History of Halloween Music — Historically Haunted Podcast

(My Halloween Spotify Playlist is at the bottom of this Blog Post. This is not a paid sponsor, I just wanted to share some spooky hits with all of you.)

Happy October 1st, everyone! It is time to celebrate the spookiest time of the year! What comes to mind when you think of Halloween? Pumpkin Spice? Scary movies? Decorations? Or what about Music? Halloween Music has always been a staple in my household. But it was not until iPods and MP3 players came out that I was finally able to get the Halloween music I wanted. The history of Halloween music is an interesting one because it does not seem to have the same kind of traditions that another holiday has, Christmas. Christmas music has an abundance of new songs coming out every year, and they are not all repeats. Sure, some are new takes on the classic carols and songs, but most artists create brand-new songs to be added to the Christmas music list. But Halloween? Not so much.

On my Apple Music app, my personal Halloween playlist has a 2-hour and 15-minute runtime. My playlist has 11 instrumental songs from popular Halloween and scary movies. Only 13 songs on my list were officially created for Halloween; the rest fit the Halloween season, yet they were not specifically created for the holiday. Compare that to my Christmas playlist, which has a 2-hour and 50-minute runtime, where all of the songs are specifically created for the Christmas season. On my Christmas playlist, I do have about five repeats, and by that, I mean different renditions of the same song; that is it; all the songs on that playlist are different and yet all created for Christmas. My Christmas playlist could be longer because there are so many songs that I did not include because I do not like slow music. But why is this? Why are there more Christmas songs than Halloween ones? That, my ghoulish friends, is the journey I am about to take you on. The history of Halloween music.

One possible explanation for the perceived lack of Halloween music is that these songs were written in the popular music style of each decade. As I was researching this topic, I was surprised to discover there are actually quite a few spooky-themed songs out there. As popular music styles changed through the decades, the older Halloween songs seemed outdated and did not carry over the way Christmas songs do. I had fun with this blog post and created a Spotify Playlist for all of you to enjoy this Halloween season. It will be at the end of this post, but first, on to the history!

The Celts and Early Christianity

The Halloween holiday can be traced back to the Celtic festival, Samhain. It was celebrated on October 31, and it marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter, and the New Year begins on November 1. The Celts believed this was a sacred night when the dead would return to Earth. People would gather together, light bonfires, and participate in ceremonies to honor the dead. Music, dancing, and feasting were all part of the special night. Most original Celtic music was instrumental and was played for folk dances like jigs, reels, and other country dances. The common instruments used were the fiddle, bagpipes, accordion, flute, mandolin, and banjo. Some songs were sung, and they are described as slow and mournful and accompanied by only a harp.

When Christianity spread to Celtic lands in 1000 AD, the church declared November 2 to be All Souls’ Day, which was celebrated as a time to honor the dead. Poor people would practice “Souling”. They would go to the homes of the wealthy with promises to pray for the souls of the homeowners’ dead family members. In return, the homeowners handed out pastries known as soul cakes. Later, children began going to houses and asking for gifts of food, money, or ale. Young people living in Ireland and Scotland also dressed in costumes as they went from house to house. This was known as “Guising”. In addition to promising to pray for the dead, they would do a trick, such as sing a song, recite a poem, or tell a joke.

Halloween Changes From Tricks to Treats (1920s - 1940s)

Immigrants brought their traditions of “Souling” and “Guising” to the United States. However, by the 1920s, pranks were getting more and more mischievous. The Great Depression of the 1930s made things worse, and the mischief became rather destructive and, at times, violent. Communities began to organize trick-or-treating activities and parties around this time to keep children safe, along with unruly teens and young adults indoors to keep them distracted. This proved to be a huge success. It became popular to play music during these parties thanks to new inventions like the radio and record players. With parties becoming a necessity to keep kids out of trouble, music companies and radio broadcast advertising saw this as the perfect opportunity to expand into some Halloween music so that radio stations and records could be played during these parties.

Halloween music of the 1920s through the 1940s was mostly jazz and big band music. The songs were spooky and fun, meant for dancing, and fit the party atmosphere. Disney made “The Skeleton Dance” for a Silly Symphony in 1929. Notable songs from the 1930s include: “Heebie Jeebies” by the Boswell Sisters, “Hush Hush Hush” by Henry Hall, and “Skeletons in the Closet” featuring Louis Armstrong with Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra. A sampling of songs from the 1940s are: “That Old Black Magic” by Glenn Miller, “The Halloween Song” sung by Bing Crosby and Boris Karloff, and “The Headless Horseman” by Kay Starr and the Billy Butterfield Quintet. Many of these fast-paced songs added spine-tingling sound effects, while slower songs were on the spooky and mournful side, really leaning into the classic ghostly atmosphere of Halloween. Click here to find a video featuring some popular yet spooky vintage hits and historical imagery.

Halloween with Sock Hops in Mind (1950s and 1960s)

By the 1950s, music had changed drastically from the slower jazz and big band style of music. Rock and roll dominated the music scene of the 1950s and 60s. You can see this influence in the Halloween songs as well from this time: “You Can Get Him Frankenstein” by Castle Kings, “Rockin’ In the Graveyard” by Jackie Morningstar, “Transylvania Twist” by Baron Daemon & the Vampires, “The Mummy” by the Naturals, “Zombie” by Johnny Fever, and of course “The Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers. The all-time spooky classic “Grim Grinning Ghosts” was created for the Haunted Mansion in 1962. The majority of Halloween songs during this time were created for Sock Hops, a popular place for young people to dance to the rock and roll beat.

The Fall and Then the Resurgence (The 1970s to mid-2000s)

After the 60s, there was a notable gap in specific Halloween music. While a few artists tried, nothing really stuck. Since all the old styles of music, like Big Bands and mournful Jazz tunes, are no longer popular, it became harder to find music for the holiday. But in the 1980s, things changed.

Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” came out in 1982; while this song was never intended to be for Halloween, the music video’s horror movie elements and Zombie theme not only created a famous dance but also got the wheels in motion for more spooky songs to be created once again. The theme song for the movie Ghostbusters came out in 1984, creating yet another song that people enjoyed playing at Halloween parties. With the invention of CDs and later iPods and MP3 players, it became much easier to customize a playlist for the Halloween Season. People began discovering old songs that fit the Halloween mood to their playlists, like “Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon, “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder, “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC, and “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell. Many people also added old Halloween-themed movies and TV show theme songs like The Addams Family, The Munsters, Tales of the Crypt, Halloween, and Beetlejuice.

The 1990s and early 2000s saw more growth for Halloween music, with movies taking a leaf out of the Ghostbusters playbook by creating catchy songs for their movies that would become Halloween staples. The movie The Nightmare Before Christmas had “This is Halloween,” created by Danny Elfman and sung by the residents of Halloween Town. Disney began creating Halloween CDs full of fun songs sung by various Disney Characters. More classic movie themes have also been added from movies like Hocus Pocas and Halloweentown. The early 2000s also gave us “Disturbia” by Rihanna, who nailed this creepy yet modern Halloween bop.

Halloween Music Is Back! (From Mid-2000s to 2023)

In recent years, Halloween music has seen a huge comeback, thanks to streaming services. It is now simple to listen to any Halloween song you want with music apps directly on your phone and YouTube music videos. Old songs are now top favorites, and there is a blend of child-friendly and adult hits ready to be listened to. Children and pre-teens have plenty of songs to choose from. Shows and movies on Dinsey Jr., Nick Jr., Descendents, Monster High, and Zombies are often popular Halloween songs to dance to. Adults can listen to their classic rock, 80s hits, “Monster Mash,” and even go back to the vintage classics from the 1920s.

With all this Halloween popularity and general love for the holiday, artists started creating whole albums specifically for Halloween. In 2019, the album LVCRFT This is Halloween Vol. 1 came out with 11 Halloween songs. In 2020, they came out with a follow-up album titled The Sequel. Both of these albums are my favorite to listen to. They are spooky modern pop songs that are a lot of fun. You can tell that the artists who worked on these songs love Halloween, and following in the footsteps of artists before them, they moved Halloween songs into the modern era. They are not the only ones who created Halloween-style albums; in 2019, artist Kim Petras created TURN OFF THE LIGHT. This album has many songs that would be popular for a club-like adult atmosphere, perfect for Halloween time.

I am so glad to see the resurgence of Halloween music. Halloween is now more popular than ever, with it becoming the 2nd most popular holiday. I hope to see even more Halloween music being created in the near future. Maybe one day, my Halloween Playlist will outplay my Christmas one. Until that day comes, we can all enjoy any type of Halloween music we would like, thanks to streaming. Thank you all for joining me on this journey of Halloween music history. Modern-day Halloween is what you make it. You can make it dark and creepy or lighthearted, spooky fun. I wanted this playlist to reflect the fun that Halloween has to offer. Please enjoy this Spotify playlist I created to share some fun Halloween tunes with all of you. Featuring a mix of spooky movie theme songs, classic hits, family favorites, and everything you will need to get into the Halloween spirit! Halloween music should be fun, spooky, and even a little kookie. I hope that you all have a safe and wonderful Halloween season.

-Ariel