Just in time for Halloween, here are thirteen (that’s a scary number right?) songs that are perfect for any grown folks party. This list has a little bit of everything – rap, instrumentals, R&B, rock and pop so there should be something for all of your guests to enjoy.
Since Michael Jackson’s Thriller is the alpha male of Halloween music I decided to leave it off the list. Wow, I think that is the first time “Michael Jackson and “alpha male” have been used in the same sentence.
1. Mack the Knife – Louis Armstrong (and later) Bobby Darin: You can’t go wrong with either version. This popular ballad is pretty much the story of a murder and who doesn’t love a good killin’. Nothing says Halloween like sharp knives and bloody corpses.
2. Theme from Jaws – John Williams: There are a couple of songs from movies that could have made this list but I went with this one because it scares the hell out of people. Even if you have never seen Jaws, (and shame on you if you haven’t) when you hear this song, you know something bad is about to go down.
3. Superstition – Stevie Wonder: Every party needs something up-tempo to get people moving and this song fits the bill.
4. Nightmare On My Street – Will Smith: Before Will Smith a.k.a The Fresh Prince was making blockbuster movies; he was making hit raps albums. This song describes his encounter with horror film legend Freddy Krueger.
5. Ghostbusters – Ray Parker Jr.: Movie soundtracks are usually hit or miss. For me this one was a hit. It was a great song for a great movie.
6. Spooky – Atlanta Rhythm Section: The title alone is enough to put this song on the list. It’s a song about a woman that is messing with a man’s mind and that is pretty damn scary if you ask me.
7. Dead Man’s Party – Oingo Boingo: No, this is not the subtitle for the next Weekend at Bernie’s movie.
8. Haunted House of Rock – Whodini: This song will make you want to party with Dracula, The Invisible Man and Frankenstein. They might be horrible monsters but they can’t be as bad as drunken frat boys.
9. The Devil Went Down to Georgia – Charlie Daniels Band: The Devil and a fiddle. Sounds scary to me.
10. Halloween Theme – John Carpenter: Let’s be honest Carpenter is a creepy dude. He is the man who brought us Michael Myers in Halloween and he also composed this surprising scary song for the soundtrack.
11. Freaks Come Out a Night – Whodini: Halloween is a freaky night so this is a perfect anthem. As an added bonus, the song is about freaks that you can find all year round so you can play it anytime.
12. People Are Strange – The Doors: Truer words have never been spoken, especially on Halloween night. According to one review, this song is about feeling like an outsider. Even though it is probably much deeper than I am making it out to be, I think it is a great song to describe all the “unique” individuals you are likely to see on Halloween night.
13. Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell: A song for stalkers everywhere. If you can make you victims feel like this, you are doing a good job. Rockwell gets bonus points for having Michael Jackson singing background. To some of you out there this might not be a big deal but in the 80’s the idea of Michael Jackson singing backup for anybody was unthinkable. It would be like Beyonce singing the hook on a Justin Bieber song.
Honorable Mention:
• Damien – DMX (When he is not high, DMX is one of the best rappers out there. Any guy that can rap with Satan and pull it off is OK in my book)
• Mind Playing Tricks on Me – Geto Boys (A rap classic)
• My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion (Quite possibly the scariest song on here. Every time it comes on, I run away screaming. Trust me, I would rather go head-to-head with Jason Voorhees than listen to it.)
If you aren’t ready for the day of the dead after this then you should go and get yourself checked.