Halloween may be the second most soundtracked holiday. Out-obsessed only by Christmas music collectors, connoisseurs of creepy and kooky music have culled compilations from all genres–especially novelty music, rockabilly, punk and classic rock.What’s the heuristic for determining whether a song is a Halloween song? Must it directly reference ghosts, goblins, werewolves, witches and the like? Or can it simply be spooky? Can context influence a tune’s eek factor? The Cramps, The Misfits, The Residents and the horror punk/psychobilly vanguard arguably have entire Halloween catalogs. The below playlist runs the genre gamut—from novelty to art-punk to disco—and covers topics like fashion, death, monsters, Satanism, superstition and technology.
Aural Fixation
1) "Eleven Moustachioed Daughters" • BiG GrunT • Peel Sessions: 16/03/1970 And wolf-like things and toads with wings whisper wetly, “Come with us.”
Aural Fixation
2) "My Girlfriend is a Witch" • October Country • October Country Psych rock that ponders a potential flaw.
Aural Fixation
3) "The Witch" • Rattles • “The Witch / Get Away” 7-inch Bewitching run-for-your-life German rock hit from 1970.
Aural Fixation
4) "The Wobblin’ Goblin" • Rosemary Clooney • “Punky Punkin (The Happy Pumpkin) / The Wobblin’ Goblin” 7-inch Holiday Muzak queen’s superstitious ode to the techno-fix.
Aural Fixation
5) “The Hearse Song" • The Marshmallow Ghosts • The Marshmallow Ghosts Graveface’s house band never laughs when the hearse goes by.
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6) "Wolf Like Me" • TV On The Radio • Return to Cookie Mountain Devil-may-care jam will “blow your mongrel mind”—lycanthrope or not.
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7) "Soul Dracula" • Hot Blood • Disco Dracula German disco that’s perfect for posing in polyester.
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8) "Vampire Bat" • Wesley Willis • Greatest Hits “The lake of fire tore his ass up.”
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9) "Skeletons" • Inflatable Boy Clams • Inflatable Boy Clams All-girl art-punk from the early ’80s, replete with creepy-cute vox.
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10) "IxC999" • White Ring • “The Black Earth That Made Me” Witch house is so 2010, but who cares? Embrace retro.
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11) "(Every Day Is) Halloween" • Ministry • “All Day / (Every Day Is) Halloween” 12-inch Goth club anthem that dresses down haters.
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12) "Dinner With Drac—Part 1" • John Zacherle • “Dinner With Drac—Part 1 / Dinner With Drac—Part 2” 7-inch Horror host as entrée at a seaside vamp soirée.
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13) "Monster Mash" • The Bonzo Dog Band • Tadpoles Viv Stanshall supersedes Bobby “Boris” Pickett.
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14) "Halloween on the Barbary Coast" • The Flaming Lips • Hit to Death in the Future Head Pre-Steven Drozd darkness from Wayne Coyne’s unsettled brain.
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15) "Funeral for a Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)" • Elton John • Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Glam rock spectacular fit for a rock star’s funeral—or Halloween party.
