a list obligatory.

Halloween

Songs II:

Night of the Dancing Dead

Happy mother-truckin' Halloween readers! Last week we looked at the scarier side of Halloween music, but what about the fun stuff? I mean, you need something to listen to while getting drunk and looking at various varieties of naughty occupations, right?

Halloween has been my favorite holiday since young adulthood. First of all, the history of the holiday is fascinating. Originated by Christians in England attempting to coax the natives away from paganism, the tradition of dressing as creatures and celebrating the fall harvest was a pagan concept that soon became a favorite holiday as far away as Constantinople. In a more modern context, this is a holiday without any of the traditional drawbacks. You aren't expected to buy anything for anyone, you don't have to waste an entire day blankly staring at your family members, nothing closes down for the day, you get to dress up as your favorite character, and candy goes on sale all month. To top everything off (and this is my favorite part), there are horror movies all over television.

As with most other holidays, I like to fill the time with songs that were made specifically for the day. Halloween provides some of the very best holiday music available. For chapter 2 of our two week look at Halloween, we'll be looking at songs that are a bit more whimsical. You honestly didn't think I would let you go without a part playlist, did you? These are my top ten tracks celebrating the fun side of Halloween. Much like a fun horror movie, they are either completely aware of their silliness or earnestly so bad that they're too good to miss. Make sure and check out the full 200-song party playlist on Spotify. I hope you all have fun tonight, but stay safe above all else.

10. "Sympathy for the Devil" - Bryan Ferry  from These Foolish Things, 1973.

9. "Big Black Coffin" - Peter Bjorn & John from Failing Out, 2005.

8. "Walking With A Ghost" - Tegan and Sara from So Jealous, 2004.

7. "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" - Klaus Nomi from Simple Man, 1982.

6. (Dio Would Hit It Like A)  "Rainbow In The Dark" - Dio from Holy Diver, 1978.

5. "Werewolves of London" - Warren Zevon from Excitable Boy, 1989.

4. "Hallowed Ground" - The Violent Femmes from Hallowed Ground, 1984.

3. "Ghost Town" - The Specials from Shaun of the Dead: Soundtrack, 2004.

2. "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" - Concrete Blonde from Bloodletting, 1990.

1. "The Hell of It" - Paul Williams from Phantom of the Paradise: Soundtrack, 1989 (First CD Pressing).

Make sure and check out the full list on Spotify and let me know what's on your personal list in the comments section. That's all for this week, thanks for taking a look-see.

No synthesizers whatsoever were used during the writing of this column.

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