.....soon, because the witching hour approaches quickly and some of you pitiful mortals are caught unprepared every year.
"I Put A Spell On You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Creedence also had it on an album. So did The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown.
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"Monster Mash" is by Bobby “Boris” Pickett and The Crypt-Kicker Five and is a must.
"The Boogie Monster" by Gnarls Barkley qualifies.
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"Deja Vu" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. “We have all been here before, we have all been here before....”
"Haunted House" by John Anderson or Ray Stevens. Jumpin' Gene Simmons did it first and best in the '50s. "Ain't no haint gonna run me off!"
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"Stranger In My House" by Ronnie Milsap. It's actually just about a marriage breaking up, but Milsap sounds really, really, really paranoid about the whole situation.
And if sounding paranoid is a qualifier, “How Long (Has This Been Going On?) by Paul Carrack & Ace could work.
"This Masquerade" by Leon Russell (who wrote it) or George Benson (who had to scat his way out of it).
"Nature Trail To Hell” by Weird Al Yankovic.
Sufjan Stevens' "John Wayne Gacy Jr." is creepy.
Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" certainly makes the list, after being featured in the movie "Zodiac."
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That's Jimmy Page on lead guitar, I believe.
And this dischordant version of "Que Sera, Sera" from "In The Cut" also makes the cut.
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The original version by Doris Day from "The Man Who Knew Too Much'" won a Best Song Oscar, but this is disturbingly different.
"Number of the Beast" by Iron Maiden. That's 666, not to be confused with 867-5309, which is Jenny.
“Halloween” by The Dave Matthews Band.
“Halloweenhead” by Ryan Adams.
“Midnight Stroll” by The Revels.
“Living Dead Girl,” "Meet The Creeper" and "House of 10,000 Corpses" by Rob Zombie.
White Zombie did "Children of the Grave" and "Boogie Man."
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult did "These Remains'" and "On The Rack."
“Moon Over Bourbon Street” by Sting is about a vampire.
The Police did “Murder By Numbers” and “Every Breath You Take” perfectly describes the actions of a stalker.
After hearing Azazel, the Demon Angel from Hell, singing “Time Is On My Side,” as his spirit passed unseen from body to body, in that creepy movie “Fallen” with Denzel Washington and John Goodman, I’ll put it on the list. “Tiiiiiiiime is on my side. Yes it is.” The Rolling Stones’ cover version was a big hit, but Irma Thomas from Memphis did the original. Just like when Rufus Thomas, her dad, did “Walkin’ The Dog,” before Mick and the boys covered that one.
The soundtracks from “Corpse Bride” and “The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow” are by Danny Elfman, a former member of Oingo Boingo.
"Love Potion # 9" by The Clovers or by The Searchers is cool. “I took my troubles down to Madam Ruth. You know, that gypsy with the gold capped tooth.” Another R&B classic from Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
“Witchy Woman” by The Eagles.
“Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)” or “Love You To Death” by Type O Negative.
There's a really neat, campy oldie called "Dinner With Drac" by Zach Lederle. It's dead on, but pretty obscure unless you bought the original 45 like I did years ago. Part 1 is on the front and Part 2 is on the flip side. It rivals “The Monster Mash” in pure campiness.
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"Fire" by The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown is great. It’s exhibit A under paranoid songs. “You’re gonna burn....” Several years ago, I heard Arthur Brown was living in Austin
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“D. O. A.” by Bloodrock. It’s like that story about the teenager who was in a car wreck and whose disembodied spirit is floating just below the emergency room ceiling above a bloody Gurney bearing his/her wrecked body, saying, “Please God, please just give me another chance. I’m only seventeen!!!”
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“A Public Execution” by Mouse & The Traps featuring Bugs Henderson on guitar.
And “Transfusion” by Nervous Norvus. “My red 'corpse-suckles' are in mass confusion.” “Slip me the blood, bud.” This is a great example of early rap music from the fifties.
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Nervous Norvus also did “The Fang” in which a jive talking Martian raps, “I’m feeling just like a new-born colt/I’m gonna hit these chicks like a Martian jolt/’cause I’m a red-hot daddy with a thousand volts/ I’m the Fang!!!!!” Get down, dude. I guess Earth chicks are easy.
"Black Water" by The Doobie Brothers. Well, it does sound a little spookier than “Old Man River.”
“Nightmare On My Street” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince.
"Shakin' All Over" by The Guess Who, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates or The Who from “Live At Leeds.”
John Entwhistle and The Who also did “Boris The Spider.’
"Marie LaVeau" by Bobby Bare. "Another man done gone."
"Zombie Jamboree" by The Kingston Trio. “Zombie Jamboree took place in a New York cemetery. Zombie Jamboree took place in Long Island cemetery. Zombies from all parts of the Island come, some of them a great Calypsonian.”
The Kingston Trio’s “Tom Dooley” tells a pretty gruesome tale: “This time tomorrow, reckon where I’ll be? Down in some lonesome valley, hangin’ from a tall oak tree.”
"Crawling King Snake" and “Black Cat Blues” by John Lee Hooker are creepy.
From the “Dusk ‘til Dawn” soundtrack, “After Dark” by The Blasters and ”Only After Dark” by Tito & The Tarantulas.
Hank Williams and his son, Bocephus, both recorded “I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive.” So far, Hank, Sr.’s prediction has proven to be correct.
Lyle Lovett covered The Grateful Dead’s “Friend Of The Devil.”
Bill Kirchen & Too Much Fun did “Rockabilly Funeral.” Too Much Fun is a neat name for a band.
Metallica has “Devil’s Dance.”
Dick Curless did “A Tombstone Every Mile” about a particularly dangerous stretch of highway.
“Hoochie Coochie Man” by Willie Dixon (who wrote it), Muddy Waters, The Allman Brothers Band and Jimi Hendrix.
Willie Dixon also did “I Ain’t Superstitious,” but he still wrote a superstitious song about all the mysterious powers attributed to “The Seventh Son” that Johnny Rivers, among others, covered.
The Allman Brothers wrote “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” while jamming at night in a cemetery, sitting on Elizabeth’s crypt that bore those very words inscribed there in the cold granite.
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"Hellhound On My Trail" by Robert Johnson, who, according to folklore legend, sold his soul to the Devil, when they met down at the Crossroads, in exchange for increased musical talent anda memorable, but short, life. Eric Clapton offers us a cover and, of course, also did “Crossroads” with Cream.
“The Devil Went Down To Georgia” by The Charlie Daniels Band. There’s that Crossroads legend again.
"Little Red Riding Hood" by Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs. “Hey there, Little Red Riding Hood, do ya think little good girls should, go walking in these spooky ol’ woods alone???”
"Ghost Riders In The Sky" by The Sons Of The Pioneers or Johnny Cash or Burl Ives. “Their brands were still on fire and their hooves were made of steel; their eyes were red and shining and their hot breath he could feel. A bolt of fear went through him as he saw them thunder by, for he saw the riders coming hard and he heard their mournful cry....”
Probably every song Danzig ever did.
"Midnight Rambler" and “Sympathy For The Devil” by The Rolling Stones. They also did one album named “Goat's Head Soup” that featured “Dancing With Mister D” and another CD called “Voodoo Lounge” with a song named “Suck On The Jugular.”
Consider “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” too and their album “Her Satanic Majesty’s Request.”
Martin Scorese digs the Stones and featured "Gimme Shelter" in "Casino," "Goodfellas" and "The Departed" at times when scary stuff was going down, plus the instrumental soundtrack for his version of "Cape Fear" was pretty fearful also.
Elmer Bernstein adapted and rearranged the earlier score by Bernard Herrmann, from the original flick starring Robert Mitchum as Max Cady and Gregory Peck, to make the music more scary and it is.
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Texas Bluesman Blind Lemon Jefferson had the signature song, “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean,” and that simple request is on his tombstone in Wortham (near Corsicana) where he was born and is buried.
His mentor, Leadbelly, did “Black Snake Moan.”
"Highway To Hell" by AC/DC.
“Psycho Killer” by The Talking Heads. And if War Is Hell, how about “Life During Wartime?” “This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco, this ain’t no foolin’ around....” Everything David Byrne sang sounds paranoid.
So does most of what Colin Hay sang with Men At Work, like “Who Can It Be Now?,” “It’s A Mistake’ and that Jekyll and Hyde song they did.
How about “Run Like Hell” or "Lucifer Sam" by Pink Floyd?
Or "Season Of The Witch" by Donovan, Vanilla Fudge or Stephen Stills & Al Kooper on "Super Session." “It’s strange; it’s very, very strange.”
"Welcome To The Jungle" by Guns 'N' Roses. “A stretch,” you say? Well, I personally think jungles are pretty scary.
Obvious stuff by Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne, like “Welcome To My Nightmare” and “Mr. Crowley.”
Billie Holliday’s “Strange Fruit” makes a pretty chilling social statement. The lyrics include: ”Black bodies hanging from the poplar trees” and “Magnolias smelling mighty fresh, ‘til there’s the smell of burning flesh.” Wowzer!!!!! And Holliday doesn’t even mention about being tied to the whipping post.
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“Black Sabbath” by Black Sabbath.
"Spooky" by The Atlanta Rhythm Section or The Classics IV. “Love is kinda kooky with a spooky little girl like you.”
"Don't Fear The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult. Cool cowbell. They did “Godzilla” also.
"Werewolves Of London" by Warren Zevon. “I saw a werewolf at Trader Vic's and his hair was perfect.”
“Pet Sematary” by The Ramones.
"Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival. “Don’t go out tonight, it’s bound to take your life. 'There’s a bathroom on the right.'”
Bobby Darin has one version of “Mack The Knife,” from “The Three Penny Opera.” “On the sidewalk, Sunday morning, lies a body, just oozing life…”
“Everyday Is Halloween” from Ministry.
"Who Do You Love?" by Bo Diddley or Ronnie Hawkins. “Got me a chimney, way on top, made from a human skull.”
"Ballad Of A Thin Man" by Bob Dylan. Paranoia again. Bob also did “Tombstone Blues.”
"Dark As A Dungeon" by Merle Travis, Joan Baez and many others.
"The Torture Never Stops" by Frank Zappa. “Flies all green and buzzin’ in this dungeon of despair...” I saw him do it live at The Armadillo World Headquarters with Flo and Eddie from The Turtles on back up vocals and Terry Bozzio on drums.
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"Harlem Nocturne" by The Viscounts. It’s a really spooky sax instrumental that Aaliyah, Queen of the Damned, perhaps, might have danced to, as a scary stripper. Lots of versions of this instrumental: Danny Gatton, The Ventures...
“Deadman’s Curve” by Jan and Dean.
Dead Man’s Party” by Oingo Boingo.
“Mystery Train” by Bon Jovi.
"The Long Black Veil" by Lefty Frizzell, Johnny Cash, Dave Matthews Band or a great version by The Band. Mick Jagger even has a version with “The Chieftains. “Ten years ago, on a cold dark night....”
"The Ride" by David Allen Coe. “The whole world calls me Hank.”
Motley Crue does “Shout At The Devil.”
Gene Vincent & The Blue Caps did “Race With The Devil.”
Roy Orbison did “Running Scared.”
Van Halen did “Running With The Devil.”
Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels did “Devil With A Blue Dress On.’
The Clovers did “Devil Or Angel.”
Rusty Weir did “The Devil Lives In Texas.”
“Ghoul’s Night Out” by The Misfits.
The Misfits album “Legacy of Brutality” has selections such as “Halloween,” “Spinal Remains,” “Theme For A Jackal” and “American Nightmare” from which to choose.
How about “Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes?
And is “Cat Scratch Fever” by that same Motor City Madman a reference to some kind of feline borne lycanthropy? “Even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf at night when the moon is full and the wolfbane blooms" - Laurance Talbot
David Bowie did “Cat People.”
"Drivin' Nails In My Coffin" by Floyd Tillman.
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I submit that “The No No Song” by Ringo Starr is a genuinely scary song, just because it’s so damn true. “No, no, no, no. I don’t do that no more. I’m tired of waking up on the floor.”
“Purple People Eater “ by Sheb Wooley and “Witch Doctor” by David Seville.
"Black Magic Woman" by Santana; the original is by an all-male, early British version of Fleetwood Mac, featuring Peter Green.
"Superstition" by Stevie Wonder or Stevie Ray's cover. “Thirteen month old baby, broke the looking glass.” “When you believe in things that you don’t understand, you will suffer....”
And “Creep” by Radiohead.
"Witchcraft" by Frank Sinatra. “Those fingers in my hair; that sly come hither stare.....”
Or how about Frank’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” maybe during John Hurt’s big, belly ache scene in “Alien.”
Roky Ericson & The 13th Floor Elevators advised we “Slip Inside This House (As You Pass By).” This seminal Austin psychedelic band featured the cool, amplified sounds of an electric jug.
Sarah MacLachlan sings about a vampire in “Building A Mystery.”
When I hear “Muskrat Love,” by The Captain & Tennille, I suspect bestiality and it always creeps me out. But then Toni sings “Do That To Me One More Time” and I’m up for anything she wants. How about you?
"Mystery Train" and "Devil In Disguise" by Elvis Presley.
Jethro Tull sang about a “Witches' Promise.”
And Led Zeppelin had a version of the old folk song “Gallows Pole.” I remember versions by Burl Ives and The Kingston Trio too.
“Wave Of Mutilation” by The Pixies is a personal favorite of mine; the slow version, for me, if you please.
The Doors had “The End,” “Riders On The Storm” and “People Are Strange.”
Blind Southern songstress Terri Gibbs sang “Somebody’s Knockin'.” Maybe it really was the Devil with blue eyes and blue jeans?
"Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac, about a Welsh witch. And “Hypnotized,” too.
“Down By The River” is where Neil Young admits that he shot his baby, dead. And I think he left that poor cowgirl in the sand.
"Frankenstein" by The Edgar Winter Group.
“Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr. “Who ya gonna call?” Ray should have called Huey Lewis and made a deal before ripping off that riff from “I Want A New Drug.”
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And then there’s “Ghost Town” by Cheap Trick. It contains this strained lyrical metaphor: “It’s like a ghost town, without your love.” Pretty lame.
And, also, “Ghost Town” by The Specials, an obscure reggaesque ditty with interesting sound effects, plus a Miles Davis sound alike trumpet solo. It’s pretty weird.
And weird is also the perfect word for “Sally Go Round The Roses” by The Jaynetts. It sounds like “Goin’ To The Chapel” by The Dixie Cups, but instead vocalized by a ghostly girl group made up of musical members of the walking undead.
Blue Grasser Ralph Stanley sang “O Death” in the movie, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Pat Benatar says “Hell Is For Chilldren.”
“Moondance” and “Here Comes The Night” by Van Morrison, the second song is from back when he sang with Them. He also did “Into The Mystic.”
"Stage Fright" by The Band. Yeah, I know it's only stage fright; but performing in front of a crowd really does freak some people out.
ZZ Top did “Planet Of Women” and that’s another scary thought for some of us……Menstrual Madness.
Hey, I'm just trying to give you some ideas and choices. They all can't be slam dunks.
“Richard Cory” by Simon & Garfunkel has a surprise, suicidal twist at the end.
“Jumper” by Third Eye Blind.
Nick Cave did "Red Right Hand" and Propaganda did "Dr. Mabuse."
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Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight” is a little spooky; more or less so, I guess, depending on exactly where you’re planning to walk.
Hearing Pat Boone do Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally” and Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That A Shame” curled my toes, stood my hair on end, actually made my flesh crawl. It caused many to scream out aloud for mercy, but not from fear. Boone's cover versions were just so damned awful.
"That Old Black Magic" by Louis Prima & Keely Smith. “Those icy fingers up and down my spine….”
"Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" by Y & T.
Pantera does “Cemetery Gates.”
The Kenny Wayne Sheppard Band does “Deja Voodoo.”
“Twilight Zone” by Golden Earring.
“Killing Floor” by Albert King sounds murderous, but I think it’s actually about him working in an abattoir, slaughtering innocent livestock.
"In The Midnight Hour" and “I’m A Midnight Mover” by Wilson Pickett He was sometimes billed as “The Wicked Pickett.”
I guess "Maniac" by Michael Semballo from "Flashdance" is a stretch lyrically, but the title is right on.
And if that one is allowable, how about “Crazy On You” by Heart? Wailing vocal by Ann Wilson and wailing acoustic guitar by her sister, Nancy.
How about “The Raven” by The Alan Parsons Project? “Nevermore.”
"Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" by Bach is what The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown sounds like, without the screaming, malevolent vocalist.
Many of the organ parts that Tom Scholtz plays for his band, Boston, sound like that too.
“A Night On Bald Mountain” by Modest Mussorsky/Nickolay Rimsky-Korsakov and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” by Paul Dukas are both featured in Walt Disney’s “Fantasia.”
Try “The Addams Family Theme.” or “The Munsters” or “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.”
“Tubular Bells” by Mike Oldfield from “The Exorcist” or the John William’s theme from “Jaws” will bring back some scary memories.
For other classical selections, how ‘bout Franz Listz’s “The Mephisto Waltz,” Wagner’s “Ride Of The Valkries,” “Funeral March Of A Marionette (the Alfred Hitchcock Theme)” by Gounod and Camille Saint-Saens’ “Danse Macabre.”
Put special Halloween scary sounds like wolf howls, creaking doors, maniacal laughs and screams in between the songs. You can download all that stuff, I found a bunch on the internet under Halloween sounds.
Got to include "Thriller" by The Artist Who Formerly Was That Cute Little Michael Jackson Dude featuring spooky narration by The Eternal Ghoul Who Lives On In Horror Movies Forever, The Great Vincent Price.
And, finally, there’s “St. James Infirmary" by Bobby "Blue" Bland or The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. “Laid out on a cold white table....” Be sure to instruct that this catchy tune be played as the processional for your New Orleans style funeral.
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Help me! Help me! I can't get all these scary songs out of my head.
It's a nightmare!!!!!!
Please feel free to add any others that you think belong on the list.
"I Put A Spell On You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Creedence also had it on an album. So did The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown.
The Link
"Monster Mash" is by Bobby “Boris” Pickett and The Crypt-Kicker Five and is a must.
"The Boogie Monster" by Gnarls Barkley qualifies.
The Link
"Deja Vu" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. “We have all been here before, we have all been here before....”
"Haunted House" by John Anderson or Ray Stevens. Jumpin' Gene Simmons did it first and best in the '50s. "Ain't no haint gonna run me off!"
The Link
"Stranger In My House" by Ronnie Milsap. It's actually just about a marriage breaking up, but Milsap sounds really, really, really paranoid about the whole situation.
And if sounding paranoid is a qualifier, “How Long (Has This Been Going On?) by Paul Carrack & Ace could work.
"This Masquerade" by Leon Russell (who wrote it) or George Benson (who had to scat his way out of it).
"Nature Trail To Hell” by Weird Al Yankovic.
Sufjan Stevens' "John Wayne Gacy Jr." is creepy.
Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" certainly makes the list, after being featured in the movie "Zodiac."
The Link
That's Jimmy Page on lead guitar, I believe.
And this dischordant version of "Que Sera, Sera" from "In The Cut" also makes the cut.
The Link
The original version by Doris Day from "The Man Who Knew Too Much'" won a Best Song Oscar, but this is disturbingly different.
"Number of the Beast" by Iron Maiden. That's 666, not to be confused with 867-5309, which is Jenny.
“Halloween” by The Dave Matthews Band.
“Halloweenhead” by Ryan Adams.
“Midnight Stroll” by The Revels.
“Living Dead Girl,” "Meet The Creeper" and "House of 10,000 Corpses" by Rob Zombie.
White Zombie did "Children of the Grave" and "Boogie Man."
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult did "These Remains'" and "On The Rack."
“Moon Over Bourbon Street” by Sting is about a vampire.
The Police did “Murder By Numbers” and “Every Breath You Take” perfectly describes the actions of a stalker.
After hearing Azazel, the Demon Angel from Hell, singing “Time Is On My Side,” as his spirit passed unseen from body to body, in that creepy movie “Fallen” with Denzel Washington and John Goodman, I’ll put it on the list. “Tiiiiiiiime is on my side. Yes it is.” The Rolling Stones’ cover version was a big hit, but Irma Thomas from Memphis did the original. Just like when Rufus Thomas, her dad, did “Walkin’ The Dog,” before Mick and the boys covered that one.
The soundtracks from “Corpse Bride” and “The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow” are by Danny Elfman, a former member of Oingo Boingo.
"Love Potion # 9" by The Clovers or by The Searchers is cool. “I took my troubles down to Madam Ruth. You know, that gypsy with the gold capped tooth.” Another R&B classic from Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
“Witchy Woman” by The Eagles.
“Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)” or “Love You To Death” by Type O Negative.
There's a really neat, campy oldie called "Dinner With Drac" by Zach Lederle. It's dead on, but pretty obscure unless you bought the original 45 like I did years ago. Part 1 is on the front and Part 2 is on the flip side. It rivals “The Monster Mash” in pure campiness.
The Link
"Fire" by The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown is great. It’s exhibit A under paranoid songs. “You’re gonna burn....” Several years ago, I heard Arthur Brown was living in Austin
The Link
“D. O. A.” by Bloodrock. It’s like that story about the teenager who was in a car wreck and whose disembodied spirit is floating just below the emergency room ceiling above a bloody Gurney bearing his/her wrecked body, saying, “Please God, please just give me another chance. I’m only seventeen!!!”
The Link
“A Public Execution” by Mouse & The Traps featuring Bugs Henderson on guitar.
And “Transfusion” by Nervous Norvus. “My red 'corpse-suckles' are in mass confusion.” “Slip me the blood, bud.” This is a great example of early rap music from the fifties.
The Link
Nervous Norvus also did “The Fang” in which a jive talking Martian raps, “I’m feeling just like a new-born colt/I’m gonna hit these chicks like a Martian jolt/’cause I’m a red-hot daddy with a thousand volts/ I’m the Fang!!!!!” Get down, dude. I guess Earth chicks are easy.
"Black Water" by The Doobie Brothers. Well, it does sound a little spookier than “Old Man River.”
“Nightmare On My Street” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince.
"Shakin' All Over" by The Guess Who, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates or The Who from “Live At Leeds.”
John Entwhistle and The Who also did “Boris The Spider.’
"Marie LaVeau" by Bobby Bare. "Another man done gone."
"Zombie Jamboree" by The Kingston Trio. “Zombie Jamboree took place in a New York cemetery. Zombie Jamboree took place in Long Island cemetery. Zombies from all parts of the Island come, some of them a great Calypsonian.”
The Kingston Trio’s “Tom Dooley” tells a pretty gruesome tale: “This time tomorrow, reckon where I’ll be? Down in some lonesome valley, hangin’ from a tall oak tree.”
"Crawling King Snake" and “Black Cat Blues” by John Lee Hooker are creepy.
From the “Dusk ‘til Dawn” soundtrack, “After Dark” by The Blasters and ”Only After Dark” by Tito & The Tarantulas.
Hank Williams and his son, Bocephus, both recorded “I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive.” So far, Hank, Sr.’s prediction has proven to be correct.
Lyle Lovett covered The Grateful Dead’s “Friend Of The Devil.”
Bill Kirchen & Too Much Fun did “Rockabilly Funeral.” Too Much Fun is a neat name for a band.
Metallica has “Devil’s Dance.”
Dick Curless did “A Tombstone Every Mile” about a particularly dangerous stretch of highway.
“Hoochie Coochie Man” by Willie Dixon (who wrote it), Muddy Waters, The Allman Brothers Band and Jimi Hendrix.
Willie Dixon also did “I Ain’t Superstitious,” but he still wrote a superstitious song about all the mysterious powers attributed to “The Seventh Son” that Johnny Rivers, among others, covered.
The Allman Brothers wrote “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” while jamming at night in a cemetery, sitting on Elizabeth’s crypt that bore those very words inscribed there in the cold granite.
The Link
"Hellhound On My Trail" by Robert Johnson, who, according to folklore legend, sold his soul to the Devil, when they met down at the Crossroads, in exchange for increased musical talent anda memorable, but short, life. Eric Clapton offers us a cover and, of course, also did “Crossroads” with Cream.
“The Devil Went Down To Georgia” by The Charlie Daniels Band. There’s that Crossroads legend again.
"Little Red Riding Hood" by Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs. “Hey there, Little Red Riding Hood, do ya think little good girls should, go walking in these spooky ol’ woods alone???”
"Ghost Riders In The Sky" by The Sons Of The Pioneers or Johnny Cash or Burl Ives. “Their brands were still on fire and their hooves were made of steel; their eyes were red and shining and their hot breath he could feel. A bolt of fear went through him as he saw them thunder by, for he saw the riders coming hard and he heard their mournful cry....”
Probably every song Danzig ever did.
"Midnight Rambler" and “Sympathy For The Devil” by The Rolling Stones. They also did one album named “Goat's Head Soup” that featured “Dancing With Mister D” and another CD called “Voodoo Lounge” with a song named “Suck On The Jugular.”
Consider “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” too and their album “Her Satanic Majesty’s Request.”
Martin Scorese digs the Stones and featured "Gimme Shelter" in "Casino," "Goodfellas" and "The Departed" at times when scary stuff was going down, plus the instrumental soundtrack for his version of "Cape Fear" was pretty fearful also.
Elmer Bernstein adapted and rearranged the earlier score by Bernard Herrmann, from the original flick starring Robert Mitchum as Max Cady and Gregory Peck, to make the music more scary and it is.
The Link
Texas Bluesman Blind Lemon Jefferson had the signature song, “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean,” and that simple request is on his tombstone in Wortham (near Corsicana) where he was born and is buried.
His mentor, Leadbelly, did “Black Snake Moan.”
"Highway To Hell" by AC/DC.
“Psycho Killer” by The Talking Heads. And if War Is Hell, how about “Life During Wartime?” “This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco, this ain’t no foolin’ around....” Everything David Byrne sang sounds paranoid.
So does most of what Colin Hay sang with Men At Work, like “Who Can It Be Now?,” “It’s A Mistake’ and that Jekyll and Hyde song they did.
How about “Run Like Hell” or "Lucifer Sam" by Pink Floyd?
Or "Season Of The Witch" by Donovan, Vanilla Fudge or Stephen Stills & Al Kooper on "Super Session." “It’s strange; it’s very, very strange.”
"Welcome To The Jungle" by Guns 'N' Roses. “A stretch,” you say? Well, I personally think jungles are pretty scary.
Obvious stuff by Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne, like “Welcome To My Nightmare” and “Mr. Crowley.”
Billie Holliday’s “Strange Fruit” makes a pretty chilling social statement. The lyrics include: ”Black bodies hanging from the poplar trees” and “Magnolias smelling mighty fresh, ‘til there’s the smell of burning flesh.” Wowzer!!!!! And Holliday doesn’t even mention about being tied to the whipping post.
The Link
“Black Sabbath” by Black Sabbath.
"Spooky" by The Atlanta Rhythm Section or The Classics IV. “Love is kinda kooky with a spooky little girl like you.”
"Don't Fear The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult. Cool cowbell. They did “Godzilla” also.
"Werewolves Of London" by Warren Zevon. “I saw a werewolf at Trader Vic's and his hair was perfect.”
“Pet Sematary” by The Ramones.
"Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival. “Don’t go out tonight, it’s bound to take your life. 'There’s a bathroom on the right.'”
Bobby Darin has one version of “Mack The Knife,” from “The Three Penny Opera.” “On the sidewalk, Sunday morning, lies a body, just oozing life…”
“Everyday Is Halloween” from Ministry.
"Who Do You Love?" by Bo Diddley or Ronnie Hawkins. “Got me a chimney, way on top, made from a human skull.”
"Ballad Of A Thin Man" by Bob Dylan. Paranoia again. Bob also did “Tombstone Blues.”
"Dark As A Dungeon" by Merle Travis, Joan Baez and many others.
"The Torture Never Stops" by Frank Zappa. “Flies all green and buzzin’ in this dungeon of despair...” I saw him do it live at The Armadillo World Headquarters with Flo and Eddie from The Turtles on back up vocals and Terry Bozzio on drums.
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"Harlem Nocturne" by The Viscounts. It’s a really spooky sax instrumental that Aaliyah, Queen of the Damned, perhaps, might have danced to, as a scary stripper. Lots of versions of this instrumental: Danny Gatton, The Ventures...
“Deadman’s Curve” by Jan and Dean.
Dead Man’s Party” by Oingo Boingo.
“Mystery Train” by Bon Jovi.
"The Long Black Veil" by Lefty Frizzell, Johnny Cash, Dave Matthews Band or a great version by The Band. Mick Jagger even has a version with “The Chieftains. “Ten years ago, on a cold dark night....”
"The Ride" by David Allen Coe. “The whole world calls me Hank.”
Motley Crue does “Shout At The Devil.”
Gene Vincent & The Blue Caps did “Race With The Devil.”
Roy Orbison did “Running Scared.”
Van Halen did “Running With The Devil.”
Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels did “Devil With A Blue Dress On.’
The Clovers did “Devil Or Angel.”
Rusty Weir did “The Devil Lives In Texas.”
“Ghoul’s Night Out” by The Misfits.
The Misfits album “Legacy of Brutality” has selections such as “Halloween,” “Spinal Remains,” “Theme For A Jackal” and “American Nightmare” from which to choose.
How about “Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes?
And is “Cat Scratch Fever” by that same Motor City Madman a reference to some kind of feline borne lycanthropy? “Even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf at night when the moon is full and the wolfbane blooms" - Laurance Talbot
David Bowie did “Cat People.”
"Drivin' Nails In My Coffin" by Floyd Tillman.
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I submit that “The No No Song” by Ringo Starr is a genuinely scary song, just because it’s so damn true. “No, no, no, no. I don’t do that no more. I’m tired of waking up on the floor.”
“Purple People Eater “ by Sheb Wooley and “Witch Doctor” by David Seville.
"Black Magic Woman" by Santana; the original is by an all-male, early British version of Fleetwood Mac, featuring Peter Green.
"Superstition" by Stevie Wonder or Stevie Ray's cover. “Thirteen month old baby, broke the looking glass.” “When you believe in things that you don’t understand, you will suffer....”
And “Creep” by Radiohead.
"Witchcraft" by Frank Sinatra. “Those fingers in my hair; that sly come hither stare.....”
Or how about Frank’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” maybe during John Hurt’s big, belly ache scene in “Alien.”
Roky Ericson & The 13th Floor Elevators advised we “Slip Inside This House (As You Pass By).” This seminal Austin psychedelic band featured the cool, amplified sounds of an electric jug.
Sarah MacLachlan sings about a vampire in “Building A Mystery.”
When I hear “Muskrat Love,” by The Captain & Tennille, I suspect bestiality and it always creeps me out. But then Toni sings “Do That To Me One More Time” and I’m up for anything she wants. How about you?
"Mystery Train" and "Devil In Disguise" by Elvis Presley.
Jethro Tull sang about a “Witches' Promise.”
And Led Zeppelin had a version of the old folk song “Gallows Pole.” I remember versions by Burl Ives and The Kingston Trio too.
“Wave Of Mutilation” by The Pixies is a personal favorite of mine; the slow version, for me, if you please.
The Doors had “The End,” “Riders On The Storm” and “People Are Strange.”
Blind Southern songstress Terri Gibbs sang “Somebody’s Knockin'.” Maybe it really was the Devil with blue eyes and blue jeans?
"Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac, about a Welsh witch. And “Hypnotized,” too.
“Down By The River” is where Neil Young admits that he shot his baby, dead. And I think he left that poor cowgirl in the sand.
"Frankenstein" by The Edgar Winter Group.
“Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr. “Who ya gonna call?” Ray should have called Huey Lewis and made a deal before ripping off that riff from “I Want A New Drug.”
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And then there’s “Ghost Town” by Cheap Trick. It contains this strained lyrical metaphor: “It’s like a ghost town, without your love.” Pretty lame.
And, also, “Ghost Town” by The Specials, an obscure reggaesque ditty with interesting sound effects, plus a Miles Davis sound alike trumpet solo. It’s pretty weird.
And weird is also the perfect word for “Sally Go Round The Roses” by The Jaynetts. It sounds like “Goin’ To The Chapel” by The Dixie Cups, but instead vocalized by a ghostly girl group made up of musical members of the walking undead.
Blue Grasser Ralph Stanley sang “O Death” in the movie, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Pat Benatar says “Hell Is For Chilldren.”
“Moondance” and “Here Comes The Night” by Van Morrison, the second song is from back when he sang with Them. He also did “Into The Mystic.”
"Stage Fright" by The Band. Yeah, I know it's only stage fright; but performing in front of a crowd really does freak some people out.
ZZ Top did “Planet Of Women” and that’s another scary thought for some of us……Menstrual Madness.
Hey, I'm just trying to give you some ideas and choices. They all can't be slam dunks.
“Richard Cory” by Simon & Garfunkel has a surprise, suicidal twist at the end.
“Jumper” by Third Eye Blind.
Nick Cave did "Red Right Hand" and Propaganda did "Dr. Mabuse."
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Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight” is a little spooky; more or less so, I guess, depending on exactly where you’re planning to walk.
Hearing Pat Boone do Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally” and Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That A Shame” curled my toes, stood my hair on end, actually made my flesh crawl. It caused many to scream out aloud for mercy, but not from fear. Boone's cover versions were just so damned awful.
"That Old Black Magic" by Louis Prima & Keely Smith. “Those icy fingers up and down my spine….”
"Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" by Y & T.
Pantera does “Cemetery Gates.”
The Kenny Wayne Sheppard Band does “Deja Voodoo.”
“Twilight Zone” by Golden Earring.
“Killing Floor” by Albert King sounds murderous, but I think it’s actually about him working in an abattoir, slaughtering innocent livestock.
"In The Midnight Hour" and “I’m A Midnight Mover” by Wilson Pickett He was sometimes billed as “The Wicked Pickett.”
I guess "Maniac" by Michael Semballo from "Flashdance" is a stretch lyrically, but the title is right on.
And if that one is allowable, how about “Crazy On You” by Heart? Wailing vocal by Ann Wilson and wailing acoustic guitar by her sister, Nancy.
How about “The Raven” by The Alan Parsons Project? “Nevermore.”
"Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" by Bach is what The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown sounds like, without the screaming, malevolent vocalist.
Many of the organ parts that Tom Scholtz plays for his band, Boston, sound like that too.
“A Night On Bald Mountain” by Modest Mussorsky/Nickolay Rimsky-Korsakov and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” by Paul Dukas are both featured in Walt Disney’s “Fantasia.”
Try “The Addams Family Theme.” or “The Munsters” or “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.”
“Tubular Bells” by Mike Oldfield from “The Exorcist” or the John William’s theme from “Jaws” will bring back some scary memories.
For other classical selections, how ‘bout Franz Listz’s “The Mephisto Waltz,” Wagner’s “Ride Of The Valkries,” “Funeral March Of A Marionette (the Alfred Hitchcock Theme)” by Gounod and Camille Saint-Saens’ “Danse Macabre.”
Put special Halloween scary sounds like wolf howls, creaking doors, maniacal laughs and screams in between the songs. You can download all that stuff, I found a bunch on the internet under Halloween sounds.
Got to include "Thriller" by The Artist Who Formerly Was That Cute Little Michael Jackson Dude featuring spooky narration by The Eternal Ghoul Who Lives On In Horror Movies Forever, The Great Vincent Price.
And, finally, there’s “St. James Infirmary" by Bobby "Blue" Bland or The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. “Laid out on a cold white table....” Be sure to instruct that this catchy tune be played as the processional for your New Orleans style funeral.
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Help me! Help me! I can't get all these scary songs out of my head.
It's a nightmare!!!!!!
Please feel free to add any others that you think belong on the list.
