This is more like my kind of Halloween…
It seems obvious that I’d be wishing you all a happy Halloween today, right?
Well, I’m sitting here in Germany, where Halloween is starting to catch on but isn’t quite the big day that it is in the United States. The truth is, I almost forgot about it. The funny thing is, last time we lived here, we did actually get some trick or treaters and we were not prepared for them. I kind of doubt we’ll have any tonight, but my husband will bring home some candy just in case.
Anyway, in the spirit of Halloween, I thought I’d write about some of my favorite spooky songs. This post was actually inspired by a Facebook post by Don Felder, the former guitarist for The Eagles. He asked people for their favorite Halloween songs. Most folks came up with obvious stuff like “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris Pickett”…
And of course, this song was custom made for October 31…
I tell you what, though. When I think of Halloween, I think of a less obvious song by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant. The song is called “Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us”. It’s not really a Halloween song, but I think of it as one because it has such a creepy vibe to it.
This song was written by Sam Phillips about Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a gospel singer in the 30s and 40s. I’m not sure why this song is so spooky sounding, but it is… and since I bought Raising Sand in October 2007, it reminds me of Halloween.
Speaking of spooky, the song “Spooky” ranks high up there as a good Halloween number.
Dusty Springfield sings “Spooky” here. I like her version.
But since I was around in the late 70s, I am more familiar with the sexy, sultry, southern rendition by Atlanta Rhythm Section.
Listening to this makes me want to experiment a bit with this song myself.
I actually think “Spooky” is about someone with a character disorder, but it works for Halloween anyway. Then there’s the ever popular Eagles hit, “Witchy Woman”. Again, it works for Halloween, but it’s probably a song about a woman with a character disorder.
Cackle!
Janet Jackson’s “Black Cat” may not be about Halloween per se, but it kind of fits the theme.
Don’t let one cross your path!
Probably one of the best Halloween songs I’ve ever heard is “Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)” by Concrete Blonde.
Here’s a great live version of “Bloodletting” with Johnette Napolitano’s raging vocals.
Sting has done a few Halloween worthy songs in his career, too. In fact, he seems to have a knack for writing songs that have kind of an eerie vibe to them.
Sister Moon comes to mind…
And so does the very creepy song, “Moon Over Bourbon Street”… Here’s a very cool acoustic version!
And, of course, no Halloween song list is complete without this huge hit from the early 80s…
Hope you have a “thrilling” night tonight…
It occurs to me as I look at this list that I’m stuck in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Feel free to leave me suggestions for newer Halloween songs. I hope everyone has a great Halloween and a fabulous weekend. Don’t let the ghosts get you!
