The 20 best Halloween songs of all time
Fri Oct 28 2011
RECOMMENDED: All Halloween in New York coverage
It's that time of year again, and before you don your costume and hit the town for a night you'll never forget, be sure to throw on this playlist of the best Halloween songs of all time.
20. Bobby "Boris" Pickett: "Monster Mash"
We had to get this out of the way. Give in to its dumb, dumb charm.
19. Madvillain: "Accordion"
The rap equivalent of your crazy uncle making you stick your hand into a bowl of "brains," when you both know it's actually just spaghetti and peeled grapes.
18. Waka Flocka Flame: "Bustin' at 'Em"
This isn't a Halloween song per se, but the message of the song is very clearly that Waka Flocka will turn you into a ghost. Plus, during the second half of the video, he dresses up at Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men.
17. DJ Nate: "Halloween Wurks"
You know what's a cool idea? Turning the Halloween theme song into a Chicago Juke track. DJ Nate, you truly are a track genious, even if you spell genius like that.
16. Harlem: "Friendly Ghost"
The peppiest song about being in love with a dead person since Weezer's "I'm in Love with a Ghost (Happily)" (Note: This is not an actual Weezer song.)
15. Death Cab for Cutie: "I Will Possess Your Heart"
Yeah, the song's kind of sweet, as long as you're cool with a stalker being madly in love with you.
14. Zomby: "Witch Hunt"
With the pittering hi-hats and gunshots permeating Zomby's eerie soundscape, it's more like the witch is hunting you.
13. Siouxsie and the Banshees: "Happy House"
They say the house is happy, but seems more haunted to us. Just throwing this out there, but in our book, Siouxsie > Robert Smith.
12. Ghostface Killah: "Clipse of Doom"
This beat sounds like you're dragging a body over a Led Zeppelin sample, and Ghost is really mad that somebody around him is drinking Budweiser. If you think about it, every day is Halloween when you're Ghostface Killah.
11. Tech N9ne: "Big Bad Wolf"
Ever hoped someone would rap a song from the perspective of the the Big Bad Wolf? How about a song that did so while sampling Soft Cell? Tecca Nina's got you covered.
10. Talking Heads: "Psycho Killer"
A song almost as scary as the dance David Byrne does right before he starts singing.
9. Tyler, the Creator: "Transylvania"
The Odd Future leader pitches his voice down, and that means he's a vampire.
8. Type O Negative: "Black No. 1"
As suggested by TONY assistant music editor Hank Shteamer. Watch this video with the lights on.
7. TV on the Radio: "Wolf Like Me"
"When the moon is round and full, gonna teach you tricks to blow your mind." TV on the Radio doesn't need a full moon to blow our minds, but it apparently needed one to make a song about being a werewolf.
6. Kanye West: "Monster"
Rick Ross raps about being an actual monster, Kanye West decides that fame is a monster, and Jay-Z raps like an old man lost in the woods. Who are we missing? Oh yeah, that would be Nicki Minaj, who kills her verse in the way only she can. Stick around for the scream that didn't just announce the end of the song, but the birth of a star.
5. Misfits: "Halloween"
Another Shteamer pick. Glenn Danzig is the Elvis of Hell, and don't you forget it.
4. Screamin' Jay Hawkins: "I Put a Spell on You"
Somehow, the fact that this song is in waltz time actually makes it spookier. Hold on to your seats, because Jay's about to take you on a ride.
3. Ray Parker Jr.: "Ghostbusters"
All of us, in unison: "I am the key master!...I am the gatekeeper."
2. Bauhaus: "Bela Lugosi's Dead"
Cower, meek citizens, under the crushing power of goth.
1. Michael Jackson: "Thriller"
"Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult."
It's that time of year again, and before you don your costume and hit the town for a night you'll never forget, be sure to throw on this playlist of the best Halloween songs of all time.
20. Bobby "Boris" Pickett: "Monster Mash"
We had to get this out of the way. Give in to its dumb, dumb charm.
19. Madvillain: "Accordion"
The rap equivalent of your crazy uncle making you stick your hand into a bowl of "brains," when you both know it's actually just spaghetti and peeled grapes.
18. Waka Flocka Flame: "Bustin' at 'Em"
This isn't a Halloween song per se, but the message of the song is very clearly that Waka Flocka will turn you into a ghost. Plus, during the second half of the video, he dresses up at Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men.
17. DJ Nate: "Halloween Wurks"
You know what's a cool idea? Turning the Halloween theme song into a Chicago Juke track. DJ Nate, you truly are a track genious, even if you spell genius like that.
16. Harlem: "Friendly Ghost"
The peppiest song about being in love with a dead person since Weezer's "I'm in Love with a Ghost (Happily)" (Note: This is not an actual Weezer song.)
15. Death Cab for Cutie: "I Will Possess Your Heart"
Yeah, the song's kind of sweet, as long as you're cool with a stalker being madly in love with you.
14. Zomby: "Witch Hunt"
With the pittering hi-hats and gunshots permeating Zomby's eerie soundscape, it's more like the witch is hunting you.
13. Siouxsie and the Banshees: "Happy House"
They say the house is happy, but seems more haunted to us. Just throwing this out there, but in our book, Siouxsie > Robert Smith.
12. Ghostface Killah: "Clipse of Doom"
This beat sounds like you're dragging a body over a Led Zeppelin sample, and Ghost is really mad that somebody around him is drinking Budweiser. If you think about it, every day is Halloween when you're Ghostface Killah.
11. Tech N9ne: "Big Bad Wolf"
Ever hoped someone would rap a song from the perspective of the the Big Bad Wolf? How about a song that did so while sampling Soft Cell? Tecca Nina's got you covered.
10. Talking Heads: "Psycho Killer"
A song almost as scary as the dance David Byrne does right before he starts singing.
9. Tyler, the Creator: "Transylvania"
The Odd Future leader pitches his voice down, and that means he's a vampire.
8. Type O Negative: "Black No. 1"
As suggested by TONY assistant music editor Hank Shteamer. Watch this video with the lights on.
7. TV on the Radio: "Wolf Like Me"
"When the moon is round and full, gonna teach you tricks to blow your mind." TV on the Radio doesn't need a full moon to blow our minds, but it apparently needed one to make a song about being a werewolf.
6. Kanye West: "Monster"
Rick Ross raps about being an actual monster, Kanye West decides that fame is a monster, and Jay-Z raps like an old man lost in the woods. Who are we missing? Oh yeah, that would be Nicki Minaj, who kills her verse in the way only she can. Stick around for the scream that didn't just announce the end of the song, but the birth of a star.
5. Misfits: "Halloween"
Another Shteamer pick. Glenn Danzig is the Elvis of Hell, and don't you forget it.
4. Screamin' Jay Hawkins: "I Put a Spell on You"
Somehow, the fact that this song is in waltz time actually makes it spookier. Hold on to your seats, because Jay's about to take you on a ride.
3. Ray Parker Jr.: "Ghostbusters"
All of us, in unison: "I am the key master!...I am the gatekeeper."
2. Bauhaus: "Bela Lugosi's Dead"
Cower, meek citizens, under the crushing power of goth.
1. Michael Jackson: "Thriller"
"Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult."
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