Top Ten Halloween Songs

Halloween 2009 is finally upon us. The traditions of trick-or-treating, costumes and candy will be all too apparent this Saturday night. One cool thing about any holiday is the music, so here's a list (which is purely based on opinion) of the top ten best Halloween songs. Enjoy. 1) "Thriller" by Michael Jackson (1982). This song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and No. 1 on the Radio & Records singles charts. Plus, what's a Halloween song without an epic 14-minute music video? With a laugh from horror movie man himself, Vincent Price? A bunch of zombies with jazzy dance moves and you can't forget Jackson's red leather jacket!

2) "This is Halloween" by Danny Elfman (1993). Tim Burton's film The Nightmare Before Christmas introduced this haunting track to the world. It was nominated for "Best Original Score" at the 1993 Golden Globes. Not bad for a song from an animated movie.

3) "Time Warp" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack (1975). This dance number is an essential party song for Halloween. It is also easy to follow and requires no practice, since the lyrics tell you what to do. After all, "It's just a jump to the left. . ."

4) "The Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett (1962). For those of you who grew up on the rock 'n roll era, this is the ultimate Halloween song. When you ask somewhat for a good Halloween song, this track should come out first or soon after.

5) "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. (1984). Everyone has either heard this theme or has seen at least one of the Ghostbusters films. If you haven't yet, you should. Parker only had two days to write the theme, and it was inspired by an infomercial of all things. A phone number flashing on the TV screen was the origin of the phrase, "Who You Gonna Call?

6) "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult (1976). This Halloween favorite comes from the album Agents of Fortune and was derived from the opening riff by lead guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser. Also featured in the movie "Halloween."

7) "Dragula" by Rob Zombie (1998). The first single from Rob Zombie's solo debut, Hellbilly Deluxe and a reference to the awesome old-school television show "The Munsters."

8)"The Addams Family" by Vic Mizzy (1964). Just like the theme for "Ghostbusters," this song is easy to recognize because of the unique tune. Mizzy just recently passed away on October 21 at the age of 93, but it's the perfect time of year for one of his greatest songs to be played again.

9)"Nightmare on Elm Street" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince (1988).

10) "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo (1985). What's interesting about this group is that one of the members was Danny Elfman. The same guy who went on to be famous for his movie scores and also composed song No. 2 on the list. Guess you have to start somewhere, so why not an eclectic rock band? He must have a thing for Halloween.

This list only had ten songs on it, but there are quite a few great songs that are specific to Halloween. It's time for the honorable mentions.

 "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zeven (1978). "I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand/Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain/He was looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook's/Going to get himself a big dish of beef chow mein/Werewolves of London" Enough said.

 "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell (1984). A Halloween song by an R&B artist is definitely not the norm. Yea for non-conformity and innovation. Song was released on the Motown Label and it also featured Michael Jackson.

 "Witch Doctor" by Ross Bagdasarian Sr. (1958). This song is credited to David Seville, a character played by Bagasarian Sr. Hmm, maybe that's why this song was covered by Alvin & the Chipmunks. The song tells the story of a man who loved a woman who did not return his affections. Longing for her companionship, the man went to see a witch doctor for advice on the situation. The wise witch doctor says, "Oo ee, oo ah ah, ting tang, walla walla bing bang." Cool, and when someone begins to sing it, usually anyone listening can finish it.

 "Purple People Eater" by Sheb Wooley (1958). The lyrics: A strange monster described as a "one-eyed, one-horned flying purple people eater" descends to earth because it wants to be in a rock 'n' roll band. EPIC.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2009!