '(Don't Fear) The Reaper' inspired a 2000 SNL sketch?

Blue Öyster Cult still can't agree who played it: bassist Joe Bouchard credits his brother Albert, while producer David Lucas and singer Eric Bloom each claim it themselves.

Which Russian novel, a gift from Marianne Faithfull, inspired 'Sympathy for the Devil'?

Bulgakov's satire had only appeared in English in 1967. Keith Richards suggested turning Jagger's folk-style draft into a samba.

In 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia', what does the Devil wager against Johnny's soul?

Charlie Daniels wrote it on the spot in the studio after noticing the album had no fiddle showcase; it stalled at number 3 behind 'My Sharona'.

Who narrated the 1993 sequel 'The Devil Comes Back to Georgia'?

Violinist Mark O'Connor recorded it with Marty Stuart as Johnny and Travis Tritt as the devil; the lyrics never say who won the rematch.

Kirk Hammett's 'Enter Sandman' riff was inspired by an album by which band?

Lars Ulrich reshaped the two-bar riff so the first bar repeats three times; Hetfield's lyrics about a child's nightmares came last.

Which group first recorded Leiber and Stoller's 'Love Potion No. 9' in 1959?

The Searchers' 1964 cover went higher, reaching number 3 in the US, and the song gave a 1992 Sandra Bullock film its premise.

The sped-up voice trick from 'Witch Doctor' later created which virtual band?

Ross Bagdasarian spent two months perfecting the half-speed recording on a $200 tape machine; the hit rescued Liberty Records from near-bankruptcy.

Which Aleister Crowley book, read by Ozzy Osbourne, helped inspire 'Mr. Crowley'?

A deck of tarot cards found in the studio was the other spark. Randy Rhoads's first solo on the track became one of heavy metal's best known.

Which studio sued over DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince's 'A Nightmare on My Street'?

The label had to destroy the music video, and vinyl copies of the album carry a sticker disclaiming any link to the Elm Street films.

A dance scene in which Netflix series sent Lady Gaga's 'Bloody Mary' viral in 2022?

The sped-up TikTok edit pushed an 11-year-old album track onto the Hot 100; Gaga sings it in the voice of Mary Magdalene, not the Tudor queen.

'Cry Little Sister' was written as the theme for which 1987 vampire film?

Gerard McMahon wrote it before seeing any footage, so the lyrics never mention vampires; the label tried Phil Collins and Steve Perry versions before Joel Schumacher insisted on his.

Jim Morrison wrote 'People Are Strange' after a walk with Robby Krieger through where?

Robby Krieger suggested the walk to lift a depressed Jim Morrison, who came back euphoric with the lyrics. Echo & the Bunnymen later covered it for The Lost Boys.

'(Every Day Is) Halloween' was a 1984 B-side by which industrial band?

Al Jourgensen's synth-pop goth anthem was the flip of 'All Day'; he re-recorded it yet again in 2025 as the 'Squirrely Version'.

Gounod's 'Funeral March of a Marionette' became the theme of which TV show?

Hitchcock remembered the piece from the 1927 silent film Sunrise. Gounod wrote it in London in 1872 for a piano suite he then abandoned.

Which effects wizard directed the 38-minute 1997 short 'Ghosts', then the longest music video?

Michael Jackson co-wrote it with Stephen King and plays both the Maestro and a mayor modelled on prosecutor Tom Sneddon; it held the Guinness record until 'Happy' in 2013.

Grieg wrote 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' as incidental music for which play?

Grieg said the troll-court piece 'reeks of cowpats' and ultra-Norwegianism; it accelerates to a prestissimo finale in B minor.

Which King Crimson guitarist plays lead on Bowie's 'Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)'?

Bowie sings it in a Cockney accent over synthesized percussion; RCA never released the single in the United States.

Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique ends with the artist's vision of what?

The artist has poisoned himself with opium over the actress Harriet Smithson, who married Berlioz three years after the 1830 premiere.

The title song of the 1958 film The Blob was co-written by which future pop hitmaker?

The 'Five Blobs' were one singer, Bernie Knee, overdubbing himself; the director chose the novelty tune so audiences would treat the film as campy fun.

Which punk band's 1982 single 'Halloween' plays in the 2022 film Halloween Ends?

It was the band's final single, released the day before Halloween, and uses costume-wearing as a way into its anti-conformity theme.

Steve Miller said 'Abracadabra' was inspired by which singer he met on Hullabaloo?

The 1982 single was the band's third and last US number one, and Eminem later interpolated it for 'Houdini'.

John Entwistle wrote 'Boris the Spider' after drinking with which Rolling Stone?

The two bassists were inventing funny animal names. Entwistle finished his first composition in six minutes and called it a horror song.

Alice Cooper's Welcome to My Nightmare follows the nightmares of a child with what name?

Vincent Price's monologue in 'Devil's Food' segues into 'The Black Widow'; it was Cooper's first solo album and his only one for Atlantic.

The Specials' 'Ghost Town' hit UK number one in 1981 during what unrest in British cities?

All three major UK music weeklies named it single of the year; it was also the last recording by the original seven-piece before the split.

Kanye West's horror-themed 'Monster' features a breakout verse from which rapper?

Jay-Z, Rick Ross and Bon Iver are also on it; the Jake Nava video's zombies and corpses drew criticism for its treatment of women.

Which group howled its way to No. 2 in 1966 with 'Li'l Red Riding Hood'?

It was the 'Wooly Bully' band's second top-10 hit and went gold that August.

John Zacherle re-recorded a tamer 'Dinner with Drac' in 1958 at whose request?

The limerick-based single was too gory for American Bandstand; both versions ended up as the A- and B-sides of the same 45.

Billie Eilish sings 'Bury a Friend' from the perspective of what?

The voice saying her name at the start is rapper Mehki Raine, who sent her a phone recording; the video has her dragged about by black-gloved hands.

Dukas's 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' is based on a 1797 poem by which writer?

Dukas conducted the 1897 premiere himself; it was customary to print the poem inside the orchestral score, decades before Mickey Mouse got hold of the broom.

Nick Cave's 'Red Right Hand' appears in every Ghostface slasher film except which one?

The title comes from Milton's Paradise Lost, where it means the vengeful hand of God; Peaky Blinders later made it a TV theme.

Echo & the Bunnymen's 'The Killing Moon' sets the tone for the opening of which 2001 film?

The chords came from playing Bowie's 'Space Oddity' backwards, and the arrangement borrows from balalaika music the band heard in Russia.

In Beetlejuice, possessed dinner guests dance to 'Day-O' by which singer?

The 1956 recording is a Jamaican dock-workers' call-and-response song; a children's choir performs it in the 2024 sequel.

Danny Elfman wrote 'Weird Science' in his car after a call from which director?

He says he heard the whole song in his head on the drive home; it became the band's biggest single at No. 45.

At which Grammy Awards was Sinatra's 'Witchcraft' up for Record and Song of the Year?

Sinatra took six nominations into the inaugural 1959 ceremony and came away with Best Recording Package; Elvis later sang the song on Sinatra's Timex TV special.

Jace Everett's 'Bad Things' became the theme of which HBO vampire series?

The 2005 single had flopped on the country chart; the 2008 TV deal finally got it onto charts in the UK and Scandinavia.

'Lullaby' is The Cure's highest-charting UK single. What position did it reach?

Tim Pope's video won British Video of the Year at the 1990 Brit Awards; Robert Smith has tied the song to the disturbing songs his father sang him as a child.

Which Beatle voted Elvis's 'Devil in Disguise' a 'miss' on Juke Box Jury in 1963?

He said Presley had become 'like Bing Crosby'; the record went to number one in the UK anyway.

Stevie Nicks wrote her 'old Welsh witch' song 'Rhiannon' after reading which novel?

Mary Bartlet Leader's book introduced her to the name; Mick Fleetwood said her live performances of it were 'like an exorcism'.

Skrillex's 'Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites' EP was first sold only through which store?

He recorded it on a laptop in his apartment in 2010; it took Best Dance Recording and Best Dance/Electronica Album at the 54th Grammys.

Which future pop star co-wrote Eminem and Rihanna's 2013 hit 'The Monster'?

It was the pair's fourth collaboration and topped charts in twelve countries, including the US.

Olivia Rodrigo's 'Vampire' was the lead single from which 2023 album?

Co-written with Dan Nigro, it earned Record and Song of the Year nominations at the 66th Grammys.

Which rapper's theme for 1991's The Addams Family won the Razzie for Worst Original Song?

'Addams Groove' was still his fifth and last US top-10 hit; the video opens with Wednesday and Pugsley threatening him with a guillotine.

Johnny Mercer wrote the lyrics to 'That Old Black Magic' with which singer in mind?

Garland recorded it for Decca within weeks in 1942, but Glenn Miller's version took it to number one; it lost the Oscar to 'You'll Never Know'.

The spiritual 'Dem Bones' draws on a Valley of Dry Bones vision from which prophet?

James Weldon Johnson and his brother Rosamond composed the melody; the Famous Myers Jubilee Singers made the first recording in 1928.

'Release the Bats', a 1981 goth-rock touchstone, was recorded by which Nick Cave band?

Producer Nick Launay recalled that the word 'goth' didn't exist yet, but cutting the track with people who looked like vampires was exciting.

Which System of a Down singer covered Blue Öyster Cult's 'Godzilla' for a 2019 film?

Godzilla: King of the Monsters was the first Godzilla film ever to use the song; snubbed in 1998, the band had cut a radio-only parody called 'NoZilla'.

'Zombie Jamboree' is a calypso first released in 1953 by which performer?

Originally 'Jumbie Jamberee', it was a B-side; the Kingston Trio's intro jokingly credits Lord Invader, and Rockapella's version has zombies storming New York.

China Anne McClain's 'Calling All the Monsters' came from which Disney show's soundtrack?

The 2011 electropop track about dancing with monsters topped the Radio Disney Top 30 Countdown.

Golden Earring's 'Twilight Zone' was inspired by which spy novel, not the TV show?

Guitarist George Kooymans wrote it; the Dick Maas video casts singer Barry Hay as an agent grabbed by henchmen played by the rest of the band.

Bernard Herrmann's shrieking score for Psycho is written for which kind of ensemble?

A slashed music budget drove the choice, over Hitchcock's request for a jazz score; Herrmann later reworked it as a concert narrative for string orchestra.