It’s Halloween today, and that evening is best spent handing out candy with music playing in the background. Alas, my new home is not situated for a parade of creatively dressed children, but I can still have the music.
What is your number one Halloween tune? Although many people would choose Michael Jackson’s Thriller, or even Ray Parker Jr.’s Ghostbusters, I’m going to go old school. My go-to Halloween song is Monster Mash, by Bobby Pickett.
American singer Bobby “Boris” Pickett of Monster Mash fame, selling copies of his autobiography at Chiller Theatre horror convention, New Jersey, October 2005. Photo Leslie Gottlieb from Little Ferry, NJ, USA via Wikimedia Commons
Another way to pick music, for all those days that aren’t holidays, is to choose artists born on that day.
Born on Halloween in 1941 was Otis Williams of The Temptations. So many great songs, but I’m going to go with Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.
Twenty years later on October 31, 1961, Larry Mullen Jr., the drummer for U2 was born. My personal favorite U2 song is the live version of Sunday Bloody Sunday from the live album Under a Blood Red Sky.
Halloween 1966 brought us Annabella Lwin, lead singer for Bow Wow Wow. I’m sure it’s a coincidence that probably their most famous song is I Want Candy.
Annabella Lwin & Bow Wow Wow at Kant-Kino, Berlin, 1982. Photo by Braunov via Wikimedia Commons
Happy Halloween to all! I hope you have much candy and even more music.