The Playlist: Halloween

It's that time of year again. The weather gets just a little colder. Flu shots become popular. And Wal-Mart starts carrying Christmas decorations.
Yep, Halloween is near.
With one of my favorite holidays coming up in less than a week, I thought I would take this opportunity to highlight a few songs with an obvious scary spin. Planning a Halloween party? Any would be a welcome addition.
Blue Oyster Cult: Don't Fear the Reaper (1976)
Yes, it's the cow bell song from 'Saturday Night Live.' But years before Christopher Walken and Will Ferrell helped put the song back on the map with a memorable skit back in 2000, 'Don't Fear the Reaper' had its own cult (no put intended) following. A cover of the song appeared on the Goo Goo Dolls' self-titled debut album in 1987, a slow ballet version by Gus was featured in 1996's 'Scream,' and the original song was included in John Carpenter's 1978 classic 'Halloween,' 1998's 'Halloween H20,' as well as the 2007 bloodbath remake by Rob Zombie. The song has also been a part of numerous video games in recent years and was used in the opening of Stephen King's 'The Stand.'

Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (1973)
You know, it's really not that scary a song. The instrumental piece is actually very soothing. The only problem is the connotation to a movie about a girl possessed by the devil who spews pea soup, needs some dermatologist care and can do creepy voices. Maybe for that reason alone, 'Tubular Bells' is the scariest of these five picks. The theme song from 1973's 'The Exorcist' remains Oldfield's most famous work and his album of the same name stayed on the UK charts 5 years, peaking at No. 1. The album was certified gold in the US and earned Oldfield a Grammy in 1975 for best instrumental composition.

Stevie Wonder: Superstition (1972)
I dare you to turn on the radio October 31 and not hear this at some point. Written and performed by Wonder when he was only 22, the song reached No. 1 in the US and was a Top 20 hit in the UK in February 1973. Focusing on numerous superstitions - a natural tie-in for Halloween - the song has since been featured in John Carpenter's 'The Thing' and Will Smith's 'I, Robot.' Notable cover versions include Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bucky Covington and Widespread Panic. Rolling Stone has since ranked the song No. 74 on its list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Ray Parker Jr.: Ghostbusters (1984)
Who you gonna call? Well I don't know about you but if I hear anything super creepy, if things start flying around my apartment or a giant green blob of a ghost comes at me - I'm calling the cops. Here's a little bit of trivia: Parker was later sued when it became known the guitar riff from the song was taken from Huey Lewis & the News' 'I Want a New Drug,' which was released earlier in the year. Lewis has since stated he was approached first to compose the film's theme song but turned it down because he was already working on 'Back to the Future.' The two parties eventually settled out of court, with Parker paying Lewis an undisclosed fee.

Michael Jackson: Thriller (1983)
The epic 14-minute music video is considered by some as the greatest ever and a signature song from one of the most successful performers of all time. The video, directed by John Landis and with a creepy voice-over by Vincent Price, stood for several years as the most expensive video made with a price tag of $800,000 ($1.4 million in 2007 US dollars). Jackson would go on to break his own record with the 1995 video for 'Scream,' a duet with sister Janet. Both the song and the video's coreography have become a part of pop culture, with references to both appearing in numerous other media including 'South Park,' 'The Simpsons,' and '13 Going on 30.'


There’s my list - what’s yours? Shoot me an e-mail at grahamcawthon@shelbystar.com and it might end up featured in a future column.