Four for Foray: Spooky Songs
Twelve of our favorite evil songs for "grizzly ghouls" from "every tomb."
The third entry in our series of best-of lists, Four for Foray—from bowels of hell and the funk of forty-thousand years, etc.—here are our favorite songs of Halloween.
Monster Mash by Bobby Pickett (1962): “they did it again!” We kick off our list with the original graveyard smash. Every element of this recording, from the vocal performance to the classic horror sound effects, absolutely screams all-time Halloween classic.
Halloween by Phoebe Bridgers (2020): “Baby, it’s Halloween / And we can be anything.”
Thriller by Rod Temperton and Quincy Jones (1984): the greatest music video of all time. When I saw it as a kid I was so scared I cried for a half-hour straight… Good times. Oh, and Vincent Price is so cool, by the way.
Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr. (1984): probably the coolest theme song from probably the best movie ever made, Parker Jr. only had a few days to write the song that would eventually add an estimated $20 million dollars to the film’s box office gross. So what if he probably stole the bass line from Huey Lewis and the News?
One Normal Night from The Addams Family by Andrew Lippa (2009): the Addams family balances hilarity and spookiness. With comedic relief, a love story, and familial vibes, its darkness (softened by silliness) is Halloween-esque for sure.
This Is Halloween from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993): this can sort of be seen as a Halloween anthem. Getting into the spooky season with this song is a no brainer.
Superstition by Stevie Wonder (1972): though not specifically about Halloween, Stevie consistently brings it with groove and harmony and lyrics. Released on the album Talking Book, this song is one of Stevie’s most well-known.
The Monster by Eminem (feat. Rihanna) (2013): this is also not necessarily Halloween specific, but can help to ring in spooky season nevertheless. This song was released in the height of the model of songs that featured other artists and prioritized collab-ing.
Black Magic Woman by Santana (1986): what better way to commemorate spooky season than with a witchy song. Santana’s wailing guitar and trance-like melody makes this the perfect song to start off the Halloween vibes.
One Way or Another by Blondie (1978): thank you Hocus Pocus 2 for making this song creepy now. They’re gonna “get cha, get cha, get cha” one way or another
Don’t Hurt Yourself by Beyonce (2014): this screams main character energy—pull out the devil horns and leather pants. Beyonce is not one to mess around with and neither should you with that costume on
I Put A Spell On You by “Screamin’ Jay” Hawkins, as performed by Nina Simone (1956): if you are witch for Halloween, listen to this song. Who knows the powers it will give you…
Our Spooky Halloween Playlist is live on Apple Music—check it out!
You’ve heard what we’ll be monster mashing to this Halloween, but what/who will you be putting a spell on? Let us know in the comments below, and happy haunting!
Extra credit: any questions?