quiz: how many of these classic halloween songs actually mention halloween?
As we all know, there are like a thousand Christmas songs, but the average Halloween playlist clocks in at around 25 minutes. You can pad it out with some well-known classical pieces, but partygoers do not tend to get as into “In the Hall of the Mountain King” as one might hope. The parameters of Halloween songdom have thus been stretched, allowing the likes of “Disturbia” and “Maniac” and “Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix)” to qualify. (Which is a good thing, don’t get me wrong.)
Some staples, though, have been synonymous with Halloween for at least as long as I’ve been alive and paying attention. No one would dare question their place in the conversation.
But… do any of them explicitly reference the holiday?
#1: “This Is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas
a) Yes
b) No
ANSWER:
Yes! Of course it does! 29 times, in fact!
#2: “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr.
a) Yes
b) No
ANSWER:
Nope! Because Ghostbusters, despite being about ghosts, is not a Halloween movie.
#3: “Thriller” by Michael Jackson
a) Yes
b) No
ANSWER:
#4: “Spooky Scary Skeletons” by Andrew Gold
a) Yes
b) No
ANSWER:
No! While the song does appear on Gold’s 1996 Halloween Howls album, this song is strictly about skeletons. Did anyone else know that Andrew Gold wrote the Golden Girls theme song?
#5: “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett
a) Yes
b) No
ANSWER:
NO! He was “working in the lab late one night,” but this night is never specified! Could be any of them!
IN CONCLUSION
I have no choice but to crown “This Is Halloween” the definitive Halloween song.
