Spooky Songs

The AWESOME! page has random music stuff that I think is cool. You never know what you will find here!

It’s Halloween, so here are 3 songs that have some spookiness to them.

Monster Mash, by Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers – Released in August 1962, the song made it to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart just before Halloween that year. It was re-released in 1970 and again in 1973, making it onto the chart again each time. The song is narrated by Pickett as a mad scientist whose monster rises from his slab to perform a new dance. The dance becomes “the hit of the land” when the scientist throws a party for other monsters. The song was often performed by the Beach Boys in concert during the early years of the band.

Tubular Bells, by Mike Oldfield – The debut album by Oldfield was released in May 1973. It became famous when it was chosen for the music for the film The Exorcist, which was released in December 1973. The original film score, by Grammy award winner Lalo Schifrin, was scrapped by the director, and Oldfield’s work was found to be perfect for the film. The “song” is a 49 minute mostly instrumental piece. Side 1 of the album is titled Tubular Bells, Part 1 and side 2 is titled Tubular Bells, Part 2. After the success of the film, a 3+ minute single was created by the record company – unauthorized by Oldfield. It peaked at #7 on the Hot 100 chart, and the album went on to sell over 15 million copies worldwide.

Thriller, by Michael Jackson – The seventh single released from Jackson’s album of the same name, the song became iconic due to the music video first shown on MTV on December 2, 1983. The video was directed by John Landis, best known for directing the classic comedy films Animal House, The Blues Brothers, Trading Places, An American Warewolf in London (which was the inspiration for the Thriller video) and other comedy classics in the 80s and 90s. The video was a big deal in its day – great anticipation for the initial airing. It is generally acknowledged as the Greatest Music Video of All Time, and in 2009 it was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, the first music video ever selected.

Enjoy these spooky songs. Monster Mash is a cheesy lip-sync by Pickett from an American Bandstand appearance. Tubular Bells shows clips from the movie The Exorcist (graphic, very scary!) with the theme music in the background. And Thriller is the full 14 minute classic video. GOAT!