We were told that the very structure of the music, with it’s repetitive lyrics and syncopated rhythms, were designed to lull the subconscious into a hypnotic state. (I remember wondering about how people could drive with their radios on and be hypnotized.) Evil messages were implanted in the music which could be heard only when playing the record backwards. A technique everyone knows is the most efficient way to implant suggestions in the mind of the young.
However, sometimes those messages were explicit. KISS = Kids in Satan’s Service . Don’t Fear The Reaper…he is your friend. I Write the Songs…..Yes, everyone knows that the devil was originally the angel of music before his spectacular Fall. Yes, EVERYONE knows that Barry Manilow sings I Write the Songs because he is the devil. (Polyester Preacher may have been onto something with this one.)
By Friday, we were ready to do anything, burn any record to save our selves from this spiritual danger. The preacher would mount the stage, position himself at the pulpit and call to us, red faced and teary eyed, to bring these instruments of damnation to the altar of God. They would later be burned in order to destroy the evil spells housed within.
I watched as they filed up and laid the albums down. I, however, did not have any records of my own to burn. The only music my grandmother played in our house were 8 track tapes of Camelot, The Sound of Music, etc. I, also, was the sole Roman Catholic in this school and as such it was common knowledge that I wasgoing to hell anyway. In a rare moment of uncharacteristic rebellion, I quickly made a move. I asked the girl next to me if I could have her 45 of Bat out of Hell since it was only going to get burned up anyway. And just like that , it was spirited away, in my purse and my long love affair with Halloween and Halloween music began.
So, in honor of the ghosts of fall and all things devil-y, I have compiled the Ultimate Halloween Playlist. Which ones would you add? What songs thrill you as the chill in the air grows and the moon waxes full? What songs do you use to drown out the inane ramblings of the Polyester Preacher in your head? I’d love to know.
1. Sympathy for the Devil - The Rolling Stones
2. Sinnerman - Nina Simone
3. I Put a Spell on You - Nina Simone
4. Bloodletting - Concrete Blonde
5. Murder of Crows - Lindi Ortega
6. The Devil Went Down to Georgia - The Charlie Daniels Band
7. The Majestic Tale (of a Madman in a Box) - Murray Gold
8. Joan Crawford - Blue Oyster Cult
9. Burning for You - Blue Oyster Cult
10. A Night on Bald Mountain - Leopold Stokowski & The Philadelphia Orchestra
11. Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.
12. Devil’s in the Jukebox - Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs
13. The Headless Horseman - Bing Crosby
14. Hedwig's Theme - Harry Potter soundtrack
15. Dragula - Rob Zombie
16. Living Dead Girl - Rob Zombie
17. Pet Cemetery - Ramones
18. I Put a Spell on You (feat. Screamin' Jay Hawkins) - Screamin Jay Hawkins
19. The Ghost of Tom Joad (Live) [feat. Tom Morello] - Bruce Springsteen
20. Enter Sandman - Metallica
21. This is Halloween - The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack
22. Hell Raiser - Ozzie Osbourne
23. Zombie Stomp - Ozzie Osbourne
24. Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers
25. Timewarp - Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack
26. Devil’s Dance - Metallica
27. Ghost Town - Shiny Toy Guns
28. Haunted when the minutes Drag - Love and Rockets
29. Superstition - Stevie Wonder
30. Thriller - Michael Jackson
31. Zomieland - T-Bone Burnett
32. Hunting for Witches - Bloc Party
33. Magic - Olivia Newton-John (yes....Olivia Newton - John....What of it!)
34. Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46: In the Hall of the Mountain King
35. Carmina Burana: O Fortuna
36. Bela Lugosi's Dead - Bauhaus
37. Imperial March - Metallica
38. Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
39. The Monster's Loose - Meatloaf
40. Fresh Blood – Eels
41. Helter Skelter – The Beatles
42 Beast – Nico Vega
43. Witch Doctor – Sha Na Na
44. (Ghost) Riders in the Sky – The Outlaws
Stay creepy, my friends.
