Rant - My Top Seven Halloween Songs

This is the time of year for ghosts and goblins. So... without much more ado, here is my list of the TOP SEVEN HALLOWEEN SONGS OF ALL TIME!

(You have to click on the title of this post to see the list)

7. Bela Lugosi's Dead - Bauhaus
This was the first single released by the band Bauhaus (which later splintered into Love and Rockets and Peter Murphy's solo career). It is a haunting song about a haunting guy.

6. Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
This song has always struck me for being dark and upbeat all at the same time.

5. Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett
Finding a video of Pickett performing this song (at least one that wasn't a really bad lipsync) was next to impossible. This song is to Halloween what "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" is to Christmas.

4. Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.
I almost didn’t include this one on the list as it is a theme song. I debated long and hard about its inclusion and finally only decided to add since it did carry the #1 spot on the charts for two weeks. It was a bona fide pop hit in its own right. You know that Ray Parker Jr. is white-knuckling it right now hoping Ghostbusters 3 gets made.

3. Thriller - Michael Jackson
What can I say? This video was awesome… it had credits.

2. Ghost Riders in the Sky - Vaughn Monroe
Over the years, there have been over 50 covers of this song that have been released by everybody from Johnny Cash to Spike Jones to The Doors. Although Vaughn Monroe was not the first artist to release a version of this song (he was the second, Burl Ives preceded him by less than a month) his version of this song was not only the best selling but it has always been my favorite.

1. Dead Man’s Party - Oingo Boing
This does not come as a surprise to anyone who knows me. I had a person inform me recently that the famous composer Danny Elfman was in this group… whhhhaaaaaaaa? I have one word for that person… DUH! There are actually two versions of this song that Boingo (true fans are allowed to shorten their name) released, the one here with a synthesized opening and another with a full brass section (I prefer the latter.)