We all know the popular Halloween songs like Thriller by Michael Jackson, Witchcraft by Frank Sinatra, and any scary movie theme song. But what about the unheard heroes of spooky social dance music?
The songs are out there if you look and listen for them. Lucky for you, we’ve done some of the leg work. Below is a list of not only creepy, spooky, and silly Halloween songs, but tunes that also cover a spectrum of genres, dances, and decades.
In No particular order…
Here is our list of Underrated Halloween Music you may have never heard before today!
(Check out our entire collection of Halloween Themed Music by clicking here!)
(Click on each title or album cover to hear each song in YouTube.)
A modern & mellow Rumba about bewitching someone to love you and keep loving you for eternity. MUAHAHAHA!
Creepy Lyrics: “Yes, I am a witch and I have conjured you for my bidding.”
“She Wants Me Dead” - CazzettE & Aronchupa
I love a song with a great beat! It doesn’t have to have brilliant lyrics, but I want to be able to bop my head along with the tune. Case & point… this song repeats the word “dead” over 50 times, but it’s so catchy you won’t even care. Great Halloween West Coast Swing.
Evil Lyrics: “Woke up this morning with a gun to my head / Somebody help me, she wants me dead / Woke up this morning with the devil in my bed / In the air, everywhere in my maze and in my head.”
With that deep voice and a nickname like “Satchmo” it seems like it would be obvious he would have some spooky music. “Spooks” has some very playful lyrics to a wonderful Foxtrot beat.
Spooky Lyrics: “I know they were spooks, spooks, spooks, spooks. I couldn't move just stood and stared, I never felt so scared.”
“Wicked Ones” - Dorothy
With an excessive driving beat and angry rock & roll sound, this isn’t a West Coast Swing for the faint of heart.
Wicked Lyrics: “This night we got the evil hand / And the evil hand gonn' raise the dead.”
Not your average scary movie for halloween, but the song from Monster High provides some silly lyrics along with a danceable beat making for a great Cha Cha or Swing.
Frightful Lyrics: “These are my boos / My skeleton crew / A little strange, but so are you / Don't you wanna be a monster, too?”
“When You’re Evil” - Voltaire
This song is a lyrical list of all things creepy. Halloween Tango’s are generally easy to find since they all sound a little sinister, however, this song starts out soft enough for a little Argentine Tango, too.
Evil Lyrics: “I'm the fear that keeps you awake / I'm the shadows on the wall / I'm the monsters they become / I'm the nightmare in your skull.”
“Mr. Ghost Goes to Town” - Louis Prima
At the height of the Jazz Age, Mr. Louis Prima reigned supreme. This jazzy little number fits the bill for any old timey Swing you’d like to dance… Lindy Hop, Charleston, or Savoy.
Spooky Lyrics: “The moon is bright and this is the night that Mr. Ghost is going to town.”
“Rama Lama” - Róisín Murphy
This song may not have the creepiest Halloween lyrics, but with it’s disturbing heartbeat driving the medley it’s a fun Samba to add to any playlist.
Haunting Lyrics: “Could a body close the mind down / Stitch a seam across the eye / If you can be good you'll live forever / If you're bad, you'll die when you die.”
“Zombie” - Bad Wolves
If you don’t know the 90’s hit Zombie by The Cranberries… you should! This is a really great Bolero/Nightclub Two Step cover of the hit song. It’s angry, dark, and makes you peer out the window to make sure a zombie apocalypse isn’t really coming.
Eerie Lyrics: “With their tanks, and their bombs / And their guns, and their drones / In your head, in your head, they are dyin'.”
“Can’t Play Dead” - The Heavy
Whoever says rock music is dead has never heard The Heavy! A true and gritty sound from the UK, this band blends humor, truth, and melodies all into some true epic West Coast Swing sounds. This is just one of several of their songs to fit the Halloween theme.
Spooky Lyrics: “So I got one for my money / Two for my soul / Three times, I begging / Get me outta this hole!”
“Calling All The Monsters” - China Anne McClain
A Disney song with cute Halloween lyrics and a great drop on the two-count makes for a fantastic Swing.
Creepy Lyrics: “Heart thumps and you jump / Comin' down with goosebumps! / You dared to go there / I'ma I'ma get you so scared!”
“Bump” - Here Come the Mummies
A modern funk band that perform dressed as mummies… what could be better?! Their music is full of wailing horns, blended vocals, hilarious yet not always appropriate lyrics, and exciting rhythms that force you to bop your head and tap your foot. It’s a throwback to the 70’s and makes for a great Hustle.
Spooky Lyrics: “Better be afraid / Better go down and pray / Squeaky bed springs doing funky little things / Gonna scare you out of your wits / I am the thing that goes Bump / In the night y'all.”
“Dead Man’s Arms” - Bishop Briggs
Bishop Briggs has been making her way through radio land lately with several hits, but Dead Man’s Arms is one of her lesser known songs. The song has a driving beat that sounds like you are fighting for your life. Coupled with her haunted vocals, this song makes a great Nightclub Two Step.
Eerie Lyrics: “That's you, oh lord / You got more bones than a graveyard / It's true, oh lord /
There's more love in a dead man's arms.”
“Rave In The Grave” - AronChupa & Little Sis Nora
Your playlist wouldn’t be complete without a Halloween Peabody! AronChupa may be better known for her songs I’m an Albatraoz and Little Swing, but this one fits the bill for any Halloween bash you are throwing this month.
Wicked Lyrics: “Don't you worry 'bout the dead life / You'll be in the hands of death / And death is pretty damn nice / So won't you take a breath.”
Cover Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash