A Halloween Mixtape For Uncertain Times

Let’s face it. The world is overdue for a celebration. And why not on Halloween? These 13 tracks are the perfect anthems for an All Hallow's Eve party, pandemic style. Whether you're at a house party or zoom-ing it up in your Halloween's finest costume, there's a set of songs fit for all ghouls and goblins.

"GHOST TOWN" BY THE SPECIALS

This one hits close to home, and is perfectly on point for the season.

This town (town) is coming like a ghost town /All the clubs have been closed down /Bands won't play no more /Too much fighting on the dance floor /Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town?

The pandemic has turned major metropolitan areas into ghost towns, and things have not been the same in almost 2 years. But this classic by The Specials will have you dancing in spite of the chaos, and reaching for the nearest witches brew.

"SUPERSTITION" BY STEVIE WONDER

Very superstitious /Wash your face and hands/Rid me of the problem/Do all that you can

Need I say more? Stevie Wonder's "Superstition", appropriate all year round, is particularly poignant this year.

Time to wash those hands for the five millionth time today...It's time to make dinner.

"PSYCHO KILLER" BY THE TALKING HEADS

Psycho Killer /Qu'est-ce que c'est / Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-far better/Run, run, run, run, run, run, run away oh, oh, oh

This classic by The Talking Heads is a perfect tune to cook your dinner to before you heat up the dance floor. This catchy song just pairs exceptionally with a side of lobster.

"BANANA BOAT (DAY O)" BY HARRY BELAFONTE

Work all night on a drink a rum/(Daylight come and me wan' go home)

Who can forget this iconic scene from Beetlejuice? When Harry Belafonte's vocals have the power to possess the dinner table, you know you've got a good one on your hands. Press 'play' on this one at the table if you want to see how well your guests can dance with their napkins. You may want to hold the shellfish.

"SCARY MONSTERS (AND SUPER CREEPS)" BY DAVID BOWIE

Scary monsters, super creeps /Keep me running, running scared

David Bowie will forever be missed, but on what better day to honor his spirit than on when the veil to the Otherworld is thinnest on Halloween? The dance floor is sure to be full of scary monsters. And super creeps.

"CREEP" BY RADIOHEAD

But I'm a creep /I'm a weirdo /What the hell am I doin' here? /I don't belong here

This one's a shoutout to all those partygoers who end up face to face with an inevitable creep at the bar with lines like, "Baby, somebody better call God, because he’s missing an angel!"

You may be dressed like an Angel, but you guessed it: that one's a creep.

"DANCING WITH THE DEAD" BY MOLOTOV JUKEBOX

Top hat, a hungry smile he's an island In the crowd /I wash up by his side /A rum kiss, on each cheek /Makes me wild for everyone /As if I'm living this life for the last time / Dancing, I'm dancing with the dead

Time to make a quick exit for the nearest friendly ghoul and bring them out onto the dance floor. This earworm by the brilliant Molotov Jukebox will have you wondering why you never danced to accordion music before.

BRUJERÍA (WITCHCRAFT) BY EL GRAN COMBO DE PUERTO RICO

Quizá serán sus ojitos o tal vez su caminado /o quizás esas cositas que en su casa ella me a dado /Que tú me tienes temblando de noche y de día / Tú me hiciste brujería

(TRANSLATION)

Maybe it will be their little eyes or maybe its walking /or maybe those little things that in her house she gave me /That you have me shaking night and day /You made me witchcraft

This understated gem is perfect for when that masked stranger has you under their spell.

"REAPER" BY SIA

Don't come for me today /I'm feeling good /I remember when (Reaper) /You came to take me away /So close I was to heaven's gates /But no baby, no baby, not today

This may just be an anthem for these times. Sia's vulnerable words remind us of the struggle but the consistent defiance to hold our moments of joy tight.

Belt this one out after you've made a few trips to the punch bowl and you won't care if you can't hold those notes.

"MAXWELL'S SILVER HAMMER" BY THE BEATLES

But when she turns her back on the boy /He creeps up from behind /Bang! Bang! Maxwell's silver hammer /Came down upon her head

It's not a party without a song from The Beatles. They are one of those groups with such a diverse playlist that there's going to be a song for any occassion. This tune's suprisingly upbeat for a song about murder, and is so catchy you'll be singing it until next Halloween.

"SOMEBODY GOT MURDERED" BY THE CLASH

You wouldn't cosh a barber/You're hungry all the same/I been very tempted/To grab it from the till/I been very hungry/But not enough to kill/Somebody got murdered/His name cannot be found

The Clash are connosseurs of story-telling, and this one is no exception. Rumour has it that frontman Joe Strummer wrote this one about a true life experience where he witnessed a car park attendant missing and found him shot dead over a few pence. Strummer searched for the name of the attendant to add to the song, but it wasn't identified. Never one to miss a political statement, The Clash's song is an outrcry against the nameless deaths at the council city flats.

"DON'T FEAR THE REAPER" BY BLUE OYSTER CULT

All our times have come/Here but now they're gone / Seasons don't fear the reaper

This classic by the Blue Oyster Cult is a holiday staple, reminding us that everything has a season, including death. So with that in mind, carpe diem, and dance until the party ends!

"TIME WARP" BY THE CAST OF THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

I remember doing the Time Warp/Drinking those moments when/The blackness would hit me/And the void would be calling/Let's do the Time Warp again

No Halloween mixtape would be complete without "The Time Warp", the infectiously danceable tune from Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Save this one for when the clock strikes 12 so you can time warp back to October 31st 2019.