A Spookalicious Soundtrack

Music is my favorite way to connect with the world. Everything I do has a soundtrack. Reading a classic? Orchestral music is playing in the background. Doing calculus homework? Listening to 2000s punk rock helps redirect my anger and frustration. Feeling a little sad? Put some Christmas music on to lighten the mood. Even if I’m not actively doing anything, there is almost always a song playing through my head at any given moment.

Naturally, Halloween has to have an epic soundtrack. As I set out on this project, the classics instantly came to mind: “Thriller,” “Ghostbusters,” “Monster Mash,” and “This is Halloween.” Did you even celebrate Halloween if you don’t listen to these songs on repeat? However, this Graveyard Smash had to be more than just the legendary classics. Obviously, the classics had to be incorporated, but some spice was needed—some pumpkin spice, if you will.

My next step was to go a level deeper into the other Halloween songs I knew. This included “Calling All the Monsters,” “The Zombie Song,” and Danny Gonzalez’s series of Spooky characters. These newer hints add some spike to the punch.

After combining these more hip, “trendy” songs with the ultimate classics, my playlist needed something else. So, I continued to dig. I discovered some more off-the-radar (at least off my radar) songs such as “Awooo,” “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah,” and “Take it to the Graveyard.”

I spent quite some time intricately placing each song in its rightful place. Halloween is spooky and a great time for horror and terror, but it is also a time of childlike fun. What other time is it socially acceptable for an adult to dress up as whatever they like and eat excessive amounts of candy? Though I was never the biggest fun of asking for candy from strangers, I have always loved the energy surrounding Halloween. This energy includes a careful mix of oldies, new hits, and everything in between. Hence, the title of my playlist being “Spooky Jams.”

Every Halloween I am reminded of the joy it brought me as a child. When I hear “Witch Doctor,” I picture myself at my grandma’s house playing games with all my cousins. When I hear “Oogie Boogie’s Song,” I picture my young self with my siblings scaring ourselves watching “The Nightmare Before Christmas” in the dark. Hearing “Ghostbusters,” I can’t help but hear kids at every Halloween party screaming “Ghostbusters!” Of course, I can’t hear “Spooky Scary Skeletons” without Tik Tok’s logo popping into my head. Halloween is the perfect time to create unforgettable memories, and memories are even clearer in hindsight with a fantastic soundtrack.

I have grown with each Halloween I have experienced. All of these songs help me remember and create fun memories surrounding this interestingly festive holiday. Not only do Halloween-inspired songs bring me back to my seemingly blissful childhood, it is simply a fun way to relax from the overbearing pressures and stress of daily life. Somehow, I find it a bit easier to make it through the equivalent of 14-hour workdays when I can jam out to “The Purple People Eater.”

I hope you enjoy listening to this collection of Halloween-inspired music as much as I enjoyed crafting it. If this playlist doesn’t put you in the mood to eat some candy, put on a costume, and watch “Hocus Pocus,” then I don’t know what will. Immerse yourself in two hours of the perfectly spook-infused playlist to put your Halloween vibes in order. Happy Halloween and may your costume not be last-minute, your candy bowl to remain full, and your pumpkin spice to be nothing but nice.