Add these Halloween songs to your playlist ASAP

With Halloween coming up, it is important that you’ve got the perfect Halloween playlist.

This Halloween will be the first one since COVID-19 vaccines were made available to the public. So throw a safe Halloween party and be sure to add these spooky songs to your playlist. I promise you won’t regret it.

Starting with the bottom of the list, number five is “Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon. This song was released in 1978 and still appears on Halloween playlists today, for example, Spotify has it on their “Spotify’s Top Halloween Tracks.” “Werewolves of London” is catchy and has the spooky spirit sprinkled into the lyrics.

Next at number four is “Disturbia” by Rihanna. While this may not seem like a Halloween song at first glance, both the beat and music video prove that in fact, it is. To me, this song brings back memories of visiting Wild Waves around Halloween time and seeing everyone in costumes surrounded by fog. The lyrics are reminiscent of being trapped in a haunted house. 

The third is the classic, “Thriller” by Michael Jackson. Honestly, this song needs no explanation. It has it all, the lyrics are unforgettable and the music is just so perfectly peppy and terrifying at the same time. The spoken part in the song, said by Vincent Price, sends chills down my spine even during the thousandth listen. The music video has zombies and werewolves, I honestly don’t know how much more Halloween you can get in one music video.

The second-best Halloween song is “Heads Will Roll” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Though this song is about drug use, according to Genius lyrics, it has little hints of Alice in Wonderland and the use of the guillotine throughout the whole song. Which makes it the perfect Halloween song, who doesn’t want to hear about heads on the floor when they are drinking “blood” or eating brain bread. 

Before we get to my personal favorite Halloween song here are some honorable mentions. 

First up is “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr. Even though this is a hit song and I’m sure if you yelled out “Who you gonna call?” on campus you’d get at least ten responses, I decided not to include it due to its controversy. Mental Floss reports that Parker stole the bass and riff line from “I Want A New Drug” by Huey Lewis. Therefore, I decided to leave it off of the list due to its checkered past. 

Next is “Time Warp” by Richard O’ Brien, Nell Campbell, and Patricia Quinn. While this song has distinctly Halloween themes and the musical it comes from, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” is a classic, this song just isn’t my favorite. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always a sucker for a good Halloween dance song but the lyrics are very fast-paced which makes it hard to sing along. 

The final honorable mention is “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by the Blue Öyster Cult. “The Reaper” is a great song about a man telling his partner to not fear death even as the partner dies. With lyrics like “Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity” it is debatable if this is a Halloween song. Because all my life I’ve considered this song to be part of my Halloween playlist, I’m giving it honorable mention status. 

Drum roll please, here is the top Halloween song! “Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett. This song features Dracula, Wolfman, and even ghouls making it the quintessential Halloween song. It has it all, a catchy beat, humorous lyrics that also paint a clear picture of what is happening in this castle filled to the brim with monsters.

Of course, I have missed some Halloween songs as I can’t cover them all but if you think I’ve missed a particularly important one, write in and tell me so! I’m happy to hear everyone’s thoughts.